''Half a Sinner'' is a 1940 American film directed by

Al Christie Charles Herbert Christie (April 13, 1882 – October 1, 1955) and Alfred Ernest Christie (November 23, 1886 – April 14, 1951) were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs. Early life Charles Herbert Christie was born between April 13, 1 ...

. It stars Heather Angel as a schoolteacher who in one day becomes Public Enemy Number One in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. The film is based on

Dalton Trumbo James Dalton Trumbo (December 9, 1905 – September 10, 1976) was an American screenwriter who scripted many award-winning films, including ''Roman Holiday'' (1953), ''Exodus'', ''Spartacus'' (both 1960), and ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' (1944) ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

"Lady Takes a Chance". The

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

s of this film were ''Everything Happens to Ann'' and ''The Lady Takes a Chance''.

Plot

On the last day of the school year, plain 25-year-old teacher Anne Gladden has her student Willy write punishment lines on the blackboard. After the class is dismissed, she releases the boy and tells him that few can do what they want in life, so they might as well make the best of what they have. She is overheard by Margaret Ree, an older teacher. Margaret tells Anne that she regrets not doing wild things when she was young. She advises Anne to do what she never did and Anne decides to take her advice for one day. She buys a pretty dress and

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

and releases her pet canary. Sitting in a public park, Anne is propositioned by "Handsome", a persistent guy who will not go away. Anne finally knocks him down and drives off in his car. Handsome turns out to be a killer, he stole the car she is in and on the floor of the back seat is a body, that he and his partner Red, have murdered. Slick, their boss, is displeased when he learns that the body is hidden under his overcoat, which has a label with his name on it. Slick gives Red ten hours to get the coat back, or else. The police are also looking for the stolen vehicle. Unaware of any of this, Anne picks up a man named Larry Cameron, whose car has broken down. Police officer Kelly spots the car and gives chase, but Anne manages to lose him. They head to the local country club for refreshments. Larry turns out to know far more about Anne's predicament than she does, pointing out that she has a corpse in the back seat. Snuffy, a

snitch Snitch may refer to: * Informant Film and television * ''Snitch'' (1998 film) or ''Monument Ave.'', an American crime drama directed by Ted Demme * ''Snitch'' (2011 film) or ''Witness Insecurity'', an American thriller starring Edward Furlong ...

, runs into Red and tells him he found the car he is looking for. After Red leaves, Snuffy telephones Kelly. When Larry sees Kelly by the car, he points Red out as the driver. While Kelly is chasing Red, Larry and Anne drive away. They stop for gas at a station. The attendant recognizes them as fugitives, but Larry ties him up. A rich elderly woman, Mrs Breckenbridge, pulls up in her chauffeur-driven limousine and while they are distracted, Larry switches license plates. Then Larry and Anne break into an empty house, but Red and Handsome track them down. Fortunately, Larry manages to knock Red out and Handsome runs away after Anne burns him with a cigarette. Mrs Breckenbridge also shows up, after an encounter with Kelly. It comes out that they "broke into" Larry's home; the car is also Larry's. Despite Anne's assumption, he is not a crook. When the pair return the car to the park for the police to find, two other gang members take them at gunpoint to Slick. Then Mrs Breckenbridge bursts in. She was following in her car and, when she saw her friends being captured, sent her chauffeur for the police, who arrive and capture the gang. Afterward, Anne tells Granny Gladden that she and Larry are getting married. Granny tells her that her canary has returned too, also with a companion.

Cast

* Heather Angel as Anne Gladden *

John "Dusty" King John 'Dusty' King (born Miller McLeod Everson, July 11, 1909 – November 11, 1987) was a singer and film actor renowned for his Westerns particularly the Range Busters series. Biography Everson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate of ...

as Larry Cameron *

Constance Collier Constance Collier (born Laura Constance Hardie; 22 January 1878 – 25 April 1955) was an English stage and film actress and acting coach. She wrote hit plays and films with Ivor Novello and she was the first person to be treated with insu ...

as Mrs. Jefferson Breckenbridge *

Walter Catlett Walter Leland Catlett (February 4, 1889 – November 14, 1960) was an American actor and comedian. He made a career of playing excitable, meddlesome, temperamental, and officious blowhards. Career Catlett was born on February 4, 1889, in S ...

as Station Attendant * Tom Dugan as Red

gan The word Gan or the initials GAN may refer to: Places *Gan, a component of Hebrew placenames literally meaning "garden" China * Gan River (Jiangxi) * Gan River (Inner Mongolia), * Gan County, in Jiangxi province * Gansu, abbreviated ''Gā ...

* Robert Elliott as Officer Kelly *

Clem Bevans Clem Guy Bevans (October 16, 1880 – August 11, 1963) was an American character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men. Early life Bevans was born in Cozzadale, Ohio. Career Bevans had a very long career, starting in va ...

as Snuffy *

Emma Dunn Emma Dunn (26 February 1875 – 14 December 1966) was an English actress. After starting her acting career on stage in London, she became known for her works in numerous films and Broadway productions. Career Emma Dunn appeared onstage in ...

as Granny Gladden * Henry Brandon as Handsome *

William B. Davidson William Beatman Davidson (June 16, 1888 – September 28, 1947) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 300 films between 1915 and 1947. Early life Davidson was born in Dobbs Ferry, New York. He attended Columbia University, w ...

as Slick opesco*

Fern Emmett Fern Emmett (March 22, 1896 – September 3, 1946) was an American film actress. She appeared in 212 films between 1930 and 1946. Emmett's film debut came with Universal in a two-reel production in 1914. Personal life Emmett was married to ...

as Margaret Reed *

Sonny Bupp Moyer MacClaren Bupp (January 10, 1928 – November 1, 2007) professionally known as Sonny Bupp, was an American child film actor and businessman. His most notable film was ''Citizen Kane'' (1941), in which he appears as Junior, Charles Fo ...

as Willy *

Wilbur Mack Wilbur Mack (born George Frear Runyon, July 29, 1873 – March 13, 1964) was an American film actor and early vaudeville performer from the 1920s through the 1960s. His film acting career began during the silent film era. Biography Mack w ...

as Mason *

Joe Devlin Joseph or Joe Devlin may refer to: * Joseph Devlin (1871–1934), Irish journalist and nationalist politician * Joe Devlin (American football) (born 1954), American football offensive tackle * Joe Devlin (footballer) (born 1927), retired Scottish ...

as Steve opesco henchman

Production

The film is

's second screen credit and the last of Jack Skirball's Arcadia Pictures. Skirball, an ordained

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, later produced

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

Shadow of a Doubt ''Shadow of a Doubt'' is a 1943 American psychological thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Written by Thornton Wilder, Sally Benson, and Alma Reville, the film was nominated for an Academy ...

''. The film started production in February 1939 and was to be released by Grand National Films. After the 1939 demise of Grand National, the completed film was picked up for release by Universal Pictures. This film was the last under King's Universal Pictures contract.

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Half a Sinner 1940 films 1940s crime comedy films American black-and-white films Films based on short fiction Universal Pictures films American crime comedy films 1940 comedy films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Al Christie 1940s American films