Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Crime School

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
7
/
10
1
Votes
Alchetron
7
1 Ratings
100
90
80
71
60
50
40
30
20
10
Rate This

Rate This

Director
  
Lewis Seiler

Film series
  
Dead End Kids

Duration
  

Country
  
United States

6.8/10
IMDb

Genre
  
Crime, Drama

Music director
  
Max Steiner

Language
  
English

Crime School movie poster

Writer
  
Crane Wilbur
,
Vincent Sherman

Release date
  
May 28, 1938 (1938-05-28) (U.S.)

Cast
  
The 'Dead End' Kids
(The 'Dead End' Kids),
Humphrey Bogart
(Mark Braden),
Gale Page
(Sue Warren),
Billy Halop
(Frank 'Frankie' Warren),
Bobby Jordan
(Lester 'Squirt' Smith),
Huntz Hall
(Richard 'Goofy' Slade)

Similar movies
  
Angels with Dirty Faces
,
Dead End
,
Men of Boys Town
,
The Mayor of Hell
,
The Angels Wash Their Faces
,
They Made Me a Criminal

Crime school 1938 trailer


Crime School is a 1938 Warner Bros. film directed by Lewis Seiler and starring the Dead End Kids and Humphrey Bogart.

Contents

Crime School movie scenes

Plot

Crime School movie scenes

A junkman (Frank Otto) does business with the Dead End Kids: Frankie (Billy Halop), Squirt (Bobby Jordan), Spike (Leo Gorcey), Goofy (Huntz Hall), Fats (Bernard Punsly), and Bugs (Gabriel Dell). When the boys ask for a $20 payoff, "Junkie" says "Five is all you'll get. Now take it and get out of here." In a rage, Spike strikes the man in the back of the head with a hard object, and the junkman falls to the floor and doesn't move. When Judge Clinton (Charles Trowbridge) cannot convince the boys to divulge which one struck the damaging blow, they are all sent to reform school.

Crime School wwwgstaticcomtvthumbmovieposters3107p3107p

The harsh warden of the reformatory, Morgan (Cy Kendall), inflicts discipline at the school and flogs Frankie after he tries to escape. The superintendent of the state reformatories, Mark Braden (Humphrey Bogart), visits the school and finds evidence of Morgan's subtle cruelty, as in feeding his new inmates poor-quality food. He then visits Frankie in the hospital ward, finding him untreated and the doctor inebriated. As a way of starting over, he fires the doctor, Morgan, and four ex-convict guards, while retaining the head guard, Cooper (Weldon Heyburn). Braden takes charge of the reformatory himself and wins over the boys' cooperation by considerate treatment, while romancing Frankie's sister, Sue Warren (Gale Page).

Crime School Crime School

Meanwhile, Cooper is afraid that Braden will learn of Morgan's embezzlement of the food budget, which would implicate him as well. He learns that Spike is the one who dealt the blow to the junkman and blackmails him. He gets him to tell Frankie that Braden's generous treatment is due to his sister's acceptance of Braden's attentions. Although untrue, it causes the kids to escape from the school in Cooper's car with his gun. They go to Sue's apartment, and Frankie climbs the fire escape with the gun to confront Braden, but Sue and Braden dispel Frankie's suspicions.

Crime School Crime School Movie Posters From Movie Poster Shop

Meanwhile, Cooper "discovers" that the kids have escaped, and Morgan calls the press to discredit Braden and get him fired. But, Braden drives the boys back to the reformatory and gets them into their beds, before the Commissioner (Frank Jaquet), alerted by Morgan, arrives for an inspection with the police in tow. Their plot foiled and their fraud uncovered, Morgan and Cooper are arrested. The boys are subsequently paroled into the care of their parents.

Background

Crime School Crime School

  • As this was a Warner Bros. film and not a United Artists' film like Dead End, they advertised the kids as 'The Crime School Kids' in this film, and their next, Angels with Dirty Faces. However, the name did not catch on and they remained 'The Dead End Kids'.
  • Before the film was released, Halop, Dell, Hall, and Punsly were released from their contracts by Warner Brothers and they went on to make a film at Universal, Little Tough Guy. The success of this film caused Warner to reconsider and they were rehired at a substantial raise.
  • The Dead End Kids received top billing over Humphrey Bogart for Crime School, with their typeface also larger than Bogart's in posters and advertising.

    • The Dead End Kids

    Crime School Watch TCM Crime School 1938

  • Billy Halop as Frankie Warren
  • Bobby Jordan as Lester "Squirt" Smith
  • Huntz Hall as Richard "Goofy" Slade
  • Leo Gorcey as Charles "Spike" Hawkins
  • Bernard Punsly as George "Fats" Papadopolos
  • Gabriel Dell as Timothy "Bugs" Burke

    • Additional cast

    Crime School Crime School Wikipedia

  • Humphrey Bogart as Deputy Commissioner Mark Braden
  • Gale Page as Sue Warren
  • George Offerman, Jr. as Red
  • Weldon Heyburn as Cooper
  • Cy Kendall as Morgan
  • Charles Trowbridge as Judge Clinton
  • Spencer Charters as Old Doctor
  • Donald Briggs as New Doctor
  • Frank Jaquet as Commissioner
  • Helen MacKellar as Mrs. Burke
  • Al Bridge as Mr. Burke
  • Sibyl Harris as Mrs. Hawkins
  • Paul Porcasi as Nick Papadopolos
  • Frank Otto as Junkie
  • Ed Gargan as Officer Hogan
  • James B. Carson as Schwartz
  • Hally Chester as Boy

    • Home media

    Crime School Crime School 1938 MUBI

    Warner Archives released the film on made to order DVD in the United States on August 4, 2009.

    References

    Crime School Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA

    Crime School IMDb Crime School themoviedb.org