User reviews

In "San Quentin," Bogart returns quickly to a life of crime… Trying without success to add some depth and meaning to a role which offered little of either, Bogart is a convicted robber sent to San Quentin and assigned to a road gang as a rehabilitated step instituted by the prison yard captain, Pat O'Brien…

When Bogart is maliciously informed, through the efforts of the bad Barton MacLane, that O'Brien has less than honorable intentions toward his sister, Ann Sheridan, he breaks out and shoots O'Brien, though not seriously…

When he finds that he has made a mistake, he decides to give himself up, but…

"San Quentin," though far from one of Bogart's best roles, is almost always included in his film retrospectives as a favorite choice of his fans

"San Quentin" presents a good view of what goes on behind the walls of state prisons, not so different from today, except for high tech gadgets that make escape more difficult.

Lieutenant Druggin (Barton MacLane) is relieved of his temporary position as yard captain, much to his dislike. When an army officer, Captain Steve Jameson (Pat O'Brien), accepts a two-year assignment to be his replacement, Druggin sets about to thwart Steve's changes, believing them to be too liberal.

Before arriving at his assignment, Steve spends a night in a club with his army buddies where he meets and falls in love with the singer, May Kennedy (Ann Sheridan), unaware that she has a criminal brother, Red Kennedy (Humphrey Bogart), bound for San Quentin following his capture at the club the same evening.

After meeting May's brother at San Quentin, Steve is determined to reform the young man without informing him that he knows and loves his sister. Red figures in on part of Steve's reform program, selecting those most likely to be rehabilitated for the fresh air road jobs, before based on seniority and good behavior alone. Steve convinces the prison board by explaining how many of the seasoned criminals take advantage of the old system to use the jobs outside the walls as means of escape. All goes awry when 'Sailor Boy' Hanson (Joe Sawyer) pulls strings with Druggin to get assigned with Red on the same work detail. Hanson needles Red about his sister being exploited by Steve by using her brother as a weapon. Hearing about Steve and May's relationship for the first time so angers Red that he throws in with Hanson and they make their getaway. It is now up to Steve to catch Red before he is totally lost to crime.

"San Quentin" has a stellar cast that raises this somewhat routine prison drama to higher ground. Humphrey Bogart's character runs the gamut of emotions but remains true to form as a wannabe tough guy with a chip on his shoulder. The gifted actress Ann Sheridan was seldom given an opportunity by the studio to strut her stuff, but she could make even the most thankless role shine. This time she is given an opportunity to show off her singing talent. Pat O'Brien, while not a versatile actor, could be counted on to give a good performance. The supporting cast of character actors makes every aspect of this tough prison drama believable.

Veteran director Lloyd Bacon delivers the goods in creating a fast paced film with an exciting chase scene near the end, filled with some daring stunt work, especially the motorcycle jump. There is exceptional camera work by Sidney Hickox of the environs of San Quentin, in particular the shots of the yard with the prisoners at times appearing almost surrealistic.

Pat O'Brien is the new captain of the prison guard at San Quentin who clashes with guard Barton MacLane while romancing the sister (Ann Sheridan) of new convict Humphrey Bogart. A great WB prison flick; one of the best. Solid supporting cast of familiar faces. The leads are all great. Sheridan gets to sing a song. She's not as glamorous here as she would be in the '40s, but she's still a looker. Bogie is very entertaining in one of his early roles. He's got pals on the outside that can pull wires, doncha know? O'Brien and MacLane are good in roles they could play in their sleep. The prison stuff is better than the romantic subplot. Bogie fans will like it for his fun performance. Love that gangster tough guy lingo!

This is a good solid entertaining formulated prison picture that stars Pat O'Brien & Humphrey Bogart in good form & backed by an excellent cast of Warner Bros. contract players such as Ann Sheridan, Barton Maclane, Joseph Sawyer, Veda Ann Borg etc. Pat O'Brien is the Army Captain Steve Jameson that takes over as the new warden of San Quentin Prison replacing Lt. Druggin (Barton Maclane)who's reduced to a tough prison guard.

