Copyright 10 February 1932 by Bennie F. Zeidman Productions, Ltd. U.S. release through Capitol Films Exchange: 14 February 1932. New York opening at the Warner's Strand: 11 February 1932. 8 reels. 72 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Naive young boy takes the rap for a bootlegger and is sentenced to three years in the state reformatory.
VIEWER'S GUIDE: An emphasis on torture and violence make this film highly unsuitable for children.
COMMENT: Although most people will want to see this film mainly out of curiosity (although her sixth feature, it is one of the earliest Bette Davis movies that are readily available), you soon become captured by the simple but rather horrific story, despite the general air of Poverty Row. In fact, the very lack of gloss in the production adds to rather than detracts from its still powerful impact. The photography is murky, the studio sets claustrophobic, but writer/director Higgin has used his real street locations with considerable flair. Two street scenes with Pat O'Brien are particularly well staged. The second is especially memorable with O'Brien sitting in his car at one end of an alley, watching the police raid his warehouse.
The acting has traces of amateurish enthusiasm, but there's no denying its force. Durkin is excellent as the naive country lad who innocently idolises O'Brien's self-promoting, minor-league bootlegger. Davis, easily recognizable despite her blonde hair and slim figure, is O'Brien's understandably surly girlfriend, while Morgan Wallace plays the tough, crusading but respected newspaperman. Marcus is the hand-washing warden, Clark a mealy-mouthed judge, Grapewin the hero's put-upon uncle, and Junior Coghlan a doomed inmate.
Admittedly, this movie is far from a masterpiece, even by "B" picture standards, but it is grimly entertaining nonetheless.
SYNOPSIS: Naive young boy takes the rap for a bootlegger and is sentenced to three years in the state reformatory.
VIEWER'S GUIDE: An emphasis on torture and violence make this film highly unsuitable for children.
COMMENT: Although most people will want to see this film mainly out of curiosity (although her sixth feature, it is one of the earliest Bette Davis movies that are readily available), you soon become captured by the simple but rather horrific story, despite the general air of Poverty Row. In fact, the very lack of gloss in the production adds to rather than detracts from its still powerful impact. The photography is murky, the studio sets claustrophobic, but writer/director Higgin has used his real street locations with considerable flair. Two street scenes with Pat O'Brien are particularly well staged. The second is especially memorable with O'Brien sitting in his car at one end of an alley, watching the police raid his warehouse.
The acting has traces of amateurish enthusiasm, but there's no denying its force. Durkin is excellent as the naive country lad who innocently idolises O'Brien's self-promoting, minor-league bootlegger. Davis, easily recognizable despite her blonde hair and slim figure, is O'Brien's understandably surly girlfriend, while Morgan Wallace plays the tough, crusading but respected newspaperman. Marcus is the hand-washing warden, Clark a mealy-mouthed judge, Grapewin the hero's put-upon uncle, and Junior Coghlan a doomed inmate.
Admittedly, this movie is far from a masterpiece, even by "B" picture standards, but it is grimly entertaining nonetheless.