The Devil Is a Sissy (1936)

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

John Lee Mahin (screenplay) and
Richard Schayer (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 September 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A well-bred young English lad living in lower Manhattan tries to gain acceptance from his not-so-well-bred peers at school.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Probation | Architect | Police | Divorce

Cast

Freddie Bartholomew	...	Claude Pierce
Jackie Cooper	...	'Buck' Murphy
Mickey Rooney	...	'Gig' Stevens
Ian Hunter	...	Jay Pierce
Peggy Conklin	...	Rose Hawley
Katharine Alexander	...	Hilda Pierce
Gene Lockhart	...	Mr. Jim Murphy
Kathleen Lockhart	...	Mrs. Murphy
Jonathan Hale	...	Judge Holmes
Etienne Girardot	...	Mr. Crusenberry - the Principal
Sherwood Bailey	...	'Bugs'
Buster Slaven	...	Six-Toes
Grant Mitchell	...	Paul Krumpp
Harold Huber	...	Willie - a Gangster
Stanley Fields	...	Joe - a Gangster

Also Known As:

The Devil Takes the Count (UK)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2529) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Several people are in studio records/casting call lists as cast members, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): Rollo Lloyd (Pawnbroker), Mary Doran (Mrs. Robbins), Jason Robards Sr. (Mr. Kraus), Harry Tyler (Toy Vendor) and Ben Hendricks Jr. (Cop).

Quotes:

Judge Holmes: Buck, eh? That's a swell name. They used to call me "Stinky." You know why?
Robert 'Buck' Murphy: I guess so.
Judge Holmes: Well, I certainly led with my chin that time.

Soundtrack:

The Sidewalks of New York

A rarely seen gem of a family film

I'd never seen or even heard of this film until it showed up on sale in the Warner Archives a few months back, so I thought I'd take a chance. After seeing it, I was really angry - at Turner Classic Movies. Why is it that I've been a regular viewer of this channel for years and never seen this real gem of a pre-war film? It deserves to be brought out and shown more often - as in more than once every two or three years.

The film stars three of MGM's child stars at various points in their career. Freddy Bartholomew is about at the peak of his career, Mickey Rooney is only beginning what will be a decades long career, and Jackie Cooper is getting a little too old to play the lead in children's films. However, the three come together perfectly here.

Freddy Bartholomew plays Claude Pierce, the son of a divorced couple. The father is an aspiring architect living in a rough neighborhood, the mother is a society swell who looked upon her husband's career as an annoying hobby that took away time from their society hob-nobbing on her money - thus the divorce. The two have joint custody of Claude but very different lives. Half the year Claude is the sheltered citizen of the world with his mother, but now it is his father's turn. He thus attends public school and quickly runs afoul of Buck Murphy (Jackie Cooper) and Gig Stevens (Mickey Rooney). Claude is fascinated with these guys, even if they don't like him. He quickly learns how to earn their tolerance even if he doesn't really have their friendship.

Shortly after Claude's arrival Gig's father is executed for a murder he committed. Gig's mission in life now is to get enough money together to buy a headstone for his father's grave. However, even the illegal endeavors that Gig and Buck come up with can't yield enough money. Oddly, it is Claude that comes up with a single caper that will produce enough money for the coveted headstone. For awhile Buck and Gig now consider Claude one of them, until the three are hauled into juvenile court for selling stolen goods and it turns out that Claude's caper wasn't as illegal as he would have the other boys think.

Mainly a picture from a kid's point of view, this film does have some excellent performances from the supporting adults. Ian Hunter, who I always regarded as a bit of a prison sentence for Kay Francis because he was so often and so badly teamed with her, is perfect as Claude's dad. It would be easy for him to pamper and shelter Claude, but he realizes that Claude must learn to get along with all types of people in life. However, that doesn't mean he isn't always there with advice and a shoulder when needed. Then there is Peggy Conklin as Gig's aunt who has taken the easy way out of the tenement life that her sister and nephew are stuck in. It's never stated exactly what she is doing to pay for her high-rise lifestyle, but the insinuation is that she is a kept woman. Of course, in MGM family film tradition, she decides to end this way of life for herself before the film ends. We also see the beginnings of what looks like a romance between herself and Claude's father.

Highly recommended for fans of MGM's pre-war fare.