Sinners' Holiday (1930)

Director:

John G. Adolfi

Writers:

Marie Baumer (based on the play by: "Penny Arcade")
Harvey F. Thew (screen adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

11 October 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Romance

Plot:

Ma Delano (La Verne) runs a boardwalk penny arcade, living upstairs with her sons (Cagney and Gallagher) and daughter (Knapp)...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Melodrama | Carnival | Mother Daughter Relationship | Crying Man

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Purnell Pratt	...	Detective Sikes (uncredited)

Directed by
John G. Adolfi

Writing credits
Marie Baumer		(based on the play by: "Penny Arcade")
Harvey F. Thew		(screen adaptation) (as Harvey Thew)
George Rosener		(dialogue by)

Cinematography by
Ira H. Morgan		(photography by) (as Ira Morgan)

Film Editing by
James Gibbon

Costume Design by
Earl Luick		(costumes by)

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
C.A. Riggs	....	sound (uncredited)

Music Department
Erno Rapee	....	general musical director
Louis Silvers	....	conducted by: Vitaphone Orchestra

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (as Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.) (A Warner Bros.-Vitaphone Talking Picture)
• Vitaphone Corporation, The (presents)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1930) (USA) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This film is primarily notable because it marked the movie debut of the electrifying James Cagney. Cagney was signed for the film, along with Joan Blondell, at the insistence of Al Jolson, who had seen the pair in the Broadway stage version, originally titled, "Penny Arcade," bought the rights, and insisted that they repeat their performances in the Warner Brothers film. Interestingly, though Cagney owed his film start to Jolson, the two would never meet.

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)

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.