The Burning Cross
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Virginia Patton
| The Burning Cross | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Walter Colmes |
| Written by | Aubrey Wisberg |
| Produced by | Walter Colmes |
| Starring | Hank Daniels Virginia Patton |
| Cinematography | Walter Strenge |
| Edited by | Jason Bernie |
| Music by | Raoul Kraushaar |
Production company | Somerset Pictures |
| Distributed by | Screen Guild Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | less than $100,000[1] |
The Burning Cross is a 1947 American drama film produced and directed by Walter Colmes. It was written by Aubrey Wisberg and released by Screen Guild Productions.
The film depicts Ku Klux Klan activities and was censored in Virginia and Detroit.[2][3][4][5]
War veteran Johnny Larrimer joins the Ku Klux Klan and comes to regard it as evil. When he betrays his Klan oath, he is brought before Klan officials for a mock trial and lynching. One of Johnny's friends, a government agent working under cover, alerts the state troopers. The Klan is routed, Johnny beats the Klan organizer into submission, and the law grants Johnny a light prison sentence in the wake of his efforts to break up the terrorist group.
Cast
- Hank Daniels (Henry H. Daniels, Jr.) as Johnny Larrimer
- Virginia Patton as Doris Greene
- Dick Rich as Lud Harris
- Joel Fluellen as Charlie West
- John Fostini as Tony Areni
- Betty Roadman as Agatha Larimer
- Raymond Bond as Chester Larrimer
- Matt Willis as Mort Dauson - the Grand Dragon
- John Doucette as Toby Mason
Production
The Burning Cross was an attempt to cash in on the new anti-racism cycle of films popular at the time (like Gentleman's Agreement and Crossfire).
Somerset Pictures was established in 1947 by Walter Colmes, Solly Levenstein, and Jake Milstein. It was their first movie.[6] They signed an agreement with Robert L. Lippert's Screen Guild Productions to distribute the film.
Filming started in June 1947[7] at producer Jack Schwarz's new, ultra-modern Equity studio on Cahuenga Boulevard, originally the site of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's first studio.[8] The low-budget production was completed in six days.[9]