The Great O'Malley (1937)

Seems like Pat O'Brien spent his career playing cops or priests, and in The Great O'Malley nothing is anything different for him.  From 1937, this touching, 71-minute, William Dieterle drama features Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, and child star Sybil Jason in supporting roles.

James O'Malley (O'Brien) is a New York City police officer with a penchant for handing out tickets.  For Officer O'Malley there are absolutely no gray areas---black is always black.  With his overzealous, no-room-for-discussion ways, he hands out tickets left and right.  Continually citing people for old-fashioned ordinances that no one even remembers anymore, such as too many bells on a wagon or a storefront awning being the wrong length, Officer O'Malley has become a pain in the neck to the people on his beat.  His superior warns him that justice needs to be tempered with mercy, but O'Malley just doesn't get it.

One day, he pulls John Phillips (Humphrey Bogart) over for having a loud muffler on his car.  Although Mr. Phillips asks O'Malley to quickly write the ticket because he is on his way to the first job he's had in years, the officer takes his time about things.  By the time Phillips arrives at his job, he's late, and the job has been given to someone else.  With a wife and lame daughter at home, Phillips is desperate and tries to pawn his gun; however, when the pawnshop owner won't pay the amount of money Phillips wants, Phillips clobbers the man on the head and then robs the store, a crime for which he ends up being sentenced 2-10 years.

Officer O'Malley's superior believes that O'Malley's focusing on minor infractions drove John Phillips to crime...had O'Malley not stopped Phillips for something as petty as a noisy muffler, he wouldn't have missed out on the job and wouldn't have been driven to the breaking point.  The police chief believes that O'Malley needs to get a heart and stop harassing people, and in an effort to either make or break the officer, the police captain demotes O'Malley to the position of school-crossing guard.  And it just happens to be the school which John Phillips' daughter, Barbara (Sybil Jason), attends.

Barbara, who walks with a limp, is a kind and loving child, and she soon has stolen the heart of the gruff crossing guard.  She tells him her father is working in Canada, but when Officer O'Malley escorts Barbara home one day, he sees a photo of her father and realizes that he is none other than John Phillips.  At this point, Officer O'Malley is a changed man, and he seeks to undo the damage he caused the little girl's family.  How everything works out is the balance of the film.

Though not spectacular, this really is a gem of a film.  It's tender and touching and even gets me mildly misty-eyed.  It affords the opportunity to catch Humphrey Bogart before he became the huge star that he did (this film came just after The Petrified Forest); plus, the little girl, Sybil Jason, is adorable.  Also, the message of tempering justice with mercy is a good one. I actually came close to giving this 4 stars, but in the end, I went with 3, simply because in films this short, I don't feel the characters or the story are developed enough.  So, this really is a "could have been 4 stars if it was a bit longer" kind of movie.

TCM will be airing The Great O'Malley on Tuesday, July 15th, at 1:30 p.m. (ET).  Plus, the film is out on DVD as part of the Humphrey Bogart Essential Collection.  I do hope you get a chance to see this, as I think it's worth it.

Happy viewing!!

Castle on the Hudson (3 stars)

Castle on the Hudson, from 1940, is a gritty prison drama starring John Garfield, with Ann Sheridan and Pat O'Brien taking on supporting roles.  It is a remake of the 1932 film, 20,000 Years in Sing Sing, which stars Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis. 

John Garfield plays Tommy Gordon, who, as the film begins, is convicted of robbery and sentenced to fifteen years at Sing Sing Prison.  Sure that his "bosses" will quickly spring him, Tommy arrives at the prison arrogant, feisty, and uncooperative.  He refuses to wear his uniform, which is too big, and he also refuses to work.   Prison warden Long (Pat O'Brien), whose ideas about running a prison are a bit off of mainstream, doesn't force Tommy to do anything; rather, he allows time alone to do its job of making Tommy a bit more cooperative. 

Tommy's girlfriend, Kay (Ann Sheridan), visits Tommy at the prison, informing him that one of his old buddies is pressuring the "bosses" into springing him.  In reality, though, the buddy isn't helping at all---he just wants Kay to think he is.  Really, he's after Kay, so he wants Tommy out of the picture---the longer Tommy is in prison, the more time the buddy has to pursue Kay.

Meanwhile, a group of inmates is planning a break-out, and while Tommy originally planned to go along with them, a look at the calendar changes his mind.  With the break-out scheduled for Saturday---Tommy's unlucky day---he is just too superstitious to join in, so although his cell door is unlocked, Tommy remains within and doesn't take part in the attempted break-out.

As it turns out, Tommy's fears are right-on; tipped off about the break-out attempt, the guards are ready and the rebellion is put down.  When Warden Long realizes that Tommy's cell was unlocked, yet he didn't attempt to break-out, he begins to trust Tommy.  Therefore, when the warden is informed that Kay is near death, he allows Tommy a furlough to go see her, making him promise that he will return to the prison that night.  Tommy promises he will return, but will he?  Will Tommy fulfill his word and return to prison after getting a taste of freedom? 

Castle on the Hudson is a well-acted, interesting film.  While I would give both this film and the original 3 stars, I actually prefer this one just a bit more, and that is because of John Garfield.  Spencer Tracy was good in the role of Tommy; however, I think Garfield was fabulous at portraying these kinds of hardened, cocky, unlikeable characters.  This isn't a favorite Garfield film by any means, but I definitely enjoyed it.  Why not watch both this film and the original and see which one you prefer?

Happy viewing!!

Virtue (3 stars)

Virtue, from 1932, is a pre-code drama starring Carole Lombard and Pat O'Brien.  The lovely Miss Lombard portrays Mae, a young woman arrested for prostitution as the film begins.    After being told to high-tail it back to her hometown, she is released.  Before long, she meets cab driver Jimmy Doyle, and after a bad first impression, the two are soon smitten with each other.  Without telling Jimmy about her past, Mae marries him and seeks to live an honorable life.

As always, though, secrets can't be hidden forever, and in short order, Jimmy discovers the truth about Mae.  He is extremely upset and even contemplates walking out on her; however, since he loves her, he gives her another chance.  Deep down, though, he never forgives her, nor does he really trust her, so when circumstances indicate that Mae has reverted back to her old life (even though that is not the case), Jimmy believes the worst and walks out.

Will Mae and Jimmy get back together?  Will Jimmy ever fully forgive Mae?  Does he ever begin to trust her?  These are the questions that will play out in this film.

Although Virtue isn't a spectacular movie and the acting isn't the best, I do think it's an interesting and entertaining film.  I'm not sure if it's out on DVD, but TCM airs it periodically, so you could catch it there.

Happy viewing!!