Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writers:

John Wexley (screenplay) and
Warren Duff (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

26 November 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The saga of America's dirty faced kids... And the breaks that life won't give them!

Plot:

A priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Gangster | Gunfire | Reform School | Church

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win

Cast

James Cagney	...	Rocky Sullivan
Pat O'Brien	...	Jerry Connolly
Humphrey Bogart	...	James Frazier
Ann Sheridan	...	Laury Ferguson
George Bancroft	...	Mac Keefer
Billy Halop	...	Soapy
Bobby Jordan	...	Swing
Leo Gorcey	...	Bim
Gabriel Dell	...	Pasty
Huntz Hall	...	Crab
Bernard Punsly	...	Hunky (as Bernard Punsley)
Joe Downing	...	Steve
Edward Pawley	...	Edwards
Adrian Morris	...	Blackie
Frankie Burke	...	Rocky - as a Boy
William Tracy	...	Jerry - as a Boy (as William Tracey)
Marilyn Knowlden	...	Laury - as a Child
The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir	...	Church Choir (as St. Brendan's Church Choir)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Harris Berger	...	Basketball Captain (uncredited)
Sidney Bracey	...	Convict (uncredited)
Edwin Brian	...	Newsboy (uncredited)
Sonny Bupp	...	Boy (uncredited)
Brian Burke	...	Convict (uncredited)
Gary Carthew	...	Church Basketball Team Player (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Guard (uncredited)
Frank Coghlan Jr.	...	Boy in Pool Room (uncredited)
Bill Cohee	...	Church Basketball Team Player (uncredited)
William Crowell	...	Whimpering Convict (uncredited)
Joe Cunningham	...	Managing Editor (uncredited)
Steve Darrell	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Joe Devlin	...	Gangster (uncredited)
John Dilson	...	Chronicle Editor (uncredited)
Mike Donovan	...	Death Row Guard (uncredited)
David Durand	...	Boy in Pool Room (uncredited)
Earl Dwire	...	Priest (uncredited)
William Edmunds	...	Italian Storekeeper (uncredited)
Jim Farley	...	Railroad Yard Watchman (uncredited)
Galan Galt	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Bud Geary	...	Death Row Guard (uncredited)
Jack A. Goodrich	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Patrick McGee (uncredited)
Earl Gunn	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Sharpie (uncredited)
John Hamilton	...	Police Captain (uncredited)
John Harron	...	Sharpie (uncredited)
Harry Hayden	...	Pharmacist (uncredited)
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian	...	Convict (uncredited)
Ben Hendricks Jr.	...	Guard (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	(uncredited)
Robert Homans	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Thomas E. Jackson	...	Press City Editor (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Kowalski	...	Boy (uncredited)
Vera Lewis	...	Soapy's Mother (uncredited)
Al Lloyd	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Alexander Lockwood	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Vince Lombardi	...	Boy (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Le Val Lund Jr.	...	Church Basketball Team Player (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Croupier (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Reporter (uncredited)
John Marston	...	Well-Dressed Man (uncredited)
Bibby Mayer	...	Church Basketball Team Player (uncredited)
Billy McClain	...	Janitor (uncredited)
Roger McGee	...	Boy (uncredited)
Belle Mitchell	...	Mrs. Maggione (uncredited)
Carlyle Moore Jr.	...	Reporter (uncredited)
George Mori	...	(uncredited)
Jack Mower	...	Detective (uncredited)
Spec O'Donnell	...	Inquisitive Youth in Pool Room (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Railroad Guard (uncredited)
Oscar O'Shea	...	Kennedy (uncredited)
George Offerman Jr.	...	Older Boy (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Officer McMann (uncredited)
William Pawley	...	Bugs (uncredited)
Jack Perrin	...	Death Row Guard (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Detective (uncredited)
Theodore Rand	...	Gunman #3 (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Ralph Sanford	...	Policeman on El Toro Club Phone (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jack C. Smith	...	Railroad Guard (uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
James Spottswood	...	'Record' Editor (uncredited)
Michael Stark	...	Death Row Guard (uncredited)
Chuck Stubbs	...	Red (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Ed (uncredited)
Elliott Sullivan	...	Cop (uncredited)
A.W. Sweatt	...	Boy (uncredited)
Eddie Syracuse	...	Maggione Boy (uncredited)
George Taylor	...	Convict (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Norton J. White (uncredited)
Norman Wallace	...	Church Basketball Team Player (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Man in Pool Room Slugged by Father Connelly (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Man with Baby (uncredited)
Poppy Wilde	...	Girl at Gaming Table (uncredited)
Lottie Williams	...	Onlooker at Drugstore (uncredited)
Charles C. Wilson	...	Police Lieutenant Buckley (uncredited)
Claude Wisberg	...	Hanger-on in Pool Room (uncredited)
Dan Wolheim	...	Convict (uncredited)
William Worthington	...	Warden (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Curtiz