Humphrey Bogart portrays Joe "Red" Kennedy a small time crook that gets arrested & lands in the Big House & comes face to face with Captain Jameson who thinks Kennedy can be rehabilitated. Bogart is in his element as the tough convict Red Kennedy but also has some depth & dimension predating Roy Earle in High Sierra. Not just another one dimensional type gangster Bogart so often played in the 30's.

San Quentin doesn't bring anything new to the genre in 1937, the early 30's already introduced audiences to prison life in The Big House, 20,000 Years in Sing Sing & I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang. San Quentin is a very watchable prison movie with a winning formula that works if you like the genre. I love prison movies & if it was good enough for Spencer Tracy, Paul Muni, George Raft & James Cagney then it was good enough for Humphrey Bogart.

All these actors were part of the Rogues Gallery of Thugs that excelled in gangster films & did time in the Big House. This is a very fast paced story that packs a lot of elements in just 70 minutes. We see a singing Ann Sheridan, a prison strike, a rifle carrying bible thumping nut ball & of course the inevitable prison escape climaxed by an exciting high speed chase that involves cars, motorcycles, a freight train, spectacular crashes & dare devil stunts.

I have this & several other early Bogart & Spencer Tracy movies on VHS & I'm quite pleased to find San Quentin out on commercial DVD, of course I had to buy it & there's even a commentary for this. Which tells me that San Quentin is a fairly significant movie worthy of some attention & praise. Bogart gets 2nd billing to Pat O'Brien, Bogie was previously in Marked Woman 2nd billed to Bette Davis as a crusader of justice. But in 1936 Bogart had the lead role as a factory auto worker in Black Legion, released in 1937. 1937 was a good year for Bogart. His next film was Dead End.

"San Quentin" as the name implies is a trim little prison movie (it runs a scant 70 minutes) from Director Lloyd Bacon and Warner Brothers.

Ex Army Captain Steve Jameson (Pat O'Brien) takes a job as Captain of the Yard of San Quentin prison replacing acting Captain Druggin (Barton MacLane) whose handling of the prisoners was questioned by Warden Taylor (Joseph King).

Before taking up his duties, Jameson meets singer May Kennedy (Ann Sheridan) in a nightclub and the two become attracted to each other. May's brother "Red" Kennedy (Humphrey Bogart) is on the lam and comes to her for money but is arrested at the club in front of Jameson. Guess which prison Red will be sent to.

Jameson takes up his duties and vows to instill discipline and respect in the prisoners. Meanwhile Red turns up at the prison in the company of hard timer Sailor Boy Hansen (Joe Sawyer). Hansen plots an escape and asks Red to go along.

Meanwhile Jameson begins to make progress in Red's rehabilitation to the point of where Red is refusing to go along with Hansen's escape plan. However the envious Druggin learns from the prison fink (Ernie Adams) of the planned escape. He arranges Hansen's assignment to the road gang along with Red. One night the fink lets it slip that Jameson is "taking advantage" of Red's sister May. Red becomes enraged and decides to go along with Hansen and....................

An oddity in the casting has Bogey playing Ann Sheridan's younger 25 year old brother. In fact Bogey was some 15 years older than Sheridan, although to both of their credits, they manage to pull it off. Pat O'Brien was born to play authority figures and does his usual excellent job here. Bogey for once, gets to play a character far removed from his usual one dimensional gangster portrayals, and proves his range as an actor.

Others in the cast include Garry Owen as Dopey the preacher, Veda Ann Borg as Helen, Hansen's moll and James Robbins, Marc Lawrence, William Pawley and Al Hill as various convicts.

Another of Warners long list of 30s gangster/prison classics.

This movie doesn't really offer anything new or spectacular but it does provide a good qualitatively 70 minutes. It's your standard prison drama in which most of the formulaic ingredients are present but this time also with a love-story mixed in.

The story is perhaps not the most interesting or refreshing but it is told in a good way. The pace of the movie is high and obviously made by experienced professionals. The editing is a bit offbeat and weird at times and the action and ending is rather weak but nevertheless "San Quentin" remains a perfectly watchable movie, thanks to the professional cast & crew involved.

The movie has a solid cast. Pat O'Brien plays the leading role very well and he really makes the character work. Also great was Humphrey Bogart, from the period when he was not yet a leading man in Hollywood movies. The most other characters remain rather flat and blank but this was often the case in movies from the '30's.

