O Diabo é um Poltrão

I taped this based on its title alone. It's the kind of classic Hollywood film I really love because, while it's definitely a quality picture, it's also goofy in a lot amusing ways. The Devil Is a Sissy stars three child stars of the time, Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper, and Mickey Rooney. Bartholomew is a young British chap who is staying with his humble father (Ian Hunter) for six months in the middle of New York City. At his local public school he meets up with Cooper and Rooney, two little toughs. It takes a while, but soon Bartholomew has learned the customs of the people around him, like how to play American football (the ball has points, unlike British football) and what people do to squealers. Near the beginning, Rooney's father is executed for murder. I wouldn't call it anti-death penalty by any means, but it's nice to see a movie from this time deal with the way it effects the family of the person who is executed. Over the course of the film, Cooper and Rooney learn what comes from being bad. The title of the film comes from a speech given to them by a judge, who tells them that it is easier to be good than bad. The angels were good, and the devil was the real sissy. The lessons to be learned remind me a lot of Michael Curtiz's Angels with Dirty Faces, but The Devil Is a Sissy is a much better film. The three kids here are professionals. They are the heart of the film, where the titular angels were merely plot devices. That was just a James Cagney vehicle. The script here is much better, as well. In addition to the actors I mentioned, Peggy Conklin gives a great performance as Mickey Rooney's rich aunt. She and the kids (and also her black maid) sing a nice little number, "The 'Ah' Song." The script kind of tiptoes around why the aunt has money. At first I assumed it was because she was a singer, but it seemed to hint later on that she may have been a kept woman. I'm not sure. Conklin's career seems to have sputtered and died, which is far too bad.

Wonderful movie starring the three biggest male child stars of their era. It's about a young English boy (Freddie Bartholomew) who comes to live with his father in New York and makes friends with a couple of tough kids (Mickey Rooney, Jackie Cooper). Before long the boys are getting into all kinds of trouble. Two other kids who are part of the same gang are called Bugs and Six Toes, because one eats bugs and the other has six toes on one foot. Sounds weird but their scene together is actually pretty funny.

The three leads are all excellent. Likable, fun performances. It's a treat to see the three of them together like this. Ian Hunter plays Freddie's bohemian father. Hattie McDaniel's sister Etta McDaniel plays a maid. The two look almost identical to me except for different noses. At first I thought it was Hattie but couldn't figure out why she looked different. Calvin Lockhart has an amusing part as Jackie Cooper's father who keeps bragging about his service in World War I. Jonathan Hale is great as a wise judge who gives the boys a corny but cute speech about the devil being a sissy. Hence the movie's cool title.

There are a lot of funny lines and some good banter between the boys. One of my favorites is when the boys are breaking into a house and Freddie warns the other two to be careful or they'll have Scotland Yard after them. Dull-witted Jackie responds "How do you know whose yard it is?" A lot of times these culture clash movies, typically comedies, can fall flat and be insulting to one side or the other. This one manages to avoid that and pokes a little fun at the Brits as well as the Yanks, but both without malice. It's an entertaining movie, for sure. A sappy ending too but I loved it.

The Devil Is a Sissy may have a really silly title, but it's a triple threat: Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper, and Mickey Rooney are the three leads in this surprising drama. All three child stars in one movie! You'd think it would be the most adorable movie ever made, but it's actually a really tragic drama that gives all three of the boys a chance to show off their acting chops.

Freddie takes the lead, as a product of divorce. He spends six months with each parent, and his dad Ian Hunter lives in a poor area of New York City. Sent to public school with a bunch of young hoodlums, Freddie desperately wants to make friends and be accepted. Because of his cultured accent and his naiveté, everyone picks on him, but his optimism is infectious and he continues to try to hang out with the cool kids. The leader of the "cool" gang is teen-heartthrob-in-the-making Jackie Cooper, the oldest of the bunch. As fresh as Freddie is, Jackie is experienced. He's so relaxed in front of the camera, it's as if he's been acting for thirty years, and his confidence is startling. Mickey Rooney is the second-in-command, and he propels the plot in his quest to buy a glorious tombstone for his father, who was given the death penalty at the start of the film.

They each have their sorrows and struggles. Freddie comes from a broken home and compromises his morals in order to make friends with punks. Jackie is regularly beaten by his father, Gene Lockhart, and he shows the audience the heartbreaking road of a child turning to crime. Mickey not only has to bear the burden of his father's death, but he sees his mother dating again and knows there's nothing he can do to stop it. There's a particularly powerful scene in which Mickey brags to Jackie how many volts of electricity it took to kill his father. He's proud, but also sickened, and the audience gets a harsh look at the wrong side of the tracks.

You've got to see this movie. It's always a marvel to see talented child actors, and with all three of the 1930s darlings, you can't afford to miss The Devil Is a Sissy. It's pretty dark, so be prepared. But since everyone gives such great performances, it's worth it. You'd never guess from watching Gene Lockhart in Christmas movies that he'd be able to play someone so terribly evil!

Claude Pierce (Freddie Bartholomew) is a rich boy with a poor father. Unlike most Bartholomew movies, he goes to live with his father in the slums gladly; it is his mother that hates the idea. However, Claude is excited to meet new friends, and he tries his hardest to win over classmates Buck Murphy (Jackie Cooper) and Gig Stevens (Mickey Rooney). These are the direct opposite of society children; Gig's father has just been sent to the electric chair for murder, and Gig idolizes him. However, the trouble they get into is typical of boys their age, and at heart, they're good people. Claude's father is banking on this and knows that his son's association with these types of boys will help him build character. It certainly does.

I have been dying to see this movie for years because of the excellent cast. Each boy lives up to my expectations. Bartholomew is charming as always. Rooney is a powerhouse, which was also expected. In Cooper's autobiography, he complains that Rooney stole the show from him, but Cooper's fans will not be disappointed. His part did not allow for a super-memorable performance. I believed the plot was going to be more impactful, similar to Boys Town. This isn't a movie you're going to learn any lessons from that you haven't learned before, and no scene stands out over another as more memorable. It is simply an enjoyable movie with a great cast, nothing more and nothing less.

This movie is rather entertaining although some parts seem a little off-the-wall. For instance, there is one scene in the film where the three friends go to visit one of the boys hip, young aunt living in a pent house and she does cartwheels over to the piano and the four start singing. Other than odd instances, this movie is very good for any era.