''The Devil is a Sissy'' is a 1936

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by

W. S. Van Dyke Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including '' Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Franc ...

and

Rowland Brown Rowland Brown (November 6, 1900 – May 6, 1963), born Chauncey Rowland Brown in Canton, Ohio, was an American screenwriter and film director, whose career as a director ended in the early 1930s after he started many more films than he finished. ...

. The film stars

Freddie Bartholomew Frederick Cecil Bartholomew (March 28, 1924 – January 23, 1992), known for his acting work as Freddie Bartholomew, was an English-American child actor. One of the most famous child actors of all time, he became very popular in 1930s Hollywoo ...

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

and

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

, three of the biggest child stars of the 1930s. The film premiered on September 18, 1936.

Plot

Claude Pierce is an

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

and well-bred boy from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, whose parents have received a

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

. According to a

child custody Child custody is a legal term regarding '' guardianship'' which is used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent or guardian and a child in that person's care. Child custody consists of ''legal custody'', which is the righ ...

agreement signed by his parents, Claude will spend six months living with his father. Jay Pierce, the father in question, has settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he works as an architect. Claude starts attending a public school in New York City. Claude's "polished" manners make him stand out among his schoolmates, and the other kids start playing pranks on him. He soon gets on the bad side of two lower-class kids, Robert "Buck" Murphy and James "Gig" Stevens. Gig is in a dark mood at the time, because his father is about to be executed for murder. Finding himself the target of the other boys' anger, Claude decides to learn

self-defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in ...

. Claude takes

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

lessons, which help him beat Buck in a street fight. He wins his opponent's grudging respect and starts befriending his former tormentors. At a later point, Gig's father has already been executed at the

electric chair An electric chair is a device used to execute an individual by electrocution. When used, the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes fastened on the head and leg. This execution method, ...

, and Gig lacks the money to provide a

headstone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...

for his father's grave. He really wants to buy that headstone and starts seeking ways to earn enough money for it. Gig initially tries to get money from his aunt Rose Hawley, who is a

kept woman A mistress is a woman who is in a relatively long-term sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a different woman. Description A mistress is in a long-term relationship with her attached mister, and is often referred to ...

and financially secure. He fails to explain what he intends to do with the money, so Rose refuses to help him. Gig decides to raise the money by stealing, and convinces his friend Buck to help him. However, their initial attempts at crime fail. Claude learns of the problem, and instructs his new friends to start "stealing from the rich" and to emulate a fictional role model,

gentleman thief A gentleman thief, gentleman burglar, lady thief, or phantom thief is a stock character in fiction. A gentleman or lady thief is characterised by impeccable manners, charm, courteousness, and the avoidance of physical force or intimidation to ...

A. J. Raffles Arthur J. Raffles (usually called A. J. Raffles) is a fictional character created in 1898 by E. W. Hornung, brother-in-law of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, an inversion of Holmeshe is a "gentle ...

. Claude personally orchestrates a robbery at a house that is vacant and unguarded. The trio steal toys which they can sell at a

pawn shop A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...

to raise money. The robbery and visit to the pawn shop go as planned, but the three

juvenile delinquents Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

are then arrested by a police officer who finds their activities suspicious. The boys appear at court, where it is noted that nobody has reported the robbery. Claude explains that it was a fake robbery to begin with. He led his friends into looting his own house, and those toys belonged to Claude himself. He was just trying to help them out. The judge finds Claude innocent of any actual crime, but still finds that Buck and Gig acted with criminal intent. He places the two boys on

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences (alternatives to incarceration), such ...

, and they now have to make regular reports to a

probation officer A probation and parole officer is an official appointed or sworn to investigate, report on, and supervise the conduct of convicted offenders on probation or those released from incarceration to community supervision such as parole. Most probati ...

. Buck and Gig blame Claude for their fate and angrily sever ties with him. Buck and Gig decide to become runaways and flee from their families and their probation officer. Claude learns of their plans and decides to follow them, in hopes of convincing them to return home. Claude shows symptoms of illness at this point, but he attributes them to a

common cold The common cold or the cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract that primarily affects the respiratory mucosa of the nose, throat, sinuses, and larynx. Signs and symptoms may appear fewer than two days after exposu ...

and pays no attention to them. The three boys meet at the local

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

, under heavy rain. They check the recently-erected gravestone for Gig's father. The boys

hitch-hike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads have ...

and are picked by a passing vehicle. The vehicle belongs to a trio of criminals trying to escape the authorities, and the boys distrust their intentions. The six of them stop for a meal at a

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...

, where Claude covertly alerts the police. While the criminals face the police in a

shootout A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...

, the boys escape. Claude's symptoms are getting worse, and he has both

fever Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a body temperature, temperature above the human body temperature, normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, set point. There is not a single ...

and

delirium Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances in ...

