Dead End (1937)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lillian Hellman (screenplay)
Sidney Kingsley (play)

Release Date:

27 August 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Architect | Slum | Dead End Kids | Murderer

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Dead End: Cradle of Crime (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Germany:12 (2005) | Finland:K-15 (2001) | Finland:K-16 (1966) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (1938) | Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1937) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #3596) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

The first of seven movies featuring The Dead End Kids.

Quotes:

Hunk: Maybe I'm wrong. We all make mistakes, boss. That's why they put the rubber on the ends of pencils.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

Soundtrack:

Girl of My Dreams

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.