WTF?! - They Made Me A Criminal (1939)

WTF?! - They Made Me a Criminal (1939)

Moxie. That's a word you don't hear used too often. In the ‘30s it was commonplace. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for 1930s gangster movies. It's all the moxie; the nerve and the determination with the force of character. 

That's what They Made Me A Criminal has . . . moxie. In They Made Me A Criminal our lead character is prizefighter Johnnie Bradfield (John Garfield). He’s at first a seemingly innocent mama's boy, fighting hard in the ring and avoiding the common evils of life like booze, women, and sin. Through closer investigation, though, everything is not what it seems. Our hero's flaws shine through and he's not the goody-two-shoes he appears to be. After his manager and moll Goldie (Ann Sheridan) kill a too inquisitive reporter they leave the drunken-weight boxer alone with the incriminating evidence. The villainesque duo then meet a horrific unpredictable fate leaving our Johnnie Bradfield framed for the murder. Thought to be dead and on the run from novice gumshoe detective Monty Phelan (Claude Rains) he’s told by his lawyer "You're as good as dead." Johnnie changes his identity and now Jack Dorner goes into hiding on the West Coast only to be befriended by a pack of juvenile delinquents (The Dead End Kids), a blonde good country girl Peggy (Gloria Dickson), and her grandma (May Robson). He then leads a new life, striving to become a better changed man but still on the run.

Our hero (John Garfield) ponders his new nemesis in the ring

They Made Me A Criminal has a super-strong ensemble in their corner. Claude Raines as a bad detective is a nice take on a traditional storyline. Garfield strongly delivers an acting one two punch as the Southpaw heading West. Ann Sheridan, albeit briefly in the film, is wonderful as Goldie, Johnnie’s do wrong chippy. May Robson is delightful and steals just about every scene she’s in. Outside of many other nice supporting roles The Dead End Kids round out the story quite well. This was the 4^th film The Dead End Kids made. (They would later go on to be known as The Little Tough Guys, The East Side Kids, or The Bowery Boys, depending on the film they were in.)

In a pre-code Warner Brothers' version of the film called The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933), the Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s character actually kills the guy he’s accused of killing.  These films are adapted from the play called Sucker by Bertram Millhauser and Beulah Marie Dix which ran Off Broadway. Sid Herzig does a wonderful job adapting it into a screenplay for this film. There’s a running theme with the term “sucker” being used throughout the film. Fans of the film Con-Air with Nicholas Cage may see some similarities between his character and Johnnie.

Director Busby Berkeley echoes many types of signature shots Berkeley uses in his musical films like Footlight Parade. 42^nd St., and Gold Diggers films. Berkeley begged the studio to get away from his musicals and take a stab at drama. In a compelling water tower sequence Berkeley uses some overhead and underwater swimming shots to build the drama.

Garfield and the Dead End Kids square off.

Wonderful WTF moments in They Made Me A Criminal include a horrific but somehow campy car crash and Ann Sheridan’s take on her demise; the wonderful fact that Johnnie makes his trek across the country on just $250; No real explanation why The Dead End Kids are working for Peggy (other than that they’re delinquents working in a time with no child labor laws); why Johnnie so easily decides to fight a pro boxer after chastising the boys for taking his picture; and an odd, yet entertaining game of strip poker where The Dead End Kids defrock an unknowing dainty kid.

Without giving too much away They Made Me A Criminal’s ending has a really nice turn-around involving Rains and Garfield. Take the time to re-visit a film over 7 decades young that maintains the true test of time. In the boxing ring of vintage films this one’s a guaranteed knockout.