. Buck and Gig are getting worried and decide to take Claude to a hospital. Claude is diagnosed with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. As Buck and Gig decide to get in contact with their probation officer, Claude is visited by his mother Hilda Pierce. Hilda wants to transfer Claude to a better hospital, but her plan seems to backfire. Claude's condition gets worse following the transport. Buck and Gig decide to tell their seemingly dying friend how much they care for him. The encouragement apparently helps in Claude's recovery. The film ends with the three boys happily going on a bicycle ride.

Cast

as Claude 'Limey' Pierce *

as Robert 'Buck' Murphy *

as James 'Gig' Stevens * Ian Hunter as Jay Pierce *

Katharine Alexander Katharine Alexander (September 22, 1898 - February 10, 1981) was an American actress on stage and screen. She appeared in 44 films between 1930 and 1951. Her first name was sometimes spelled Katherine in billing. Biography Alexander was born ...

as Hilda Pierce * Peggy Conklin as Rose Hawley *

Gene Lockhart Edwin Eugene Lockhart (July 18, 1891 – March 31, 1957)"Gene Lockhart"
''The ...

as Mr. Jim 'Murph' Murphy *

Kathleen Lockhart Kathleen Lockhart (née Arthur; 9 August 1894 – 18 February 1978) was a prolific English-American actress during the early-mid 20th century. Early life Kathleen Arthur was born on August 9, 1894 in Southsea, Hampshire, England. Caree ...

as Mrs. Murphy *

Jonathan Hale Jonathan Hale (born Jonathan Hatley; March 21, 1891 – February 28, 1966) was a Canadian-born film and television actor. Life and career Hale was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Before his acting career, Hale worked in the Diplomatic Co ...

as Judge Holmes *

Etienne Girardot Etienne Girardot (22 February 1856 – 10 November 1939) was a diminutive stage and film actor of Anglo-French parentage born in London, England. Biography The son of French painter Ernest Gustave Girardot, he studied at an art school, but le ...

as Mr. Crusenberry, the Principal *

Sherwood Bailey Sherwood Bailey (August 6, 1923 – August 6, 1987) was an American child actor and civil engineer. His parents were nonprofessionals. He is most noted for appearing as Spud, the red-headed, freckle-faced bad boy and enemy of the gang in the '' ...

as Bugs * Buster Slaven as Six-Toes * Grant Mitchell as Paul Krumpp * Stanley Fields as Joe, a Gangster *

Harold Huber Harold Huber (born Harold Joseph Huberman, December 5, 1909September 29, 1959) was an American actor who appeared on film, radio and television. Early life Huber was born in the Bronx to Jewish immigrants from Imperial Russia, who had arrived in ...

as Willie, a Gangster *

Frank Puglia Francesco Giuseppe "Frank" Puglia (9 March 1892 – 25 October 1975) was an Italian-American film actor. He had small, but memorable roles in films including ''Casablanca'' (a Moroccan rug merchant), ''Now, Voyager'' and ''The Jungle Book''. ...

as 'Grandma', a Gangster *

Etta McDaniel Etta McDaniel (December 1, 1890January 13, 1946) was an American actress who appeared in over 60 films between 1933 and 1946. She was the sister of actor Sam McDaniel and actress and Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel. Early life McDaniel ...

as Molly, Rose's Maid

Production

The screen credits of the film contain a spelling error. The name of the film's cinematographer,

George Schneiderman George Schneiderman (September 20, 1894 – November 19, 1964) was an American cinematographer. He was employed on more than eighty productions during his career, and is known for his work for the Fox Film Corporation.Solomon p. 300 Partial film ...

, is spelled with two ns in the credits. A 1936 review of the film by the magazine ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' contains an error in the description of the film's duration. The review claims that the film lasts for 131 minutes. Most other sources report that the film only lasts for 92 minutes. The film is apparently based on a screenplay called ''The Devil Is a Sissie'', which screenwriters

and Frank Frenton were working on in 1935. Brown is the one credited as the main writer of the film, with the extent of Fenton's contribution unclear. Other screenwriters were responsible for the final form of the screenplay. Publicity for the film focused on the change in directors in mid-production. Initially

was announced as the sole director of the film. During filming, came news reports that director

was hired to "assist" Brown. A few days later, it was announced that Van Dyke had replaced Brown as the sole director of the film. The reasons of the replacement were not explained. According to the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

, this was the fourth time that Brown had started directing a film, only to be replaced by another director in mid-production. While Rowland Brown is still credited as co-director of the film in several sources, apparently only one or two scenes of the film were directed by him. According to 1936 news reports, most of the scenes that Brown had filmed were discarded and had to be reshot by W. S. Van Dyke. The official credits of the film name Van Dyke as sole director.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil Is A Sissy, The 1936 films 1936 comedy-drama films American black-and-white films American comedy-drama films Films about children Films directed by Rowland Brown Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Films scored by Herbert Stothart Films set in New York City Medical-themed films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by Cyril Hume 1930s English-language films 1930s American films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer