Cecil B. DeMille had a long and mutually profitable relationship with Paramount, interrupted by a brief falling-out with Adolph Zukor, during which DeMille made a few films at MGM in the early sound era ... including his weirdest and most atypical film, 'Madam Satan'. 'This Day and Age' was made shortly after DeMille's return to Paramount; it's only slightly less weird (and slightly less atypical of DeMille) than 'Madam Satan'.
In the early 1930s, a few Hollywood films took the bizarre view that, since organised crime had reached such high proportions in the USA, the only sensible solution was for civil liberties to be suspended so that criminals could be punished without the minor inconvenience of the Bill of Rights. 'Gabriel Over the White House' is probably the best-known (and most excessive) example of that brief genre. 'This Day and Age', made the same year, takes a similar tone: this is arguably DeMille's most Fascist film.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. The action takes place in a typical California city, where the high-school boys like to spend their time getting their trousers pressed in the local shop of their friend Herman, a Jewish tailor who feeds them hummus while they sit in his shop in their underpants. (Herman is played by Harry Green, who often played extremely offensive Jewish stereotypes, but who is more sympathetic than usual here.) Local gangster Garrett (Charles Bickford, very good) has been leaning on Herman to pay protection money. When Herman refuses, Garrett blows up Herman's shop (with Herman inside) while a roller-skating act at Garrett's speakeasy provides his alibi.
Three of the local boys decide to break into Garrett's hideout to find evidence linking him to Herman's murder. There's a clever scene transition: as the three lads break into the building, we cut to a floor show at Garrett's club, where chorus girls are singing 'Three Blind Mice'. Garrett's goons catch the boys, and one boy gets shot dead.
Instead of going to the cops, the surviving boys decide to catch Garrett and his thugs by themselves. From this point, the film becomes wildly implausible yet increasingly fascinating. Refreshingly, one of the boys in the high-school class is black: even more refreshingly, he's well-spoken and studious. Regrettably, this teenager must do a 'yassuh' routine as a shoeshine boy in order to help trap Garrett. (I consider this painful sequence a fair reflection of social roles at the time, not a flaw of this film.)
The most implausible part of the plot occurs when Don, the leader of the boys, recruits his good-girl teenage sister (with the unfortunate forename Gay) to come the slut and seduce one of Garrett's henchmen. Shortly before he goes for the jail-bait, this gangster helps himself to an olive while remarking 'I like my olives green,' (Oh, such subtle symbolism.) Just as he's about to do the deed with Gay, he suddenly learns that she's a virgin... leading him to a change of heart and the remark: 'I like my olives green... but I don't pick 'em myself.' Let me see if I have it straight: this guy has no compunction about seducing underage girls, but only providing they're not virgins. I found this unlikely, yet I'm impressed that one of the villains turned out to have a streak of decency. The screenwriter could have taken the easy way out by making all the villains one-dimensional characters.
John Carradine appears briefly in the opening scene of this film, but he has very little to do, and Carradine cultists will be disappointed. A few other veteran character actors are likewise on hand here, yet likewise neglected. I was intrigued to see someone named 'Frank Tinney, Junior' in the cast list. I assume that he was the son of Frank Tinney, a major vaudeville comedian/monologist who did almost no film work. Tinney (senior) had an unsavoury reputation in New York theatre circles, because of his penchant for visiting bordellos where he (shall we say) 'damaged the goods'. That sort of sleazy behaviour is very similar to some of what's depicted onscreen in 'This Day and Age'. I'll rate this well-made monstrosity 6 points out of 10.
In the early 1930s, a few Hollywood films took the bizarre view that, since organised crime had reached such high proportions in the USA, the only sensible solution was for civil liberties to be suspended so that criminals could be punished without the minor inconvenience of the Bill of Rights. 'Gabriel Over the White House' is probably the best-known (and most excessive) example of that brief genre. 'This Day and Age', made the same year, takes a similar tone: this is arguably DeMille's most Fascist film.
SPOILERS FOLLOW. The action takes place in a typical California city, where the high-school boys like to spend their time getting their trousers pressed in the local shop of their friend Herman, a Jewish tailor who feeds them hummus while they sit in his shop in their underpants. (Herman is played by Harry Green, who often played extremely offensive Jewish stereotypes, but who is more sympathetic than usual here.) Local gangster Garrett (Charles Bickford, very good) has been leaning on Herman to pay protection money. When Herman refuses, Garrett blows up Herman's shop (with Herman inside) while a roller-skating act at Garrett's speakeasy provides his alibi.
Three of the local boys decide to break into Garrett's hideout to find evidence linking him to Herman's murder. There's a clever scene transition: as the three lads break into the building, we cut to a floor show at Garrett's club, where chorus girls are singing 'Three Blind Mice'. Garrett's goons catch the boys, and one boy gets shot dead.
Instead of going to the cops, the surviving boys decide to catch Garrett and his thugs by themselves. From this point, the film becomes wildly implausible yet increasingly fascinating. Refreshingly, one of the boys in the high-school class is black: even more refreshingly, he's well-spoken and studious. Regrettably, this teenager must do a 'yassuh' routine as a shoeshine boy in order to help trap Garrett. (I consider this painful sequence a fair reflection of social roles at the time, not a flaw of this film.)
The most implausible part of the plot occurs when Don, the leader of the boys, recruits his good-girl teenage sister (with the unfortunate forename Gay) to come the slut and seduce one of Garrett's henchmen. Shortly before he goes for the jail-bait, this gangster helps himself to an olive while remarking 'I like my olives green,' (Oh, such subtle symbolism.) Just as he's about to do the deed with Gay, he suddenly learns that she's a virgin... leading him to a change of heart and the remark: 'I like my olives green... but I don't pick 'em myself.' Let me see if I have it straight: this guy has no compunction about seducing underage girls, but only providing they're not virgins. I found this unlikely, yet I'm impressed that one of the villains turned out to have a streak of decency. The screenwriter could have taken the easy way out by making all the villains one-dimensional characters.
John Carradine appears briefly in the opening scene of this film, but he has very little to do, and Carradine cultists will be disappointed. A few other veteran character actors are likewise on hand here, yet likewise neglected. I was intrigued to see someone named 'Frank Tinney, Junior' in the cast list. I assume that he was the son of Frank Tinney, a major vaudeville comedian/monologist who did almost no film work. Tinney (senior) had an unsavoury reputation in New York theatre circles, because of his penchant for visiting bordellos where he (shall we say) 'damaged the goods'. That sort of sleazy behaviour is very similar to some of what's depicted onscreen in 'This Day and Age'. I'll rate this well-made monstrosity 6 points out of 10.