In Old Chicago (1938)

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	...	Edward (Mitch) Mitchell
Tyler Brooke	...	Specialty Singer
J. Anthony Hughes	...	Patrick O'Leary
Gene Reynolds	...	Dion O'Leary as a Boy

Storyline

In 1854, the patriarch Patrick O'Leary of the O'Leary family dies in an accident nearby Chicago while traveling amid-western prairie. His wife Molly O'Leary raises her three sons alone working as laundress. Her son Jack becomes an idealistic lawyer; Dion is a gambler; and Bob helps his mother in the laundry business and marries local Gretchen (June Storey) in the old area known as The Patch. Dion meets the singer Belle Fawcett in the cabaret owned by Gil Warren and they fall in love with each other and become lovers. They also open a business of their own to compete with Gil that becomes their enemy. However Gil invites Dion to join the politics with him but Dion plots a scheme with tragic consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

fire | lawyer | cow | brother | disaster film | 

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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,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

Publicity ads stated that Niven Busch's story was entitled "We, the O'Leary's," but legal records indicate there was never such a story title. The fabrication was developed by someone at Twentieth Century-Fox well after the story and screenplay was completely written, thinking it would give the story a more catchy title.

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Goofs

Dion O'Leary marries Belle Fawcett so that she cannot testify against him in court but a wife cannot be forced to testify against her husband--she can testify of her own free will.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Molly O'Leary: We O'Learys are a strange tribe. There's strength in us. And what we set out to do, we finish.

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Connections

Featured in 20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997)

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Soundtracks

The Irish Washerwoman
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played on a harmonium by Alice Brady and danced by 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.