Castle on the Hudson

Except for some opening scenes that show the crime that John Garfield is sent to prison for, Castle on the Hudson is a virtual word for word remake of 20,000 Years in Sing Sing.

But it's better cast. John Garfield does far better here than Spencer Tracy did in the original. In fact this was the second remake that Garfield did that improved on the original. He was also better in They Made Me a Criminal than Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in The Life of Jimmy Dolan.

Also a big improvement is Burgess Meredith over Lyle Talbot as the stir crazy convict whose escape attempt is a flop.

Still though there is that nutty premise of warden Pat O'Brien giving a one day furlough to Garfield where he gets in trouble. Same as the original film, it just doesn't ring true.

Or should I say any more true.

This is a very melancholy crime drama in which a very arrogant young gangster gets pinched by the cops and goes up the river where the warden isn't very sympathetic to his "tough guy" attitude or ways. Eventually the warden wears him down and becomes a semi-productive prisoner. Until a fellow inmate wants to make a breakout attempt to see his pregnant girl and he panics when he discovers it's on Saturday...his unlucky day.

The gangster is played by John Garfield and he has a very sympathetic and understanding girlfriend played by Ann Sheridan.

There are no real likable or sympathetic characters, but it was a short prison-centric gang story for those who might enjoy that.

One of my favorite lines: "Come on and shove over. What do you want me to do catch cold?"-Tommy.

John Garfield steps into the shoes of, most obviously Spencer Tracy (it is, after all, a remake of the earlier "20000 Years in Sing Sing") and also Cagney (in "Angels With Dirty Faces") in Anatole Litvak's prison drama, even finding himself pitted against Tracy's old mate and Cagney's "Angels" co-star Pat O'Brien.

Garfield is the upwardly mobile mobster who finally takes a fall, winding up in the notorious Osining or Sing Sing penitentiary under the tough but fair governorship of O'Brien. Garfield is initially defiant but it's amazing what three months in solitary confinement and worrying about the girl you left behind, in this case, Ann Sheridan can do to even the toughest of tough guys and soon the one-time rebel is starting to play ball with the law, to use Dylan's phrase.

When he learns that Sheridan is critically ill after a close encounter with his supposedly supportive but in truth, backstabbing lawyer, Garfield's good behaviour inside sees him allowed out by the benevolent governor on an own-recognisance overnight furlough (whoever heard of such a thing for such a dangerous criminal!), to visit his ailing girl, but rats!, this falls on a Saturday which as we've already been made well aware, is Jinx-day for Johnny.

Sure enough, it all goes wrong when Garfield visits Sheridan in hospital and accidentally encounters his two-timing lawyer and there's also the little matter of the governor, who stands to lose his job if Garfield doesn't do the honourable thing and turn himself back in, leaving the stage clear for a climactic Rocky Sullivan-type dilemma for our hero.

Litvak keeps the action moving briskly and there's good synergy among the three leads, enmeshing Garfield's typically hot-wired demeanour, O'Brien's paternal concern and Sheridan's blind devotion. A young Burgess Meredith also makes a good impression as a would-be escapee.

As usual, Litvak inserts a montage or three into the action, but overall this short but sharp early-noir thriller built around the charismatic Garfield is well worth tracking down.

Castle on the Hudson (1941)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Pretty much a scene-by-scene remake of the 1932 drama 20,000 YEARS IN SING SING has gangster Tommy Gordon (John Garfield) being sentenced to prison but he's not worried because he thinks his "connections" will get him out. Soon Tommy realizes that those on the outside want him to remain in prison so he thinks about escaping but the Warden (Pat O'Brien) tries to talk some sense into him. Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis were the stars of the original film, which is slightly better than this one thanks in large part to see the two legends working together. If you've seen that version then nothing here is going to come as a shock to you because I wouldn't be surprised if Warner just dusted off the previous screenplay and used it again, just changing names this time. That original film wasn't a classic so if you haven't seen it then you'll probably be caught up in the story plus we get Garfield turning in another winning performance. His character was too large of an ego and comes off as a major jerk but Garfield could always play these characters and in the end make you care about them. That's what pretty much happens here because after Tommy takes his beatings he finally comes to except prison life and how it actually is. Garfield is so believable in the part that you can't help but want to see him succeed in what he's doing no matter what he was convicted of. O'Brien plays his character countless times before in a number of Warner pictures. That heart of gold who takes in the bad and makes them see how good they could be. O'Brien and Garfield work extremely well together and they're certainly the main reason to check this film out. Ann Sheridan plays the girlfriend and isn't too bad in the part but the character is so poorly written that she becomes quite annoying due to how stupid she is. Burgess Meredith plays a fast-talking convict who tries to talk Garfield into escaping and Guinn Williams is the lovable lug head. Warner made a ton of gangster and prison pics and while this here isn't nearly the best, there are at least enough good moments to make it worth viewing but I'd still catch the original first.

John Garfield provides the power as a gung-ho gangster who struggles to accept his time at Sing Sing in this prison reform drama. A faithful remake of 20,000 Years At Sing Sing that leans more to its 30s gangster roots than to the nascent style of film noir. Though the plot itself is harsh, the film lacks subtlety, portrays the prison staff as noble stewards bent on rehabilitation, and aims for sentimentality over action.