Of course prison movie set in the '30's are the most interesting to watch, when convicts still wore those great uniforms and guards where known as brutal animals who weren't afraid of using their weapons. This movie is set in that period and although this movie is not an heavy or dramatic one, it still makes this movie a better than average one, thanks to the time period it is set in.

It's not an essential viewing. The movie is too dry, simple and short for that. However when you do watch this movie, you won't regret it. It's well made entertainment and has some excellent actors in it.

7/10

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The army Captain Stephen Jameson (Pat O'Brien) accepts the assignment to work as captain of San Quentin yard and he celebrates with two military friends in a night-club. He falls in love with the singer May Kennedy (Ann Sheridan) and he witnesses the arrest of her brother Joe 'Red' Kennedy (Humphrey Bogart) for the heist of a restaurant.

The prison warden tells to Lieutenant Druggin (Barton MacLane), who is temporarily in the position of captain, that he will be replaced by Jameson and Druggin is upset. Captain Jameson implements a rigid discipline expecting to regenerate the law offender inmates and he helps Red. When the criminal "Sailor Boy" Hansen (Joseph Sawyer) plans a prison escape, he invites Red to join him. Red refuses, and Hansen poisons him telling that Jameson is helping him is banging his sister. Now Red accepts to escape to kill Jameson.

"San Quentin" is a dated prison drama, with a story that sounds naive and moralist in the present days but nevertheless is a good movie. Ann Sheridan is gorgeous and I am a fan of Humphrey Bogart; in addition the movie has spectacular car chase and I really like and recommend it despite the bad reviews. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "San Quentin"

They've got a new captain of the guards coming to San Quentin in Pat O'Brien. Barton MacLane who held the job previously is demoted and is in a foul mood.

A couple of new prisoners are arriving as well. Joe Sawyer as a hardened criminal and Humphrey Bogart who O'Brien believes is salvageable. O'Brien also meets up with Bogey's sister, Ann Sheridan and they get to kanoodling.

Each for their own motives, Sawyer and MacLane play Iago to Bogey's inner Othello and Bogey and Sawyer crash out of San Quentin.

Back in the day Warner Brothers was the great working class studio, with many a film of social significance. San Quentin is one of these, but it's hardly the best one. I'm at a loss to see why O'Brien thinks Bogart is so salvageable other than his involvement with his sister.

Joe Sawyer has one of his best film parts in San Quentin. He's a hardened criminal and that's all there is to it. He played a similar role vis a vis Bogart in Black Legion which is a much better film.

Also Garry Owen has a nice turn as a stir crazy convict who O'Brien has to face down and disarm.

Dedicated fans of Humphrey Bogart will like this film, others can take it or leave it.

This is one of those odd situations where the actors were some big names and decent in their performances, and the story wasn't bad....yet there wasn't much appeal to it, either. Only the action scene in the last 10-15 minutes provided any spark to this film which was too flat, for the most part.

The story was about a new guy in charge of the San Quentin prison yard who was going to be humane and make things work. Pat O'Brien plays that guy, "Capt. Steve Jameson." The previous man in charge is a nasty, corrupt bird named "Lt. Druggin," who Barton MacLane plays effectively well.

In the meantime we have the featured crook, "Red Kennedy," played by Humphrey Bogart, who almost always played villains in his 1930 films, and we have his sister "May" played by Ann Sheridan. O'Brien has the hots for her and promises to be fair to her brother. "Red," however, is too paranoid and stupid to appreciate what's done for him and that's when we get to the interesting finale to the film.

Overall, not bad but not worth watching a second time. At 70 minutes, at least it didn't overstay its welcome.

Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien star in this 1937 film detailing prison life.

A man and army official with a heart, O'Brien is sent to this prison to help reform it from a vicious guard played in his usual sinister way by Barton MacLane.

O'Brien falls for lounge singer Sheridan. Coincidentally, her brother is sent to the jail for armed robbery. Tough guy Bogart is reformed by O'Brien until a misunderstanding leads Bogie to believe that he is being treated well since O'Brien is stuck on his sister.

