The Devil Is a Sissy (1936)
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke / Rowland Brown
Genres - Crime |
Sub-Genres - Childhood Drama, Juvenile Delinquency Film |
Release Date - Sep 18, 1936 (USA - Unknown), Sep 18, 1936 (USA) |
Run Time - 95 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
The Devil Is a Sissy deserves an historical footnote as the only film to team three of the biggest child stars of the 1930s: Mickey Rooney, Jackie Cooper and Freddie Bartholomew. Bartholomew is a wealthy young English boy attending a New York "magnet" school, whose students are drawn from all walks of life. He is befriended by slum kid Rooney, son of a recently executed gangster, who in his own roughneck fashion helps Bartholomew to "assimilate" (Translation: He helps him to steal and evade the cops). Cooper is a middle-class gang leader with whom Rooney frequently clashes. Freddie attempts to fit in with his new chums by masterminding a break-in at a Park Avenue townhouse. None too soon, all three boys end up in juvenile court.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
class [social], delinquency, juvenile, newcomer, British, conflict, court [law], mastermind, team, trial [courtroom], assimilation, gangster, parent, slums, youth
