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Article: CRIMINALS AND AUTHORS.(Perspective)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- December 20, 1987
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1987 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Dan Lynch
I flipped on the TV set not long ago and got interested in this movie on HBO before I realized what it was.
It turned out to be a film about the guy who inspired the old Paul Muni film "I Was a Fugitive from a Chain Gang." I remembered seeing the old Muni film on TV when I was a kid, but I'd never realized it was based on a true story.
It seems that this World War I veteran, a guy named Vincent Godfrey Burns, got involved in a small-time stickup in Georgia after the war, when nobody could find work. He was sent to a chain gang to serve his time. Conditions were inhuman, so he escaped, made his way to Chicago, got married and ...