Dead End (1937)

The Dead End Kids, an unemployed architect, and gangster Baby Face Martin interact with an East Side neighborhood over one day and night.

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lillian Hellman (screen play), Sidney Kingsley (based upon the play by)

Stars:

Sylvia Sidney, Joel McCrea, Humphrey Bogart

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvia Sidney	...	Drina
Joel McCrea	...	Dave
Humphrey Bogart	...	'Baby Face' Martin
Wendy Barrie	...	Kay
Claire Trevor	...	Francey
Allen Jenkins	...	Hunk
Marjorie Main	...	Mrs. Martin
Billy Halop	...	Tommy
Huntz Hall	...	Dippy
Bobby Jordan	...	Angel
Leo Gorcey	...	Spit (as Leo B. Gorcey)
Gabriel Dell	...	T.B.
Bernard Punsly	...	Milty
Charles Peck	...	Philip
Minor Watson	...	Mr. Griswald

Storyline

The Dead End Kids are introduced in their intricate East Side slum, overlooked by the apartments of the rich. Their antics, some funny, some vicious, alternate with subplots: unemployed architect Dave is torn between Drina, sweet but equally poor, and Kay, a rich man's mistress; gangster Baby Face Martin returns to his old neighborhood and finds that nobody is glad to see him. Then violent crime, both juvenile and adult, impacts the neighborhood and its people.

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Plot Keywords:

architect | gangster | dead end kids | slum | deep focus | 

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Taglines:

THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN! (1944 reissue print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 August 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dead End: Cradle of Crime

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Declared one of the ten best films of 1937 by the Film Daily.

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Quotes

Dippy 'Dip': Well I dink an' I dink' an' I dink an' I can't rememba da numba. Den I rememba da building but I forget da floor. But den I check every room an' whoever she is she ain't dare.
Hugh 'Baby Face': Nuttin' for nuttin' kid.
Dippy 'Dip': What a fine ding to do to a kid, a fine ding, a fine ding.

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Connections

Referenced in Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say? (2005)

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Soundtracks

Boo-Hoo
(1937) (uncredited)
Music by Carmen Lombardo and John Jacob Loeb
Lyrics by Edward Heyman
Played at the upstairs party and sung by Huntz Hall in the street

User Reviews

Unique and absorbing

It's a dead end street in New York that ends at the river. It's here that a wide assortment of characters from different walks of life come together in a pressure cooker setting. Rich, poor, kindhearted and hardhearted all come together. In Dead End, a young woman and her teenage brother struggle to survive. An architect works for a better life. A gangster comes home to visit his mother. A well kept woman chooses between love and wealth. The rich and the poor get glimpses of one another's lives at the waters edge.

This movie draws us into a unique place and time. It gives us intimate portraits into peoples lives. It makes contrasts and it shows similarities between people. It's one of a kind and director William Wyler has given us something special here. Sylvia Sidney, Humphrey Bogart, Marjorie Main, Allen Jenkins, the Dead End Kids and Ward Bond give standout performances. The 1930's atmosphere is palpable. I rate this film 91/100. It's unique and absorbing.