Two Seconds

1932
1h 7m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

1.3K

YOUR RATING

A condemned murderer, in the process of being executed, relives the events that led to his being sentenced to die in the electric chair.

Play trailer2:18

1 Video

64 Photos

Psychological Thriller Crime Drama Thriller

A condemned murderer, in the process of being executed, relives the events that led to his being sentenced to die in the electric chair.A condemned murderer, in the process of being executed, relives the events that led to his being sentenced to die in the electric chair.A condemned murderer, in the process of being executed, relives the events that led to his being sentenced to die in the electric chair.

Director
- Mervyn LeRoy
Writers
- Elliott Lester
- Harvey F. Thew
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

1.3K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Mervyn LeRoy
Writers
- Elliott Lester
- Harvey F. Thew
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win

Videos1

Trailer 2:18

Original Trailer

Photos64

Top cast29

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Edward G. Robinson

John Allen

Vivienne Osborne

Shirley Day

Guy Kibbee

Bookie

Preston Foster

Bud Clark

J. Carrol Naish

Tony
(as J. Carroll Naish)

Frederick Burton

Judge

Harry Beresford

Doctor

Dorothea Wolbert

Lizzie - Cleaning Lady

Berton Churchill

The Warden

William Janney

Student Observer at Execution

Edward McWade

The Prison Doctor

Gladys Lloyd

Woman

Lew Brice

Reporter
(uncredited)

James P. Burtis

Reporter
(uncredited)

Jill Dennett

Tart
(uncredited)

Adrienne Dore

Annie
(uncredited)

Charles E. Evans

Priest
(uncredited)

Helena Phillips Evans

Mrs. Smith - Landlady
(uncredited)

Director
- Mervyn LeRoy
Writers
- Elliott Lester
- Harvey F. Thew
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Bud refers to a "Peggy Joyce" twice when talking to John about setting him up with dates. He is referring to Peggy Hopkins Joyce, a well-known actress, model, and dancer at the time, who had already married and divorced four (eventually six) wealthy men and led a lavish and scandalous lifestyle. At one point in 1928, she was so wealthy that she purchased the 127 ct. Portuguese Diamond for $373,000 ($6.58M in 2023). The diamond is in the Smithsonian's National Gem Collection.

Goofs
When John is talking to Bud while sitting on the building beam, he starts to slowly take off his work glove on his right hand. On the next immediate cut, the glove is completely off. Then, on each successive cut after that as he smokes a cigarette, he alternates between holding the cigarette with his left and right hand.

Quotes
College Boy at Execution: Look, Doctor, when that current's turned on, how long will it take before it's all over?
The Prison Doctor: You mean before I'll pronounce him dead?
College Boy at Execution: No, before he actually is dead. Will he pass out as soon as the current hits him?
The Prison Doctor: No.
Reporter: He won't? I thought it was all over just like that!
[He snaps his finger]
The Prison Doctor: Not with a powerful fellow like John Allen. His body will be paralyzed but his brain will continue to function for... maybe two seconds.
College Boy at Execution: Gee, those'll be the longest two seconds he ever lived!
The Prison Doctor: Long enough for him to relive his whole life!

Connections
Referenced in Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (2008)

Soundtracks
Lucky Day
(uncredited)
Music by Ray Henderson
Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva
Sung by Preston Foster
Also played when Bud and John are waiting for the bookie

User reviews36

Review

Featured review

8/10

Seedy pre code melodrama-- another tainted gem by Mervyn LeRoy

There's no chance a movie like this is coming out of Hollywood this decade or the previous decade or in the nineties or eighties. Two Seconds is the story of an unhappy steel worker and his squalid little life. At times, Edward G. Robinson is very over the top, but when it matters, his performance is crackling with authenticity and passion and it is clear why this small and unattractive man became a huge Hollywood icon. His fire is undeniable.

Unpredictably plotted in the way many pre-code B pictures were, this piece is always engaging and alive and perhaps a bit too short. It contains an absolutely searing monologue that you will never forget and overall the work is a dirty window through which the desperation of life for the lower class in 1930 American can be gleaned.

A good film and a rich portrait.

(I saw 35mm prints of the movie at Film Forum, N.Y. on two occasions.)