[RobbyS]

Let us begin by stipulating that "Inherit the Wind" did not tell the truth about the Dayton trial, and I am not just talking about the usal Hollywood spin on a story. Bryan, for instance, opposed evolution in part because he opposed social darwinism. Because of his populism and his opposition to the war, he was already in ill favor with the Eastern Establishment. But it goes beyond that. Darrow was may "enlightened" but he was also as nasty as the Horbeck character that Gene Kelley played. Even though "Hornbeck" was supposed to be Mencken, much of what he said actually came out of Darrow's mouth at the time.

[Stultis]

As an evolutionist I agree almost completely with your analysis of Inherent the Wind (even if I'm not clear why you bring it up). In fairness to the authors (of the play on which the movie is based) their introduction makes it clear that the play is a fictionalization only loosely based on Dayton and Scopes. What they were really about, however, was furthering the myth of "McCarthyism".