Prime Time: Dead End (1937)

A film most notable for having the first appearance of the Dead End Kids (who would reach their peak, in my view, just one year later with their work in the classic Angels With Dirty Faces), Dead End is an enjoyable development of a play by Sidney Kingsley. Director William Wyler, and writer Lillian Hellman, manage to keep things tightly focused on the characters and the main issues being explored, class and the opportunities available to those in different parts of society, without it constantly feeling like something that could easily play out on a stage.

The plot allows plenty of time spent with the Dead End Kids, all of them trying to come up with schemes that will either amuse them or make them some money. The kids often congregate in one area, an area that allows the viewers to observe a cross-section of the people around them. Drina (Sylvia Sidney) is a lovely, but poor, young woman, and an older sister of one of the kids. Dave (Joel McCrea) is an architect currently doing some painting work while unable to remain employed in his preferred role. There are other characters around, including a spoilt young boy, his rich parents, and a police officer who might yet arrest one of the Dead End Kids. And there's 'Baby Face' Martin (Humphrey Bogart), a notorious gangster who is paying a return visit to the neighbourhood that he grew up in. Martin hopes to visit an old flame and his mother, but he may not get the welcome from either of them that he is looking for.

Your enjoyment of Dead End is going to rely on two things. First, how much do you like the screen presence of Humphrey Bogart. Second, how much do you like the screen presence of the Dead End Kids. I REALLY like Bogart. He's one of those actors who has been in many of the movies that you can see on any "classic films you must watch" list, which is all well and good, but the more variety of movies that you see him in, the better he gets. There's a reason for him becoming an icon. As for the Dead End Kids, I still like them enough to be able to enjoy a movie that gives them plenty of screentime. They're very broad caricatures, and there's not much to differentiate any one from any other (so it's best just to treat them as a collective at all times), but they're amusing enough. They also, in this instance, really exemplify the impact that maintains, and contributes to, the big gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Sidney and McCrea do good work here, managing to posit themselves as potential lead characters without overdoing things in an attempt to outshine Bogart or the kids. The script treats them well, they are the characters who are trying the hardest not to let their circumstances change them for the worse, but their situation runs parallel to the diversions caused by the kids and the potential threat posed by Bogart's character. It's worth mentioning Billy Halop as Tommy, one of the gang who gets himself in more trouble than the others. The fact that Tommy is the younger brother of Drina complicates things further, especially when the police start to pursue him more seriously, and Halop is enjoyably frantic and frustrated for most of the third act.

Despite some of the talent involved, this is still a film that is far from unmissable. The light tone, due to the focus on the Dead End Kids, holds it back somewhat. Even the important points being made are almost buried under the constant bickering and hijinks (although some of the hijinks are a bit too serious to be labelled as just hijinks). This is of interest to film fans who enjoy fare from the '30s and '40s, and I enjoyed it while it was on, but everyone else could easily give it a miss. You won't feel as if you're missing out on anything.

6/10

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Mubi Monday: The Palm Beach Story (1942)

This classic screwball comedy from writer-director Preston Sturges starts with a wedding before going on to show that it's not always a "happily ever after" for some. Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea are the central couple, Gerry and Tom Jeffers, and times are hard. They're behind on the rent payments, Tom cannot sell his latest idea (an invention that essentially allows for a city centre airport), and it seems to have been a while since the two of them could just let their hair down and enjoy themselves. That changes, temporarily, when a series of events leads to Gerry being given a bundle of money by the generous, and very rich, Mr. McKeewie (Victor Potel). After one big night out, Gerry makes up her mind to divorce her husband and sacrifice their time together for a greater good, hoping to find him the money he needs to raise for his big idea. She meets the very rich J. D. Hackensacker III (Rudy Vallee), which could solve all of their problems, but Tom pursues her, unsurprisingly unhappy with her plan.

Perhaps Sturges wanted to give himself a bit of a break after delivering the wonderful Sullivan's Travels the previous year, or perhaps he just liked the plot he came up with this time around, but there's no denying that this is a light, almost carefree, picture. It's also a strange one, when compared to the aforementioned film, in that every big problem here is solved by someone coming along at the right time with a large pile of money at their disposal.

McCrea and Colbert are both good enough in the main roles, with Colbert especially fitting as the loving and well-intentioned woman who comes up with a quite bonkers plan that somehow starts to fall into place. Vallee is a lot of fun as the super-rich gentleman who becomes smitten with Colbert, and Mary Astor is a ball of energy and machine-gun line delivery in the role of The Princess Centimillia, the sister of Hackensacker III. Potel only has a couple of scenes, but is a lot of fun as the old man with hearing problems and a big streak of philanthropy running through his nature.

The script is generally well put together, the direction is solid, and the cast seem to be having fun, but it's impossible to hold this one in the same high regard as other screwball comedies from this era, mainly because of how it relies on the same plot contrivance again and again, the provision of lots of money. Look, screwball comedies almost always use one or contrivances to either set the plot in motion, keep it going, or place the characters where they are needed, so I know complaining about it seems like missing the point of these films, but this just feels a little too . . . lazy, compared to the better examples. It would be okay if it happened once, perhaps even twice, but three times is a step too far.

I'd still recommend this, especially to those who have enjoyed other Sturges movies. It may not be one of his very best, but it's still very good. And it still has some scenes that hold up as real treats (all of them involving Colbert, showing how gifted she is with comedy). Just don't have it too high up on your list of prioritised viewings.

7/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can get it here.

Mubi Monday: Sullivan's Travels (1941)

To the memory of those who made us laugh: the motley mountebanks, the clowns, the buffoons, in all times and in all nations, whose efforts have lightened our burden a little, this picture is affectionately dedicated.

 Although age may have wearied it slightly, and there's a worrying air of somone rich going on a "poverty safari" during the earlier scenes, Sullivan's Travels soon starts to live up to its reputation, mixing in some sharp barbs with plenty of gentle humour and some surprisingly affecting moments of drama.

Written and directed by Preston Sturges, this is the tale of a successful director (John L. Sullivan, played by Joel McCrea) who wants to move away from the comedy films that have made his reputation. He wants to do more relevant, serious, fare but his bosses try to dissuade him from that idea, explaining that he can't deliver those kinds of movies because he doesn't really know anything about the hardships of life. Sullivan agrees, and then decides that he will try to experience poverty and hardship

Although the cast includes the likes of Robert Warwick, William Demarest, and Franklin Pangborn, and there's a great turn from Jan Buckingham as the unaffectionate wife (in name only) of the main character, Sullivan's Travels is really based around the performances of McCrea, desperate to go as far as he needs to in order to experience "authentic" hardship, and Veronica Lake, playing a woman he meets who is initially unable to comprehend the situation that Sullivan has created for himself.

Sturges clearly has a lot of fun with the central idea, a premise that allows him to take viewers to some soaring highs and then some real lows, and the film is a perfect mix throughout of sheer entertainment and one clear message. The pacing is perfect, especially during the gradual transition from the lighter moments to the more serious scenes, and almost every single one of the supporting players gets at least one chance to shine.

Yet another classic movie that quickly reveals to you, the viewer, why so many hold it in such high regard, and a very influential (this would be the perfect time to mention the Coen brothers, who took the title "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" from this) and surprisingly resonant experience to this day, Sullivan's Travels is one to mark of your list ASAP, whether you're a casual film fan or a more obsessive cinephile. You won't be disappointed.

9/10

The blu ray can be bought here.
Americans can get it here.