''Penrod and Sam'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres. Life and car ...

and starring

Leon Janney Leon Janney (April 1, 1917 – October 28, 1980) was an American actor and radio personality from 1920 to 1980. Career Leon Elbert Janney was born in Ogden, Utah, to Nathan Haines Janney and Bernice Rebecca Kohn. The names of his parents are co ...

and

Frank Coghlan Jr. Frank Coghlan Jr. (March 15, 1916 – September 7, 2009) also known as Junior Coghlan, was an American actor who later became a career officer in the United States Navy and a naval aviator. He appeared in approximately 129 films and televis ...

It is an adaptation of the novel '' Penrod and Sam'' by

Booth Tarkington Newton Booth Tarkington (July 29, 1869 – May 19, 1946) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels '' The Magnificent Ambersons'' (1918) and '' Alice Adams'' (1921). He is one of only four novelists to win the Pulitz ...

. Beaudine had previously directed a 1923 silent version, and was invited to remake his earlier success.

Plot

Penrod Schofield and Sam Williams are good friends and founding members of the In-Or-In boy's club. Penrod is perpetually in trouble at school and in the neighborhood because of the pranks he plays. Georgie Bassett and Rodney Bitts, two other boys at school, are always complaining to adults about Penrod and Sam, so the boys will not allow them into their club. When Georgie's father, Mr. Bassett, tells this to Penrod's father, Henry Schofield, Mr. Schofield insists that the boys invite Georgie to join their club. Having been forced into accepting Georgie, they decide to make his initiation especially unpleasant. Rodney, who also dislikes the boys, then pretends that Penrod and Sam harmed him, and the two boys are unfairly punished. Meanwhile, Penrod and Sam argue over a girl, Marjorie Jones, whom they both like, and Penrod's dog, Duke, is run over by a car. Penrod hits his lowest period when Penrod's father sells the empty lot where the clubhouse is located to Mr. Bitts, who throws the boys off the land. Out of revenge, Rodney even refuses to allow Penrod to visit Duke's grave next to the clubhouse. When he realizes how much the lot means to Penrod, Mr. Schofield buys the land back from Mr. Bitts, and having learned his lesson, Penrod makes up with Sam and invites Rodney to join the club.

Cast

as Penrod *

as Sam *

Margaret Marquis Margaret Alice Marquis (August 19, 1919 – January 19, 1993) was a Canadian-American film actress. Marquis was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leon Marquis. Personal life On November 1, 1937, Marquis married Universal Studios publicist David c. ...

as Marjorie Jones * Billy Lord as Georgie Bassett * Michael Stuart as Rodney Bitts * Jimmy Robinson as Herman Washington * Robert Dandridge as Verman Washington * Matt Moore as Henry Schofield *

Dorothy Peterson Bergetta "Dorothy" Peterson (25 December 1897 - 3 October 1979) was an American actress. She began her acting career on Broadway before appearing in more than eighty Hollywood films. Early years Peterson was born in Hector, Minnesota, the dau ...

as Mrs. Schofield * Helen Beaudine as Margaret Schofield *

Johnny Arthur Johnny Arthur (born John Lennox Arthur Williams; May 20, 1883 – December 31, 1951) was an American stage and motion picture actor. Early years Born in Scottdale, Pennsylvania, Arthur was a veteran of twenty-five years on stage before he made ...

as Mr. Bassett *

ZaSu Pitts Zasu Pitts (; January 3, 1894 – June 7, 1963) was an American actress who starred in many silent dramas, including Erich von Stroheim's epic 1924 silent film ''Greed'', and comedies, transitioning successfully to mostly comedy films with the ...

as Mrs. Bassett *

Charles Sellon Charles A. Sellon (August 24, 1870 – June 26, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Sellon appeared in more than 100 films and stage acts between 1901 and 1935. He played the blind Mr. Muckle in W. C. Fields' comedy ''It's a Gift'' ...

as Mr. Bitts

Preservation status

This film as well as a 1923 silent and the 1936 update are all preserved in the Library of Congress collection.''Catalog of Holdings The American Film Institute Collection and The United Artists Collection at The Library of Congress'', (<-book title) p.140 c.1978 by The American Film Institute

References

Bibliography

* Marshall, Wendy L. ''William Beaudine: From Silents to Television''. Scarecrow Press, 2005.

External links

* * 1931 films American comedy films American black-and-white films 1931 comedy films 1930s English-language films Films directed by William Beaudine Warner Bros. films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Booth Tarkington Remakes of American films Sound film remakes of silent films 1930s American films {{1930s-comedy-film-stub