THE LAST MILE (1932) Howard Phillips & Preston Foster | Action, Crime, Drama | B&W

The Last Mile is a 1932 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Samuel Bischoff and starring Preston Foster. The picture is based on John Wexley's 1930 Broadway play, The Last Mile. Actor Howard Phillips appeared in both the play and the film but in different roles. In 1959, the play was adapted a second time into a film of the same name starring Mickey Rooney.

SYNOPSIS
An innocent man sentenced to death gets caught up in a prison riot.

The movie presents life in a prison where men are on death row. Some of them are wrongfully accused and convicted; there is nothing in their future but the electric chair.

Richard Walters is condemned to death for a crime he claims he did not commit. While the drama inside the prison unfolds, his friends on the outside are trying to find evidence that he is innocent.

CAST & CREW
Howard Phillips as Richard "Dick" Walters, Cell 5
Preston Foster as John "Killer" Mears, Cell 4
George E. Stone as Joe Berg, Cell 1
Noel Madison as D'Amoro, Cell 6
Alan Roscoe as Kirby, Cell 7
Paul Fix as Eddie Werner, Cell 8
Al Hill as Fred Mayer, Cell 3
Daniel L. Haynes as Sonny Jackson, Cell 2
Frank Sheridan as Warden Frank Lewis
Alec B. Francis as Father O'Connor
Edward Van Sloan as Rabbi
Louise Carter as Mrs. Walters
Ralph Theodore as Pat Callahan, Principal Keeper
Jack Kennedy as Mike O'Flaherty, Guard
Albert J. Smith as Drake, Guard
William Scott as Peddie, Guard
Kenneth MacDonald as Harris, Guard
Walter Walker as Governor Blaine
John T. Prince as Jury Member

Directed by Samuel Bischoff
Written by Seton I. Miller
Based on play The Last Mile by John Wexley
Produced by Samuel Bischoff
Starring Preston Foster
Cinematography Arthur Edeson
Edited by Rose Loewinger
Production company K.B.S. Productions
Distributed by Sono Art-World Wide Pictures
Release date August 17, 1932
Running time 75 minutes
Country United States
Language English

NOTES
A clip from this film was used by progressive rock band Rush as their introduction to the song "Lock and Key" during its performance on the Hold Your Fire tour, later released on the A Show of Hands laserdisc. The VHS and DVD versions of the film omit the song.

Both Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable played Killer Mears onstage in 1930, Tracy on Broadway and Gable later in Los Angeles, which benefited the careers of both men.

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