Jealous and angry of O'Brien being brought in over him, MacLane "arranges" a breakout of Bogart and another inmate with tragic results for all resulting.

This picture details when a criminal tries to go straight but other things just get in the way.

Marc Lawrence, who died recently in his 90s, is also excellent as one of the inmates.

The film also shows emotionally disturbed people being in the same prison as hardened criminals.

Note Veda Ann Borg in a small but captivating role.

**SPOILERS** With things getting out of control in controlling the rowdy San Quentin inmates the prisons Warden Taylor, Joe King, gets tough but sensitive US Army man Capt. Steve Jamerson, Pat O'Brien, to replace the utterly incompetent and abusive Let. Druggin, Barton MacLane, as the commander of the prisons guards.

Steve meets, and falls in love with, Mea De Villiers aka May Kennedy, Ann Sheridan, at a San Francisco nightclub who's brother Red, Humphrey Bogart, later turns out to be a prisoner in the very prison that he's to be working at.

Working with, instead of against, the prison inmates has them stop their rebellious activities and at the same time respect Jameson. Let. Druggin, who's now Jamesons second in command, is planing to start up something by getting a number of inmates to break out in order to embarrass the guard commander and have him canned by Warden Taylor.

Red who's getting the hang of it in being cooperative with the prison administration, like Jameson want's him to, is later manipulated into going along with the hardened and murderous convict Carl "Sailor Boy" Hansen, Joe Sawyer,in a prison break secretly set up by Druggin.

Druggin having both Sailor Boy and Red put on a prisoner road work detail outside San Quentin the two plan is set up to escape by the two convicts with Sailor Boy's girlfriend Helen, Veda Ann Berg, being recruited to drive the getaway car.

The prison escape turns out to be a disaster for Druggin with him being kidnapped, instead of helped, by Sailor Boy and Red and later thrown from the speeding car to his death. With Sailor Boy killed in a car crash and Red then getting away from the perusing police by rail he later gets back to May's home in SF where he finds Jameson with her and then angrily basts him away.

Red mad at Jameson, for what he thought, taking advantage of May by treating him with kindness and understanding in the clink in order to make romantic points with her realizes, only too late, that both Jameson and his sister May were in love with each other. It turns out that Jameson somehow recovered for his wounds and survived Red's shooting.

With the cops outside May's apartment waiting for him Red tries to escape but is shot and fatally wounded. On the run and hitching a ride back to San Quentin, to give himself up, Red tells the guards in a kind of death bed confession that Jameson was right with what he did in the prison, in trying to straighten out incorrigible hoods like himself. Thus proving that Captain Steve Jameson's policies in San Quentin to have been right all along saving Capt. Jamesons job and his, Joeseph "Red" Kennedy's, troubled soul.

"San Quentin" was Humphrey Bogart's 21st picture, his fifth of seven in the year 1937 alone, and the ninth following his 1936 breakthrough in "The Petrified Forest." In this one he plays Joe "Red" Kennedy, who goes to the titular big house as a young tough and comes under the wing of an even tougher bird, "Sailor" Hansen, well played, as usual, by Warner Bros. character actor Joe Sawyer. The new "captain of the yard," underplayed nicely by the always dependable Pat O'Brien, enters into a romance with Kennedy's sister May, a sassy and brassy nightclub singer appealingly portrayed by Ann Sheridan, whilst causing resentment in the previous captain, the forever growling Barton MacLane. This was an important role for Bogey, in a relatively minor (though undeniably fun) picture, in that it provided him with his first "criminal with a heart of mush" role, a role that would see its apotheosis four years later in "High Sierra." "San Quentin" is a remarkably compact film, and it really is something how much action and story are crammed into its brief 70 minutes. Director Lloyd Bacon does keep things moving; his film is filled with swiftly delivered, hard-boiled patter, and an aborted prison strike, an escape attempt, a dynamite high-speed car chase, a romance and even a nightclub number (Ann's rendition of the very bright and bouncy "How Could You?") keep things percolating right along. There is no flab or wasted moments in this Warner Bros. outing, that's for sure! Although not quite in the same exalted league as Bogey's next picture, "Dead End," "San Quentin" does still deliver the goods. It is a must-see for fans of any of the stars mentioned above, especially for those who want to see Bogey's star early on and unmistakably on the rise....

