One of those fun urban crime dramas that Warner Bros. excelled at in the 1930s. This one stars Humphrey Bogart as a crook who corrupts teenage street tough Billy Halop (sans the rest of the Dead End Kids) into committing armed robbery and framing Halop's sister's boyfriend for murder. Soon Bogie and Halop are arrested and sent to prison together while the boyfriend (dull Harvey Stephens) faces possible execution for a crime he didn't commit.
Bogart is fine in a role he could play in his sleep but he doesn't get as much to do as Halop, who WB clearly had high hopes for. Halop is alright when he's playing to his Dead End Kids persona but when he gets melodramatic, the result is over the top. Great character actors like Henry Travers, Harold Huber, John Litel, Joseph Crehan, and Joe Sawyer add color to the cast and liven things up. Travers is especially good. Lovely Gale Page plays Halop's sister and gives a sympathetic turn. It's not one of the better examples from this genre but I doubt many fans will complain about it or feel like it's time wasted.
Bogart is fine in a role he could play in his sleep but he doesn't get as much to do as Halop, who WB clearly had high hopes for. Halop is alright when he's playing to his Dead End Kids persona but when he gets melodramatic, the result is over the top. Great character actors like Henry Travers, Harold Huber, John Litel, Joseph Crehan, and Joe Sawyer add color to the cast and liven things up. Travers is especially good. Lovely Gale Page plays Halop's sister and gives a sympathetic turn. It's not one of the better examples from this genre but I doubt many fans will complain about it or feel like it's time wasted.