Schoolteacher Bertram Cates is arrested for teaching his students Darwin's theory of evolution. The case receives national attention and one of the newspaper reporters, E.K. Hornbeck, arranges to bring in renowned defense attorney and atheist Henry Drummond to defend Cates. The prosecutor, Matthew Brady is a former presidential candidate, famous evangelist, and old adversary of Drummond.

Genres

Cast

Spencer Tracy

Henry Drummond

Fredric March

Matthew Harrison Brady

Gene Kelly

E.K. Hornbeck

Dick York

Bertram T. Cates

Donna Anderson

Rachel Brown

Harry Morgan

Judge Mel

Claude Akins

Rev. Jeremiah Brown

Elliott Reid

Prosecutor Tom Davenport

Paul Hartman

Bailiff Mort Meeker

Philip Coolidge

Mayor Jason Carter

Jimmy Boyd

Howard

Noah Beery Jr.

John Stebbins