FOR SOME STRANGE reason, the Prison Movie seems to have been a particularly popular one in the Depression Era 1930's. No studio provided us with more fodder from this genre than did the Brothers Warner. One need only peruse the list of their productions in order to verify our assertion. Titles such as: I WAS A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAINGANG (with Paul Muni), EACH DAWN I DIE (James Cagney & George Raft) and 20,000 YEARS IN SING-SING (Spencer Tracy & Bette Davis) are all prime examples.
WITH THE PRODUCTION of today' honored reviewed movie, we find that it to be situated at the very cusp of multiple epochs in Movie History. First of all, it was a road mark on Humphrey Bogart's slow yet steady rise on the Hollywood value scale. The very persistent Bogey had not yet gotten to star status, but solid performances in DEAD END (1937), ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1038)THE ROARING TWENTIES & this YOU CAN'T GET AWAY WITH MURDER (both 1939), all were solid evidence of his progression.
IT WOULD BRING to the very threshold of Stardom with HIGH SIERRA (1941), THE MALTESE FALCON (also '41) and ultimately CASABLANCA (1942). From that point on any Bogart movie was a big, major motion picture.
THE SECOND CAREER that was chronicled by this movie was that of Billy Halop's. After having come to Hollywood following his successful Broadway portrayal of one of the kids from the Sydney Kingsley Pulitzer Award winning DEAD END, his was considered to be a bright future.*
HIS CASTING AS the leader of the gang in the original stage version translated to his being installed intact after the move to celluloid. Participation in many titles featuring "the Dead End Kids" at both Warner Brothers and Universal followed in productions that varied a great deal from studio to studio.**
THE POWERS THAT be at the Warners' lot were determined to jettison young Halop's association with the Kids and launch a solo career. Films such as: DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939), TOM BOWN'S SCHOOL DAYS (1940) and DANGEROUS YEARS (1947) are examples of less than sensational successes critically and at the Box Office ($$$$!).
REGARDING THE STORY of today's movie honoree (thought we'd never get there), we have what we can only classify as a sort of "typical" troubled kid story. Johnnie Stone (Halop), is the full time reason for worry of his older sister, Madge(Gale Page); who apparently is his sole support and guardian Young Johnnie is caught between the good influence of her fiancé, Fred Burke (Harvey Stephens) and Frank Wilson (Bogey).
FOLLOWING SOME TWO jobs as stick-up men, they wind up in Sing-Sing; but are soon joined by Fred; who was there because he was framed by Frank. (Frank frames Fred = tongue twister, right Schultz?)
IN THE COURSE of some other incredible plot twists: Johnnie is befriended by "Pop" the prison librarian (Henry Travers), is questioned by both Fred's lawyer and the District Attorney in a special deposition, Fred is about to meet "Old Sparky", gets involved in an attempt to break-out, leaves both a written note and oral admission pf how Fred was framed and dies on the surgical table while clearing Fred in a Dying Declaration.***
THAT IS A lot to handle, report on and comprehend. It is obvious that this one is a sort of least favoured film in our vast library. But that is not to say that it doesn't have merit. It has some fine performances by a typically crafted Warner Brothers cast featuring people like: John Litel, Joe Sawyer, Henry Travers, George E. Stone, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Lane Chandler and Juvenile Cagney look-alike, Frankie Burke.
NOTE: * It has been said that Halop had a greater salary than the other Dead Enders ever since the days on the Broadway stage.
NOTE: ** Whereas the Warner productions were such as ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACRS, THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL, CRIME SCHOOL and ON DRESS PARADE; those at Universal included "B" pictures such as LITTLE TOUGH GUY and Serials like JUNIOR G-MEN and SEA RAIDERS.
NOTE *** This "Dying Declaration" term is just what it sounds like, a legal term. In judicial proceedings it is considered to always be truthful, being that the speaker is about to "Meet his Maker.
WITH THE PRODUCTION of today' honored reviewed movie, we find that it to be situated at the very cusp of multiple epochs in Movie History. First of all, it was a road mark on Humphrey Bogart's slow yet steady rise on the Hollywood value scale. The very persistent Bogey had not yet gotten to star status, but solid performances in DEAD END (1937), ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1038)THE ROARING TWENTIES & this YOU CAN'T GET AWAY WITH MURDER (both 1939), all were solid evidence of his progression.
IT WOULD BRING to the very threshold of Stardom with HIGH SIERRA (1941), THE MALTESE FALCON (also '41) and ultimately CASABLANCA (1942). From that point on any Bogart movie was a big, major motion picture.
THE SECOND CAREER that was chronicled by this movie was that of Billy Halop's. After having come to Hollywood following his successful Broadway portrayal of one of the kids from the Sydney Kingsley Pulitzer Award winning DEAD END, his was considered to be a bright future.*
HIS CASTING AS the leader of the gang in the original stage version translated to his being installed intact after the move to celluloid. Participation in many titles featuring "the Dead End Kids" at both Warner Brothers and Universal followed in productions that varied a great deal from studio to studio.**
THE POWERS THAT be at the Warners' lot were determined to jettison young Halop's association with the Kids and launch a solo career. Films such as: DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939), TOM BOWN'S SCHOOL DAYS (1940) and DANGEROUS YEARS (1947) are examples of less than sensational successes critically and at the Box Office ($$$$!).
REGARDING THE STORY of today's movie honoree (thought we'd never get there), we have what we can only classify as a sort of "typical" troubled kid story. Johnnie Stone (Halop), is the full time reason for worry of his older sister, Madge(Gale Page); who apparently is his sole support and guardian Young Johnnie is caught between the good influence of her fiancé, Fred Burke (Harvey Stephens) and Frank Wilson (Bogey).
FOLLOWING SOME TWO jobs as stick-up men, they wind up in Sing-Sing; but are soon joined by Fred; who was there because he was framed by Frank. (Frank frames Fred = tongue twister, right Schultz?)
IN THE COURSE of some other incredible plot twists: Johnnie is befriended by "Pop" the prison librarian (Henry Travers), is questioned by both Fred's lawyer and the District Attorney in a special deposition, Fred is about to meet "Old Sparky", gets involved in an attempt to break-out, leaves both a written note and oral admission pf how Fred was framed and dies on the surgical table while clearing Fred in a Dying Declaration.***
THAT IS A lot to handle, report on and comprehend. It is obvious that this one is a sort of least favoured film in our vast library. But that is not to say that it doesn't have merit. It has some fine performances by a typically crafted Warner Brothers cast featuring people like: John Litel, Joe Sawyer, Henry Travers, George E. Stone, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Robert Emmett O'Connor, Lane Chandler and Juvenile Cagney look-alike, Frankie Burke.
NOTE: * It has been said that Halop had a greater salary than the other Dead Enders ever since the days on the Broadway stage.
NOTE: ** Whereas the Warner productions were such as ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACRS, THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL, CRIME SCHOOL and ON DRESS PARADE; those at Universal included "B" pictures such as LITTLE TOUGH GUY and Serials like JUNIOR G-MEN and SEA RAIDERS.
NOTE *** This "Dying Declaration" term is just what it sounds like, a legal term. In judicial proceedings it is considered to always be truthful, being that the speaker is about to "Meet his Maker.