Half a Sinner (1940)

Although young and beautiful, schoolteacher Anne Gladden fears a dull future. She finally decides to take a walk on the wild side, splurging on some fashionable new clothes and setting off ... See full summary »

Director:

Al Christie

Writers:

Frederick J. Jackson, Dalton Trumbo (story)

Stars:

Heather Angel, John 'Dusty' King, Constance Collier

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Heather Angel	...	Anne Gladden
John 'Dusty' King	...	Larry Cameron (as John King)
Constance Collier	...	Mrs. Jefferson Breckenridge
Walter Catlett	...	Turnpike Gas Station Attendant
Tom Dugan	...	Red Egan
Robert Elliott	...	Officer Kelly
Clem Bevans	...	Snuffy
Emma Dunn	...	Granny Gladden
Henry Brandon	...	Handsome, Red's Sidekick
William B. Davidson	...	Slick Kopesco
Fern Emmett	...	Margaret Reed
Sonny Bupp	...	Willy
Wilbur Mack	...	Chauffeur Mason
Joe Devlin	...	Steve, Kopesco Goon

Storyline

Although young and beautiful, schoolteacher Anne Gladden fears a dull future. She finally decides to take a walk on the wild side, splurging on some fashionable new clothes and setting off to find adventure. Her new confidence inspires her to flirt with complete strangers. When a gangster pays unwanted attention to her, she ditches him and flees in his car, unaware that there's a corpse in the trunk. Determined to recover his stolen vehicle and its incriminating cargo the thug begins a desperate search. The oblivious Anne, comes to the aid of a handsome young man stranded alongside the road. Romance blooms, but after the shocking discovery of a body in the trunk, the duo decide they have to return the car. The bickering lovebirds head back to the city, trailed by both the angry gangster and the cops, who suspect the young couple of murder.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | pennsylvania | car thief | teacher student relationship | chalkboard | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Everything Happens to Annie

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arcadia Pictures Corp., Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

59 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Snuffy flags down Red, the shadow of the boom microphone falls across Red's car.

User Reviews

A day in the life of a teacher!!!

Heather Angel was an exquisite actress who just seemed to slip through the cracks. By the time of "Half a Sinner" she was quite at home playing young heroines in light hearted mysteries. But her career had started out differently - she was the wistful and lovely girl Leslie Howard loved when he went back in time in "Berkeley Square" (1933). Over the next couple of years she played a mousey murderess in "Springtome for Henry" (1934) and a "sorrowing sister" in "The Informer" (1935) and then nothing more of note. She did become "the girl" in the Bulldog Drummond series and she was remembered (by me) as being quite feisty and intelligent - unusual for those types of roles!!

A prim school teacher has a secret desire to kick up her heels and leave her small town behind her. She does the next best thing - buys some silk stockings, a new hat and goes on a spree for the day. She gets some unwanted attention from a hood, "Handsome", and in her haste to escape, pushes him over and steals his car. Unbeknownst to her, there is a body in the back. She picks up a hitch-hiker, whose car has broken down, and a romance begins. Larry (John "Dusty" King) soon discovers the body but when a policeman starts chasing them, Anne is more concerned about the car being stolen - she doesn't know about the body!!

Heather Angel is great as Anne - she really gets into the spirit of the film. Another great player is Constance Collier as the dowager whose chauffeur takes the wrong car. She really livens up the last part of the movie. Henry Braddon plays "Handsome". The original story is by Dalton Trumbo.

Recommended.