Penrod and Sam

inhabit this gem of a film. Leon Janney, Junior Coghlin, and Billie Lord are the perfect Penrod, Sam, and Goergie in this gentle but funny Booth Tarkington story. Slim storyline, but the kids are so good, you forget all that. The adults aren't bad either, especially the always funny Zasu Pitts, but also good are Charles Sellon, Dorothy Peterson, Matt Moore and a hilarious scene with Elizabeth Patterson as the school marm. This is the kind of story that MGM and Mickey Rooney would have destroyed a few years later if Rooney hadn't been stuck in Andy Hardy gunk. The characters would reappear in the 50s in 2 Doris Day comedies with Billy Gray as the Penrod character.

PENROD AND SAM (First National Pictures, 1931), directed by William Beaudine, (television title: THE ADVENTURES OF PENROD AND SAM) is an entertaining 72 minute movie featuring mostly kids in major roles. Capitalizing on the success of earlier works as the "Our Gang" comedy shorts, to "Peck's Bad Boy" along with current productions of Paramount's TOM SAWYER (1930) starring Jackie Coogan, and SKIPPY and its sequel, SOOKIE (1931) featuring Jackie Cooper and Robert Coogan, PENROD AND SAM stars the lesser known but familiar faces of Leon Janney and Junior Coughlan in the title roles. Based on the story by Booth Tarkington, Penrod was first introduced in the silent era of PENROD (First National, 1921) starring Wesley Barry; followed by its sequel, PENROD AND SAM (1923) with Ben Alexander and Joe Butterworth, from which this film is based that was also directed by William Beaudine.

For the 1931 edition, the story features a series of escapades revolving more on Penrod (Leon Janney) than his best friend, Sam Williams (Junior Coughlan). Penrod stays for detention after school, while Sam awaits outside to walk home with him. Penrod heads a secret society inside a shack among his pals every Saturday, but as a favor for his father, Henry Scholfield (Matt Moore), must include sissy Georgie Hemningway Basset (Billie Lord), as one of its members. Penrod is liked by Marjorie Jones (Margaret Marquis), and nearly loses his friendship to Sam, who likes her well enough to take her to a birthday party as her escort. Though there are amusing moments involving Penrod using the love letter of his sister, Margaret (Helena Beaudine) as his own model letter for English composition and having to read it outloud to the class, there are tearful moments for Penrod when given the bad news by his mother, Mary (Dorothy Peterson) that his beloved dog, Duke (Cameo) was run over by a car and killed, and later unable to visit his dog's grave that happens now be on the property his father sold to Deacon Bitts (Charles Sellon), the father of his namesis, Rodney (Nestor Abel), the town bully. Others in the cast include: James Robinson and Robert Dandridge as the Washington brothers, Herman and Verman; Johnny Arthur (Mr. Bassett); ZaSu Pitts (Mrs. Bassett); Wade Boteler (Sam's Father) and Elizabeth Patterson (The Schoolteacher).

While Leon Janney didn't become a top-rated child star as either Jackie Coogan or Jackie Cooper, he would later become an accomplished adult actor on television. Though he speaks of a 13-year-old boy during his voice-changing period, a latter scene, which was probably filmed first, has him speaking in a higher pitch voice of a younger boy. His giggling does become annoying after a while, but the story in general, is simply a reminder to adults of the days when they were children themselves. Even one of the lines, "Come here, I'm, not going to hurt ya!" sounds vaguely familiar for anyone who remembers that line from his childhood coming from a neighborhood bully wanting to make peace. Anyway, boys will be boys.

Though no sequels for this edition followed, Warners updated the Penrod character with a trio of little movies later in the decade: PENROD AND SAM (1937), PENROD AND HIS TWIN BROTHER (1938) and PENROD'S DOUBLE TROUBLE (1938) , all starring actual twin brothers, Billy and Bobby Mauch, All Penrod movies are currently available for viewing on Turner Classic Movies. (***).

Nicely filmed version of the Booth Tarkington novel, done with loads of charm. About a small town boy named Penrod and his adventures with his best pal/sidekick Sam - school scenes, a birthday party, touching scenes between Penrod and his dog Duke, the kids putting on a circus with Penrod as "ringmaster", and lots of stuff about the boys and their gang of kids who have this secret club - the In-Or-In lodge ("Independent Order of Infidelity" for those in the know) held in a shack in the neighboring vacant lot. This secret society's activities include some pretty brutal "initiations" for new members - of course, no girls allowed seems to be the policy too. One amusing scene features Penrod, having stolen his older sister's "love letter" to hand in for his school letter writing assignment, forced to read it aloud in front of the class as his own work. There is also a minor love interest for Penrod in the form of little Marjorie, a girl with a big case of "puppy love" when it comes to Penrod - he seems completely indifferent as he ends up in a sort of junior love triangle between him, the girl, and Sam.

I really enjoyed this film a lot - it's sentimental, yet funny and heartwrenching too. It is very nicely photographed with lots of sunshine and real small town houses and streets. The film seemed to me a sort of cross between "Our Gang" and "Andy Hardy" films. The child actors in this are all excellent - Leon Janney as Penrod gives a particularly likable and memorable performance here. Zasu Pitts and Johnny Arthur add some humor as the mother and effeminate father of Georgie, a boy who the kids don't like because, as one of them puts it "he's a big pansy". I also enjoyed seeing Elizabeth Patterson, later "Mrs. Trumbull" on "I Love Lucy", as the school teacher. I really found this film to be a delightful treat - highly recommended.

Some fine acting, by adults and children alike enliven this screen version of Booth Tarkington's novel in his Penrod series about ordinary kids living ordinary lives. The humor is nicely done and low-key, in the style of Roach's OUR GANG series and features some excellent comedy performances by such adult actors as Johnny Arthur and the great Zasu Pitts and, interestingly, the director's daughter as Penrod's older sister, Marjorie -- the serial numbers were rubbed off a couple of decades later for a couple of Doris Day movies, BY THE LIGHT OF THE SILVERY MOON and ON MOONLIGHT BAY.

The time of the story is advanced from the 19th century milieu of the stories to a contemporary setting. It might be interesting to see a version of the stories set in the era they were intended to represent, but the people involve have a certain timelessness about them.

Of more interest is the director, William Beaudine, whose career would go from directing Mary Pickford in the 1920s, to slide in the 1930s, until he wound up directing Bowery Boys features and ended his career in the 1960s directing such films as JESSE JAMES VERSUS DRACULA'S DAUGHTER. Like Alan Dwan, he was one of the leading silent film directors who kept their heads down in the sound era and worked forever. Here, equipped with a decent budget, script and actors, he turns out a fine little movie. It is on the tame side for modern tastes, but it has its charms. Give it a try.