I'm not aware of the details of how this movie was put together. But, going on a century later, the selection of the cast seems almost uncanny. John Ford had made more than 70 films - features and shorts, since his start in 1917. And here, two relative newcomers to cinema - both of whom would become major stars and be enshrined in silver screen history, get their first big roles in their first feature length film. Before this, Spencer Tracy had made just three shorts, and Humphrey Bogart had been in two shorts.
Other reviewers discuss the plot, and I have nothing different to add. Except, that I do wonder if prison activity was anything like some of what we see in this film. Were there prisons in the U. S. where a warden's young daughter could be in the prison courtyard with prisoners all around, and be getting instruction from a female inmate? Were there prisons in the U. S. that housed men and women in the same facility?
This film is a good and entertaining comedy, crime and drama story. It's not too deep, and the comedy especially in the light-hearted persona of Tracy's Saint Louis, is amusing. He comes across as more of a likable character than as a blowhard. And, Bogart's Steve Jordan is an almost sweet guy. He smiles a lot and seems like a good Joe - a nice look at the young actor (age 30 at the time) before he developed the more serious and stern persona for which he became known.
This also was the first film appears of Claire Luce. Her part isn't developed as well as it could have been. It seems as though something with her in it may have been cut toward the end. It's awkward how she just reappears toward the end when she's getting released from prison, and doesn't seem to expected Steve to be waiting for her. A piece of script must have wound up on the cutting room floor. Luce made only a handful of movies and appeared in several TV series in the 1950s. But, she had a long career on Broadway.
The seven stars I give the film are mostly for its cast and crew. It's the first feature film of the two men who would become icons of Hollywood over the next three decades. And, they just happen to have one of the great directors of all time for their feature film appearance together. Someone else noted that while Tracy and Bogart were friends, they never made another film together. Strange, indeed. But, Hollywood for sure (i.e., strange as well).
Other reviewers discuss the plot, and I have nothing different to add. Except, that I do wonder if prison activity was anything like some of what we see in this film. Were there prisons in the U. S. where a warden's young daughter could be in the prison courtyard with prisoners all around, and be getting instruction from a female inmate? Were there prisons in the U. S. that housed men and women in the same facility?
This film is a good and entertaining comedy, crime and drama story. It's not too deep, and the comedy especially in the light-hearted persona of Tracy's Saint Louis, is amusing. He comes across as more of a likable character than as a blowhard. And, Bogart's Steve Jordan is an almost sweet guy. He smiles a lot and seems like a good Joe - a nice look at the young actor (age 30 at the time) before he developed the more serious and stern persona for which he became known.
This also was the first film appears of Claire Luce. Her part isn't developed as well as it could have been. It seems as though something with her in it may have been cut toward the end. It's awkward how she just reappears toward the end when she's getting released from prison, and doesn't seem to expected Steve to be waiting for her. A piece of script must have wound up on the cutting room floor. Luce made only a handful of movies and appeared in several TV series in the 1950s. But, she had a long career on Broadway.
The seven stars I give the film are mostly for its cast and crew. It's the first feature film of the two men who would become icons of Hollywood over the next three decades. And, they just happen to have one of the great directors of all time for their feature film appearance together. Someone else noted that while Tracy and Bogart were friends, they never made another film together. Strange, indeed. But, Hollywood for sure (i.e., strange as well).