Overview
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.
Trailer
Crew
DirectorStanley Kramer
WriterNedrick Young, Harold Jacob Smith
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
Norman Fell
WGN Radio Technician
Gordon Polk
George Sillers
Hope Summers
Mrs. Krebs - Righteous Townswoman
Ray Teal
Jessie H. Dunlap
Renee Godfrey
Mrs. Stebbins
Florence Eldridge
Sarah Brady
John Alban
Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Leon Alton
Townsman (uncredited)
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Keywords
politicianbased on true storytrialteacherlawyercourtroomevolutionrhetoricscopes monkey trialjudiciarycourtroom drama
Details
Budget
$2M
Revenue
$2M
TMDb Votes
470
Added May 14, 2026Updated Jun 4, 2026