Dead End (1937)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Lillian Hellman (screenplay)
Sidney Kingsley (play)

Release Date:

27 August 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN! (1944 reissue print ad - all caps)

Plot:

The Dead End Kids, an unemployed architect, and gangster Baby Face Martin interact with an East Side neighborhood over one day and night.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | Architect | Slum | Dead End Kids | Murderer

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars.

Cast

Sylvia Sidney	...	Drina
Joel McCrea	...	Dave
Humphrey Bogart	...	'Baby Face' Martin
Wendy Barrie	...	Kay
Claire Trevor	...	Francey
Allen Jenkins	...	Hunk
Marjorie Main	...	Mrs. Martin
Billy Halop	...	Tommy
Huntz Hall	...	Dippy
Bobby Jordan	...	Angel
Leo Gorcey	...	Spit (as Leo B. Gorcey)
Gabriel Dell	...	T.B.
Bernard Punsly	...	Milty
Charles Peck	...	Philip
Minor Watson	...	Mr. Griswald

Also Known As:

Dead End: Cradle of Crime (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Germany:12 (2005) | Finland:K-15 (2001) | Finland:K-16 (1966) | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (1938) | Argentina:13 | Finland:(Banned) (1937) | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #3596) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

Humphrey Bogart got the role of "Baby Face" Martin after George Raft declined it.

Quotes:

Hugh 'Baby Face': [Hugh doesn't give a street kid money when the kid doesn't deliver] Nothing for nothing, kid.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Angels with Dirty Faces: Whaddya Hear? Whaddya Say? (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Prisoner's Song

Great movie brimming with powerful performances.

I recommend watching "Dead End" and the later "Angels With Dirty Faces" as a double bill. Both are highly enjoyable; and they have a lot of parallel elements. Also, Humphrey Bogart and the future Bowery Boys appear in both films.

"Dead End" often gets short shrift in comparison, which I think is totally unfair. It is a social drama, sure, which some people will find "preachy," but the points it makes still resonate today. What really makes it stand out, though, are the fine individual performances. Bogart's role is much bigger than the one he plays in "Angels With Dirty Faces," and is extremely intense as a gangster coming home to his mother and his true love. Sylvia Sidney is absolutely luminous in her portrayal of a young woman who would have a promising future if she lived anywhere else, but is a frustrated, trapped animal in the slums of New York. Joel McCrea stands with one foot in each world, having grown up rough in the neighborhood, but without turning gangster, and still able to dream of better things for himself and the people around him. Look also for a couple of brilliant, though brief, appearances--Marjorie Main's chilling delivery as Bogie's exhausted and distraught mother, and Claire Trevor's bittersweet portrayal of his old girlfriend.

It's not as heavy as it sounds, though. There is a lot of humor sprinkled throughout, partly because "Dead End" features the first screen appearance of the future Dead End Kids/East Side Kids/Bowery Boys. If you're a fan, it's a lot of fun to watch them here with their rough edges still on, as tough young punks. Billy Halop, Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are terrific in this, a little grittier than in "Angels With Dirty Faces."