Jimmy idolatra al contrabandista Matt, y cuando se niega a implicar a su amigo, lo envían a un reformatorio. Se hace amigo de Shorty, un niño con una afección cardíaca, y escapa para informa... Leer todoJimmy idolatra al contrabandista Matt, y cuando se niega a implicar a su amigo, lo envían a un reformatorio. Se hace amigo de Shorty, un niño con una afección cardíaca, y escapa para informar al mundo sobre las brutales condiciones.Jimmy idolatra al contrabandista Matt, y cuando se niega a implicar a su amigo, lo envían a un reformatorio. Se hace amigo de Shorty, un niño con una afección cardíaca, y escapa para informar al mundo sobre las brutales condiciones.
- Dirección
- Guión
- Reparto principal
- Premios
- 2 premios en total
- Jimmy Mason
- (as Junior Dirkin)
- Shorty
- (as Junior Coughlin)
- Henry Clark
- (as Charles Grapewin)
- Judge Robinson
- (as Wallace Clark)
- Superintendant Charles Thompson
- (as James Marcus)
- Lucy Mason
- (sin acreditar)
- Boy at Trial
- (sin acreditar)
- Detective
- (sin acreditar)
- Cop on the Beat
- (sin acreditar)
- Joe - Street Cop
- (sin acreditar)
- Detective
- (sin acreditar)
- Doctor
- (sin acreditar)
Reseñas destacadas
The most compelling part of the movie is Jimmy waiting for Matt while he's in court. The rest is a functional story for the boy although he's a little too clueless even at the end. His character needs to get smarter. Bette Davis is a supporting actress in this one. It's very early in her career. I would like Matt to be younger and his turn is a little too happy ending.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Low-budget crime/melodrama is best remembered for the early views of Pat O'Brien and Bette Davis. In the film, a young boy (Junior Durkin) moves to New York after the death of his mother where he quickly looks up to Matt (O'Brien). What the boy doesn't know is that Matt is a bootlegger and he ends up taking the rap for a crime and sent to an abusive reform school. The boy is trapped there unless Matt can grow some guts and admit that he is the one who should be behind bars. This film beat the Warner/James Cagney drama THE MAYOR OF HELL into theaters by nearly a year so I'm curious if this is one of those small studios hearing about a major studios work and then trying to race a finished product into theaters. The film certainly comes off that way because it has the structure of a decent drama but everything seems so rushed that they forgot to add any heart or soul. The movie is pretty flat, especially compared to the Cagney film and its several remakes, because we really don't see too much here. This reform school is suppose to be "hell's house" yet we hardly ever see any of the abuse or torments that the boys are going through. O'Brien's character is underwritten pretty badly as is his girlfriend played by Davis. The two actors are the main reason to see the film because they both come off very likable. O'Brien gets to shine in the role of the bad guy with a heart and it's easy to see why Warner signed him up. Davis doesn't come off as good but it's fun seeing a legend pay her dues. Durkin also does pretty good in his role but I thought he was a lot more believable in his "country boy" state early in the film rather than the hero at the end.
Junior Durkin plays a young man who in all innocence becomes involved with a charismatic bootlegger during the days of prohibition. Jimmy (Durkin's character) is arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and is sent to reform school, where things get worse. Some of the plot developments are not all that logical or plausible, but the story works in calling attention to the way that the young offenders are often treated simply as annoyances to be minimized, with insufficient attention given to constructive development.
Pat O'Brien is effective as the bootlegger, and Davis, though cast as a stock character, has a few good moments as his tough-minded girlfriend. The rest of the supporting cast, which features Charley Grapewin and Junior Coghlan, is solid, and the story moves at a good pace. Overall, it's a little above average for its time and genre, and it contains some ideas worth thinking about.
¿Sabías que...?
- CuriosidadesBette Davis's first starring role.
- Citas
Peggy Gardner: If you'd give the kid a chance, Kelly, he might amount to something, instead of always thinking about yourself.
- ConexionesFeatured in V.I.P.-Schaukel: Episodio #6.1 (1976)
Selecciones populares
- How long is Hell's House?Con tecnología de Alexa
Detalles
- Duración1 hora 12 minutos
- Color
- Relación de aspecto
- 1.37 : 1