Sinners' Holiday (1930)

Ma Delano (La Verne) runs a boardwalk penny arcade, living upstairs with her sons (Cagney and Gallagher) and daughter (Knapp). Story involves rum running, accidental murder and a frame-up.

Director:

John G. Adolfi

Writers:

Marie Baumer (play), Harvey F. Thew (screen adaptation),

Stars:

Grant Withers, Lucille La Verne, Warren Hymer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Grant Withers	...	Angel
Lucille La Verne	...	Mrs. Delano (as Lucille LaVerne)
Warren Hymer	...	Mitch
James Cagney	...	Harry Delano
Joan Blondell	...	Myrtle
Noel Madison	...	Buck
Evalyn Knapp	...	Jennie
Otto Hoffman	...	George
Hank Mann	...	Happy
Ray Gallagher	...	Joe

Storyline

Ma Delano (La Verne) runs a boardwalk penny arcade, living upstairs with her sons (Cagney and Gallagher) and daughter (Knapp). Story involves rum running, accidental murder and a frame-up.

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Plot Keywords:

mother daughter relationship | carnival | man crying | pre code | mother son relationship | 

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Genres:

Crime | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 October 1930 (USA)

Also Known As:

Women in Love

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Noel Madison.

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Quotes

Mitch McKane: What's the hurry? Surprised to see me?
Harry Delano: Why Mitch, you old son of a gun. How are ya? It makes it seem like old times to see you around here. Glad to see ya.
Mitch McKane: Yeah, I'll bet you are.
Harry Delano: Uh, Buck said you wanna see me about something?
Mitch McKane: Yeah.
Harry Delano: Well it it's about Buck's joint, I just fixed up the old lady.
Mitch McKane: I ain't worried about the joint, you dirty double-crossing little rat.
Harry Delano: Why, what's the matter?
Mitch McKane: You know what's the matter. Fred's been peddling my hooch and you're in with them. And you brought in with ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in James Cagney: Top of the World (1992)

User Reviews

Cagney's debut in forgettable potboiler...

I could tell from the trailer for SINNERS' HOLIDAY that this is a film I could very well do without viewing--but I tuned in to see Cagney in his debut performance.

This is a museum piece, creaky in plot and development with abysmal stage dialogue and unnatural performances from GRANT WITHERS and EVELYN KNAPP, both of whom get top billing but neither one able to act their way out of a paper bag.

JAMES CAGNEY has the thankless role of the son caught up in a murder charge, a n'er-do-well punk with a trampy girlfriend (JOAN BLONDELL in unflattering make-up and hairstyle), and a harridan for a mother (LUCILLE La VERNE), the woman who gave The Witch a voice in Disney's "Snow White" several years later. None of these characters have any depth or engage the viewer for more than a few seconds. La Verne is particularly unpleasant in the central mother role.

Summing up: Nothing good to say about this one, except that Cagney alone deserves praise for his crying scene. He really throws himself into the part.

This is obviously a quickie churned out by the Warner factory in the early '30s as a part of their crime drama series.