Back Door to Heaven
Year: 1939
Plot: The film follows the life of Frankie Rogers from his impoverished childhood in the slums to his tragic adulthood. As a poor but decent boy desperate to fit in, he begins with petty theft, which leads to him being sent to reform school and, eventually, a cycle of life in and out of prison. His only source of support is his dedicated and sympathetic grade school teacher, Miss Williams, who is the only adult who truly believes in him. Upon a later release, Frankie attempts to go straight and reconnect with his past, but his criminal record and the harshness of the outside world prove inescapable. He is wrongly implicated in a fatal robbery and, despite being defended by a childhood classmate who is now a lawyer, is sentenced to death. In a final, desperate act, Frankie escapes to attend his class reunion for a final goodbye.
