39 Stripes (1979)

The true story of Ed Martin, former chain gang convict who converted to Christianity in prison in 1944 and formed the HopeAglow Prison Ministries. Ron Ormond's dramatized version of Ed's life in prison follows him swinging on a hammer in a chain gang, remembering his life of squalor and petty crime, finding Jesus through the persistence of his future wife Alfreda, and helping other inmates find salvation through his preaching in the prison chapel. The 39 stripes refer to the Jewish tradition of flogging criminals just short of the fatal 40 lash mark.