San Quentin is a tough prison in San Francisco. Chief guard Captain Stephen Jameson (Pat O'Brien) is taken with nightclub singer Mae Kennedy (Ann Sheridan). Her brother Joe 'Red' Kennedy (Humphrey Bogart) gets arrested and becomes a new prisoner at San Quentin.

This is a solid prison flick with Bogie as the troubled conflicted bad guy. It's by the book and they have Bogie. They also have Pat O'Brien as the perfect foil. One wants to root for Bogie but he is dragged down by his own self-destructiveness. It's perfectly standard for him and for this movie.

Lloyd Bacon directed this prison drama that stars Humphrey Bogart as Joe 'Red' Kennedy, who is a new convict at San Quentin now run by new Captain of the guards Jameson(played by Pat O' Brian) who wants to institute reforms to help rehabilitation. By coincidence, he is also romancing Joe's sister May(played by Ann Sheridan). When Joe is misinformed about Jameson's intentions, he foolishly breaks out to stop him, but after realizing his mistake, tries desperately to make amends... OK drama has good performances from the cast compensating for the thin and unoriginal story, which is still entertaining enough to succeed, though not one of Bogart's best.

This early film with Bogie is worth watching. San Quentin is a short film, but very entertaining. Bogie had not really broken through in this film, but he did very well. In any case, the cast and the last spectacular twenty minutes were the highlights.

San Quentin has become a reasonable prison film with a single fascinating side plot: namely the fact that the new chief is in love with the sister of one of his new prisoners.

There is actually not enough done with that plot, the film is a bit too short for that, but the film is still fascinating enough to sit through the full 70 minutes, Bogart does well as a new prisoner and O'brien also does well as an ex-soldier who has to prove his methods as chief.

I watched this movie because it had Bogart in it. I was surprised the studio system could have invested money to make such movies. The plot line was weak; the final half hour of the movie being the most unconvincing plot I have come across in a long while.

This movie can be interesting only for die-hard Bogart fans. Even his performance is not noteworthy.

The single highlight of the film was the song sung by Ann Sheridan in the early part of the movie. Her role for some reason gets diluted as the film progresses, with the script increasing its attention on Pat O'Brien and Bogart.

The film had a lopsided character development, poor direction, and lack-luster performances.

Although Steve(Pat O'Brian), as the new, reform-minded captain of the guards, is portrayed as the hero, he's merely carrying out the stated policies of the warden. Bogart is just OK as the small time hood(Red) the story is focused on, but his prison break and subsequent behavior is counterintuitive. Shows that a reformable prisoner(Red) can be corrupted by a non-reformable one.(Joe Sawyer), and that prison breaks are probably useless, and possibly lethal. Ann Sheridan plays Bogie's sister(good girl), whom he treats more like his girlfriend. Veda Ann Borg plays the tough broad, who helps in the prison break. Steve must have been wearing a bullet-proof vest when Red shot him at close range!

This is not one of Bogart's better films, but an average performance from him is still better than a good performance from most others. I really didn't care for Pat O'Brien as a warden (I expected him to join the bible-thumper con and dress up as a priest). However, Ann Sheridan is very good and the minor characters do a great job.

So enjoy the freedom of not wearing masks, not having to be in solitary confinement, and not having to avoid social activities. San Quentin has nothing on COVID 19.

"San Quentin" is definitely nothing special. Nothing so horrible, but nothing that stands out.

The main attraction here is simply to watch Bogie do his thing. He plays the punk brother of the girl (Ann Sheridan) who the new prison yard top guy (Pat O'Brien) falls for. So O'Brien has a soft spot for Bogie despite him (O'Brian) being a tough as nails no-nonsense guy.

Ann Sheridan is one of the most beautiful actresses of the 30's so she is always fun to watch. Seeing O'Brien act a bit tough is always fun because he's so low-key most of the time, when he actually gets mad and shouts he's kinda funny, in a good way. And Bogie is Bogie, acting tough and being cool.

Definitely worth watching to see these three old pros, nothing much else here otherwise.