DEAD END (1937, USA, 93m, PG) ***½
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
dist. United Artists; pr co. The Samuel Goldwyn Company; d. William Wyler; w. Lillian Hellman (based on the play by Sidney Kingsley); pr. Samuel Goldwyn; ph. Gregg Toland (B&W | 1.37:1); m. Alfred Newman (uncredited); ed. Daniel Mandell; ad. Richard Day.
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), Gabriel Dell (T.B.), Bernard Punsly (Milty), Charles Peck (Philip), Minor Watson (Mr. Griswald), James Burke (Mulligan), Ward Bond (Doorman), Elisabeth Risdon (Mrs. Connell), Esther Dale (Mrs. Fenner), George Humbert (Pascagli).
Wyler’s almost literal adaptation of Sidney Kingsley’s stage play sees Bogart as mobster “Baby Face” Martin, who returns home to visit the New York neighbourhood where he grew up, dropping in on his mother (Main), who rejects him because of his gangster lifestyle, and his old girlfriend, Francey (Trevor), now a syphilitic prostitute. Martin also crosses paths with Dave (McCrea), a childhood friend struggling to make it as an architect, and the Dead End Kids, a gang of young boys roaming the streets of the city’s East Side slums. The contracted stage-like waterfront setting is symbolic of the social issues addressed, however cinema censorship blunted some of the more shocking elements of the original play. Moodily photographed with great use of shadow by Toland, the film still generates a brooding atmosphere, helped by expert performances from Bogart and McCrae. Also of note is Francis as Bogart’s old flame who has descended into prostitution and Sidney as the concerned sister of one of the youth gang members. The Dead End Kids may seem a little too mannered today but were memorable enough to spawn a dedicated series of B-pictures.
AAN: Best Picture (Samuel Goldwyn Productions); Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Claire Trevor); Best Cinematography (Gregg Toland); Best Art Direction (Richard Day)
