Sinners' Holiday (1930)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

John G. Adolfi

Writers:

Marie Baumer (play)
George Rosener (writer)

Release Date:

11 October 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Romance

Plot:

Ma Delano (LaVerne) runs a penny arcade in Coney Island, living upstairs with her sons (Cagney & Gallagher)...

Plot Keywords:

Speakeasy | Carnival | Beautiful Woman | Male Female Relationship | Melodrama

Cast

Grant Withers	...	Angel Harrigan
Evalyn Knapp	...	Jennie Delano
James Cagney	...	Harry Delano
Lucille La Verne	...	Ma Delano
Noel Madison	...	Buck Rogers
Otto Hoffman	...	George
Warren Hymer	...	Mitch McKane
Ray Gallagher	...	Joe Delano
Joan Blondell	...	Myrtle
Hank Mann	...	Happy
Purnell Pratt	...	Detective Sikes (as Purnell B. Pratt)

Also Known As:

Women in Love

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Vitaphone

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Based on the Marie Baumer play "Penny Arcade", directed by William Keighley, which debuted on Broadway on March 11, 1930. It flopped, running just three weeks, enabling Al Jolson to pick up the screen rights for $20,000.00 and resold it to Warner Brothers at a tidy profit with a proviso that James Cagney and Joan Blondell be cast in their original roles.

Quotes:

Angel Harrigan: Gee Jennie, I'm crazy aboutcha. Why I'd... I'd even marry ya.
Jennie Delano: That's thoughtful of you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in When the Talkies Were Young (1955)

plain simple prohibition murder story

Gotta love these old pre-code black and white films; there is a great scene where if the fair-goer hits the target, the girl sitting on a swing lifts up her dress for a little "show". This straight-forward no-surprises murder story takes place during prohibition , in a penny arcade, which was also the name of the play on which it is based. It stars Cagney in his very first performance in 1930, brought in from the original play; Also in a big role is Joan Blondell, who had already made four films, but would go on to make eight more films with Cagney, as well as over 150 films on her own. The top bills are Grant Withers and Evalyn Knapp, and Lucille Laverne, who had all started in silents. Also love the plain-talking mother who has an opinion on everything and everybody. John Adolfi, the director, had started as an actor in 1907, and worked mostly in silent films. This was one of his last movies as director. Due to its age, the sound and picture quality is a little iffy, but enjoy it as a fun, plain, simple story.