Pre-Code: City Streets (1931).

City Streets (1931). Pre-Code crime film directed by Rouben Mamoulian. Cast: Gary Cooper, Sylvia Sidney, Paul Lukas and Guy Kibbee.

The story begins when Bootlegger Blackie, is killed by Pop Cooley, because of Maskal's involvement with, Aggie. After Pop shoots Blackie, he gives the gun to his step-daughter Nan and she takes the rap for him, believing that the mob will get her out of jail.

While in prison, Pop recruits Nan's boyfriend, "The Kid," a sharpshooter with the circus. When he visits Nan in a fur coat, she does not want him to become involved with Pop after witnessing a fellow inmate's mobster boyfriend being gunned down.

After serving her term, Nan is released and returns home to find her step father does not really care about her. Nan, wants nothing more to do with the mob but, she may be too late.

I think this is Gary Cooper's, only film in the gangster genre although he did run into a few gangsters in the film, Ball Of Fire.



Fun Facts:

Sylvia Sidney replaced Clara Bow, who was fired when she failed to show up on the first day of filming.

Paul Lukas (May 26, 1891 – August 15, 1971). At first, he played womanizers, but soon, became typecast as a villain.

In the 1930s, he performed in the films: The Lady Vanishes, Ladies in Love, Dodsworth, The Casino Murder Case, but his major role came in the film, Watch on the Rhine(1934). He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role, winning out over, Humphrey Bogart in, Casablanca, Gary Cooper in, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Walter Pidgeon in Madame Curie, and Mickey Rooney in, The Human Comedy.

Paul Lukas is well known for his role as, Professor Aronnax in Walt Disney's classic film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). By that time, he was, at age 63, suffering from memory problems during the production.



My favorite Paul Lukas films:

Samson and Delilah (1922)
Grumpy (1930)
City Streets (1931)
Little Women (1933)
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
Captain Fury (1939)
Fun in Acapulco (1963)

Dead End(1937).

Dead End(1937). Crime drama film. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney. It is the first of 7 films with the, Dead End Kids.

The story begins on the streets of New York, where there are many luxury apartments being built close to the east river, because of the beautiful views. The poor people, also live close by in their crowded run down tenements.

At the end of the street, is a dock, where you will find a gang of street kids who call themselves, The Dead End Kids. There is a the new kid on the block looking for friends. At first, the gang bullies the new kid and takes his money, but they soon become fast friends. One of the boys sister, Drina, dreams of marrying a rich man who will save her and her brother from their hard life.

Drina, does not want her younger brother to turn out like Mobster Baby Face Martin, who just returned to his old neighborhood. Drina's friend Dave Connell, is an unemployed architect, who now works odd jobs. He is having an affair with a rich man's mistress, Kay Burton.

Looking for trouble, the gang of kids beat up a rich kid, who lives in the near by apartments. When the boy's father tries to help his son, Tommy stabs him in the hand and then goes into hiding.

Mobster Baby Face Martin, is turned away by his mother and upset to find out that his ex-girlfriend, Francie, is now a prostitute. Needing money, he decides to kidnap the rich child for ransom. Dave, finds Martin and kills him in a fight. When the police arrive, Spit.. tells the police that it was Tommy, who stabbed the man. Will Dave, convince him to turn himself in?

In this film you have, Rich, poor, kindhearted and hardhearted all trying to live together, in the same neighborhood. This film also, shows the differences as well as similarities between the rich and the poor.

Fun Fact:

Even though, she is in only one scene that lasts a little under five minutes, Claire Trevor won an Oscar nomination for her performance as Francie, the prostitute.

Sylvia Sidney (August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999), she became an actress at the age of fifteen. As a student of the Theater Guild's School for Acting, Sidney performed in several of their productions during the 1920s. In 1926, she was seen by a Hollywood talent scout and made her first film performance later that year.

Sidney, often played the girlfriend or the sister of a gangster in the films: An American Tragedy, City Streets and Street Scene (all 1931), Alfred Hitchcock's, Sabotage and Fritz Lang's, Fury (both 1936), You Only Live Once, Dead End (both 1937) and The Trail of the Lonesome Pine .

She also performed in the films: Blood on the Sun (1945) and Les Misérables(1952).

In 1973, Sidney received an Academy Award nomination for her supporting role in, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams.

As an elderly woman, Sidney continued to play supporting screen roles such as, Miss Coral in the film, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. She played Aunt Marion in, Damien: Omen II and had a role in the films: Beetlejuice, for which she won a Saturn Award and the film, Used People. Her final role was in, Mars Attacks!

My favorite Sylvia Sidney films:

City Streets (1931)
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1936)
Fury (1936)
Dead End (1937)
Beetlejuice (1988)

Drew Barrymore " Looks Like" Sylvia Sidney.

Drew Barrymore (born February 22, 1975), actress, producer, and director. She is the granddaughter of actor John Barrymore. She first performed in an advertisement when she was eleven months old. Barrymore made her film debut in, Altered States (1980). Afterwards, she starred in her breakout role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. She quickly became one of Hollywood's most recognized child actors, going on to perform in mostly comedy films.

Sylvia Sidney (August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999), who was best known in the 1930s for performing in gangster films.