Within These Walls (film)

Within These Walls
Within These Walls
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	H. Bruce Humberstone
Screenplay by	Eugene Ling; Wanda Tuchock; Coles Trapnell
Story by	James B. Fisher; Coles Trapnell
Produced by	Ben Silvey
Starring	Thomas Mitchell; Mary Anderson; Edward Ryan; Mark Stevens; B.S. Pully; Roy Roberts; John Russell; Norman Lloyd
Cinematography	Clyde De Vinna; Glen MacWilliams
Edited by	Harry Reynolds
Music by	David Buttolph
Production; company	20th Century Fox
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	July 13, 1945;
Running time	71 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Within These Walls is a 1945 American drama film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and written by Eugene Ling and Coles Trapnell. The film stars Thomas Mitchell, Mary Anderson, Edward Ryan, Mark Stevens, B.S. Pully and Roy Roberts.^[1]^[2]^[3] The film was released on July 13, 1945, by 20th Century Fox.

Plot

When a judge, Michael Howland, decries conditions at a state prison, the governor recommends he become the new warden. Howland accepts, requiring that his family move to a new home near the penitentiary. His daughter Anne understands the situation, but teen son Tommy is upset by it.

While introducing a new no-tolerance discipline to the prisoners, Howland meets convicted embezzler Steve Purcell, whose good behavior while serving his sentence impresses the warden after a jailhouse incident. Howland needs a driver for his family and entrusts Purcell with the job.

Befriending a couple of inmates, Tommy assists them with a breakout. After a quarrel with his father, Tommy leaves for college and does not see his family again for nearly two years. One day new prisoners are brought in and among them is Tommy, found guilty of an armed robbery.

The warden does not bend the rules for his son. His daughter, meantime, has fallen in love with Purcell, finding out he was innocent of his crime, taking the rap for his guilty brother. Ruthless inmate Martin Deutsch learns this from Tommy and uses this information against Purcell, saying he will inform on the brother if Purcell doesn't help him escape.

Tommy's conscience gets the better of him. He knocks out Purcell to keep him from the prison break. Deutsch, trapped at the gate by the warden's guards, shoots Tommy in the back. Howland pursues the fleeing Deutsch and guns him down.