In Old Chicago (1937)

The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

Lamar Trotti (screen play), Sonya Levien (screen play),

Stars:

Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche

Won 2 Oscars. Another 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tyrone Power	...	Dion O'Leary
Alice Faye	...	Belle Fawcett
Don Ameche	...	Jack O'Leary
Alice Brady	...	Molly O'Leary
Andy Devine	...	Pickle Bixby
Brian Donlevy	...	Gil Warren
Phyllis Brooks	...	Ann Colby
Tom Brown	...	Bob O'Leary
Sidney Blackmer	...	General Phil Sheridan
Berton Churchill	...	Senator Colby
June Storey	...	Gretchen
Paul Hurst	...	Mitch
Tyler Brooke	...	Specialty Singer
J. Anthony Hughes	...	Patrick O'Leary
Gene Reynolds	...	Dion O'Leary as a Boy

Storyline

Story of the great fire of 1871. Fictional story of two sons of Mrs. O'Leary (the owner of the cow which started the fire), one a rogue (Power) the other a lawyer (Ameche). One of the most expensive films of its time ($1.8 million).

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Plot Keywords:

fire | cow | lawyer | brother | disaster | 

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Taglines:

The great American motion picture!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chicago

Filming Locations:

Oakdale, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Darryl F. Zanuck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min 111 min (roadshow)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A lantern manufacturer wrote to the studio insisting that the fire must have been started by a lamp, not a lantern. They claimed a lantern would extinguish itself if tipped over, but that claim was found to be false by an actual experiment performed by two assistants at Twentieth Century-Fox. Soon after the fire started, the barn where the fire was supposed to have originated was thoroughly investigated, and no evidence of a lamp or lantern was found.

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Quotes

Dion O'Leary: Nothing can lick Chicago!

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Connections

Edited into Ahen senso (1943)

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Soundtracks

"Sweet Genevieve"
(1869) (uncredited)
Written by Henry Tucker
Lyrics by George Cooper
Played on a harmonium by Alice Brady and sung by her, Tyrone Power, Don Ameche,
Tom Brown and June Storey

User Reviews

Where are the missing twenty minutes>

I see the original version of the film is 115 minutes and the version on FOX Movie Channel is 95 minutes. So twenty minutes are lost. I presume this was done on a re-release so the film would fit better in a double bill. This is quite common and a shame. I hope a film restorer is looking for the lost footage to add back so film buffs can see the original. This was done with 'For Whom the Bells Tolls'. 'In Old Chicago' is an important film and deserves the same.

Secondly, I think the maid Hattie is quite hilarious. I thought her remarks were very subtle and cleaver. I wonder if she was improvising? If so, it added a lot to the film.