Inherit the Wind

Inherit the Wind is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. It is frequently cited as being a fictionalized account of the Scopes Trial. The play first appeared on Broadway in January 1955.

Inherit the Wind in film

The play has been made into three made-for-television movies and a 1960 screen film. The movie stars Spencer Tracy (Drummond), Fredric March (Brady), Gene Kelly (Hornbeck), Dick York (Cates), Harry Morgan (Judge), Donna Anderson (Rachel Brown), Claude Akins (Rev. Brown), Noah Beery Jr. (Stebbins), Florence Eldridge (Mrs. Brady) and Jimmy Boyd. It was adapted by Nedrick Young (originally as Nathan E. Douglas) and Harold Jacob Smith (Howard) and directed by Stanley Kramer.

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1960 - Spencer Tracy - Fredric March - Gene Kelly - Dick York - Harry Morgan - Donna Anderson - Claude Akins - Noah Beery Jr. - Florence Eldridge - Jimmy Boyd - Nedrick Young - Harold Jacob Smith - Stanley Kramer

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The movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Spencer Tracy), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Film Editing and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

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Academy Awards - Best Actor in a Leading Role - Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Best Film Editing - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

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The 1960 film makes several departures from the play, most notably in that it tones down the single-mindedness of the characters. For example, a scene is added where Brady and Drummond sit and have a cordial discussion about their past friendship and their reasons for participating in the trial. Likewise, the character of the journalist, Hornbeck (based on H.L. Mencken) is presented an intolerent atheist in the play, but in the movie, a scene is added near the end to tone down his views as well. Unlike in the play, the character of Cates does not outright disown the town and leave at the end.

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1960 - H.L. Mencken - Atheist

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The screenplay also used a bit more of the actual trial transcript than the stage play, most notably including the incident where Clarence Darrow was cited for contempt of court. There also a sequence at night where a mob harasses Cates at the jail and then Drummond at his hotel. Also there, Drummond has a conversation with Hornbeck that inspires him to question Brady to debunk the credibility of the literal interpretation of the Bible.

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