Angels with Dirty Faces (film)
"Angels with Dirty Faces" is a 1938 crime drama film produced by Warner Bros, notable for its portrayal of gangsters and moral dilemmas typical of the era. The narrative centers around Rocky Sullivan, played by James Cagney, who, after spending time in prison, returns to a life of crime influenced by his childhood friend, Jerry Connolly, portrayed by Pat O'Brien, who has become a priest. The film explores themes of friendship, corruption, and the impact of role models, particularly on impressionable youth.
The story unfolds as Rocky's criminal activities escalate, ultimately leading to a dramatic confrontation with the law and a poignant moral choice at the end. Directed by Michael Curtiz and based on a story by Rowland Brown, the film features a notable cast, including the Dead End Kids, who represent the younger generation drawn into Rocky's world. "Angels with Dirty Faces" was well-received critically and commercially, grossing $1.7 million and earning multiple Academy Award nominations, solidifying Cagney's reputation as a leading actor of his time. The film is recognized not only for its gripping narrative but also for its depiction of the complexities of crime and morality in the context of 1930s America.
Angels with Dirty Faces (film)
- Release Date: 1938
- Director(s): Michael Curtiz
- Writer(s): Warren Duff; John Wexley
- Principal Actors and Roles: James Cagney (Rocky Sullivan); Pat O'brien (Jerry Connolly); Humphrey Bogart (James Frazier); Leo Gorcey (Bim); Boris Karloff (Mac Keefer); Ann Sheridan (Laury Martin)
Angels with Dirty Faces was a crime drama released in 1938 by Warner Bros. A quintessential 1930s gangster film, the story tells of infamous criminal Rocky Sullivan and his path to destruction after his release from prison. The film was based on a story written by Rowland Brown in 1937. Brown was a screenwriter and had also directed several films himself, including the crime flick Quick Millions (1931). He approached director Mervyn LeRoy about turning Angels with Dirty Faces into a film. LeRoy had been looking for a movie in which to cast a group of spunky young actors referred to as the Dead End Kids, and he was therefore immediately interested in Brown’s story. However, LeRoy and Brown could not settle on a satisfactory price for the rights to the story, so Brown went looking elsewhere.
Brown eventually made a deal with Grand National Pictures, which wanted to cast actor James Cagney in the lead role of Rocky. However, Cagney, who was under contract with Warner Bros. at the time, brought Brown’s story with him to his studio. Cagney’s film agents were wary of the actor being typecast in gangster roles, and they were unsure that the actor would be willing to play the part of a man who would beg for his life. Surprisingly, Cagney wholeheartedly embraced the role and considered it an opportunity to stretch his acting abilities. Cagney drew on personal experience and his upbringing in New York City when playing the role, modeling Rocky after several unique characters he had known in his youth. Pat O’Brien was cast opposite Cagney as Rocky’s childhood friend Jerry Connolly. This relationship was not a stretch for the pair of actors who were real-life friends.
Plot
Angels with Dirty Faces begins in 1923 as two young friends, Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connolly, try to rob a train car. The boys run away as the police arrive, and Jerry, who is a much faster runner than his friend, manages to escape. Rocky, however, is detained by the officers and forced to attend reform school. Thirteen years later, Rocky is still living a life of crime, and he is arrested for armed robbery. Jim Frazier, Rocky’s partner in crime, convinces Rocky to take the fall for both of them, promising to pay Rocky $100,000 on the day he gets out of prison. Rocky accepts Frazier’s deal and serves a three-year prison sentence.
When Rocky is released three years later, the first person he visits is Jerry, who is now working as a priest. After the two men catch up, Rocky visits Frazier at his casino to collect the money promised in the deal. When Rocky arrives, Frazier feigns surprise to see him released, claiming he had no idea that Rocky had gotten out. Promising to deliver the $100,000 by the end of the week, Frazier gives Rocky $500 to as an advance and then sends him on his way. As Rocky makes his way home, however, a gang of young boys—Soapy, Swing, Pasty, Bim, Hunky, and Crab—robs Rocky of the money. The boys are mentees of Jerry, but they are enamored of Rocky and his criminal lifestyle. As a result, after Rocky retrieves his money from the boys, he invites them to dinner. After dinner, Jerry cautions Rocky against setting a bad example for the boys.
While Rocky is walking home, Frazier’s cronies attack him, but he manages to get away. As payback, Rocky captures Frazier, holding him hostage at gunpoint while he robs the casino owner’s house. As a result of this theft, Rocky makes off with $2,000 in cash and a ledger that could get Frazier in trouble if it got into the wrong hands. Backed into a corner, Frazier’s business partner, Mac Keefer, gives Rocky the promised $100,000, but after he tells the police about the kidnapping, Rocky is arrested. Frazier becomes desperate. In order to protect himself after finding out about the stolen ledger, he convinces the police to let Rocky go. Jerry finds out about everything that has happened and decides to make an example of the men. He intends to go to the media and expose the city’s corruption. When Rocky overhears Frazier and Keefer, who are plotting Jerry’s murder, he kills the men himself and runs to a warehouse, where he hides out. After police surround the building, Jerry enters it in an attempt to talk Rocky into surrendering. Instead, Rocky takes the priest hostage. During an escape attempt, Rocky is shot and arrested by the police.
After Rocky is tried in court, he is sentenced to die. Jerry asks Rocky to beg for his life on the way to his execution. The priest hopes that this display will dissuade the boys from idolizing his the doomed murderer. Rocky refuses, but when the time comes, he screams for mercy before he is killed.
Significance
Angels with Dirty Faces was shot in California at Warner Bros. studios—except for Rocky’s execution scene, which was shot at the actual Sing Sing Correctional Facility located in Ossining, New York. Filming began in June 1938 and ended a week behind schedule in August. Director Michael Curtiz attributed this delay in scheduling to the complex nature and large scale of the warehouse shootout scene. This climactic moment in the film was shot using live ammunition instead of the special effects artillery that is commonly used today. An older technology was employed because the special effects abilities of the time were not yet sophisticated enough to create the same results as real bullets. The method used in the film was extremely dangerous and resulted in a close call for lead actor Cagney; he was almost shot in the head.
The film was well received by audiences and critics alike when it was released, and it was a financial success for Warner Bros., grossing $1.7 million at the box office and becoming one of the top-earning films of 1938. Cagney was distinguished for his portrayal of Rocky Sullivan, and he won several acting awards for his performance, including awards from the National Board of Review as well as the New York Film Critics Circle. Cagney was also nominated for Best Actor at the eleventh annual Academy Awards, but he lost to actor Spencer Tracy, who won for Boys Town (1938). Angels with Dirty Faces was also nominated for two other Academy Awards—Best Director for Curtiz and Best Story for Brown—but it lost both awards.
Awards and nominations
Nominated
- Academy Award (1938) Best Director: Michael Curtiz
- Academy Award (1938) Best Actor: James Cagney
Bibliography
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