Writing credits
John Wexley		(screenplay) and
Warren Duff		(screenplay)
Rowland Brown		(story)
Ben Hecht		uncredited
Charles MacArthur		uncredited

Produced by
Samuel Bischoff	....	producer (uncredited)
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer (uncredited)
Jack L. Warner	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Sol Polito		(photography)

Film Editing by
Owen Marks

Art Direction by
Robert M. Haas		(as Robert Haas)

Costume Design by
Orry-Kelly		(gowns)

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

Production Management
Frank Mattison	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Emmett Emerson	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Sherry Shourds	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Herbert Plews	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Everett Alton Brown	....	sound (as E.A. Brown)
Peter Berkos	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Evans	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Frank Flanagan	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Al Green	....	second camera (uncredited)
William Harrington	....	best boy (uncredited)
Harold Noyes	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)
Charley Mark	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Hugo Friedhofer	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Jo Graham	....	dialogue director
J.J. Devlin	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Frank Kowalski	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Jack Lucas	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (A First National Picture)
• First National Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1938) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros (1948) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Films (1950) (Finland) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (video)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (VHS) (colorized)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1994) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1958) (1972) (1984) (1991) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:G (cable rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:(Banned) (1939) | Finland:K-16 (1949) | USA:Approved (PCA #4496) | Germany:12 | Norway:16 (1939) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Portugal:M/12 | UK:A (1938) (cut) | UK:PG (1986) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:16 (f) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Sing Sing Penitentiary - 354 Hunter Street, Ossining, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Some segments of this movie were remade and modified for the feature film Home Alone (1990) and its sequel. In the two movies, Kevin watches them as "Angels with Filthy Souls" and "Angels with Even Filthier Souls".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Towards the end of the film, during the scene where Rocky is shooting it out with the police in the warehouse, watch the "concrete" pillar Rocky has taken cover behind. Seconds before a bullet impact appears on the pillar, a close up reveals a slight round indentation surrounded by a lighter coloring of paint, exactly where the bullet squib, which has been embedded in the pillar, explodes moments later. An immediate cut to Rocky's reaction has him bumping the pillar with his hands, at which point the entire "concrete" pillar wobbles slightly.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jerry, As a Boy:Bulls eye!
William 'Rocky' Sullivan, as a boy:It's as dead as a door nail around here.
Jerry, As a Boy:Yeah.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) (V)

Soundtrack:

In My Merry Oldsmobile

A favorite Bogart film by default...

"Angels With Dirty Faces" has become a favorite Bogart film by default; it has been shown so often and has served as the prime source of material for countless satirists and impressionists…

It is the familiar tale of two young boys who grow up to be on opposing sides of the field—one a gangster (James Cagney) and the other a priest, (Pat O'Brien). The story was obviously sentimental… Its saving virtues were the performances by the leads, clever and suave, energetic direction by Michael Curtiz, and a good music score by Max Steiner…

Bogart had little, and certainly nothing new, to do as he played Cagney's lawyer-turned-nightclub-owner who double-crosses him…