it pretty surprising that this wonderful film be make in 1949 and a hollywood generally have it collective head in the sand concern black and white issue at that time . the film deserve strong kudos for take this stand and for have exceptional act from it mostly less know cast and for the super intelligent script that doesn not insult the audience or take the easy way out when it come to white racism . plus and with the movie rather modest budget and fast running time and it do an amazing job . juano hernandez ( an exceptional actor who play support role in many film of the era ) be a proud black man who be accuse of murder a white man in the south . the crowd could really care less about the detail they be just hell bent on a hanging . and and despite his commitment to the law and the one lawyer in town who have agree to defend him also assume he be guilty and doesn not really want to know the truth just delay the hang until they could try and convict him and then have a legal hanging . fortunately and a young white man ( claude jarmin ) begin to wonder about juano innocence and begin seek out the truth . at this point and the best character in this wonderful drama be introduce play by elizabeth patterson ( the old lady who later play mrs. trumbull on i love lucy ) . she single handedly steal the show a the white person with not only a conscience but the will and determination to stand up for the black man . at one wonderful point in the film and a mob be try to push past her to get to the prisoner to kill him and but she stand very firm and force them to back down . there be a lot more to this rather complicate but intelligently write story and but i will leave it to you to see it for yourself . see it with your kid if you have a chance it will open up some amazing dialog about how far race relation have come in the last 50 year . by the way and apparently 1949 be a great year for hollywood finally address race prejudice head on and a twentieth century fox also release pinky an equally effective and strong film about racism and interracial marriage and even rape . see both film if you can .