Back Door to Heaven (1939)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

William K. Howard

Writers:

John Bright (screenplay)
William K. Howard (story)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

The life of a young slum kid, who starts out stealing small things in order to fit in with the "crowd"...

Plot Keywords:

Slum | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Wallace Ford	...	Francis ('Frankie') Rogers, as an adult
Aline MacMahon	...	Miss Williams
Stuart Erwin	...	Jud Mason
Patricia Ellis	...	Carol Evans, as an adult
Bert Frohman	...	Bert 'Mouse' Gatto
Jimmy Lydon	...	Frankie Rogers, as a child
Anita Magee	...	Carol Evans, as a child
Raymond Roe	...	John Shelley, as a child
William Redfield	...	Charley Smith, as a child (as Billy Redfield)
Kenneth LeRoy	...	Bob Hale, as a child
David Johnson	...	Wallace Kischler, as a child
William Harrigan	...	Frankie's Father
Jane Seymour	...	Frankie's Mother
Alfred Webster	...	Sheriff Alvin Kramer
Robert Wildhack	...	Rudolph Herzing

Also Known As:

Frankie (USA) (working title)
Picket Fence (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Astoria Studios, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Vernon Steele Productions

Small, budget film with a heart bigger than an epic.

A film that was created as a second-feature became a small jewel by means of an honest script and sincere performances by little-known actors. (Van Heflin appears in a very early performance.)

James Lydon appears as Frankie, a small boy living a desperate existence in a slum area, who steals a harmonica in order to fit in with his classmates. Lydon's performance is heartbreaking, and you know that his character is lost forever under the weight of despair. Then we see Frankie grown, in prison. (Wallace Ford) A parole sets the story in motion, and we see how tragic circumstances can indeed forever destroy a life. Aline MacMahon as Frankie's teacher gives her usual sterling performance. Don't miss this one.