Young Mr. Lincoln

A fictionalized account of the early life of the American president as a young lawyer facing his greatest court case.

• Director: John Ford
• Genre:Drama
• Runtime:100 minutes

Cast

Henry Fonda : Abraham Lincoln
Alice Brady : Abigail Clay
Marjorie Weaver : Mary Todd
Arleen Whelan : Sarah Clay
Eddie Collins : Efe Turner

A family traveling through New Salem in their wagon need groceries from Lincoln’s store and the only thing of value they have that he’ll take in exchange is a law book. After thoroughly reading the book, Abe opts for the law after receiving encouragement from his early, ill-fated love, Ann Rutledge (Pauline Moore). Too poor to own even a horse, he arrives in Springfield on a mule and soon establishes a law practice with friend John Stuart (Edwin Maxwell). At a July 4 celebration, a man is murdered in a brawl, and the accused are two brothers of a family that Lincoln knows. He stops the lynching of the two accused at the jail by telling the angry mob he really needs these clients for his first real case. The only witness to the crime is someone who claimed to have seen it under the light of a full moon. Admiring his courage, Mary Todd (Marjorie Weaver) invites him to her sister’s soiree and expresses an intense interest in his future.

Lincoln eventually gets the two brothers off by finding out who the real killer was and then decides to head on out of Springfield and move on. Read more