Charles Sullivan Movies

William Wellman's landmark gangster movie traces the rise and fall of prohibition-era mobster Tom Powers. We are first shown various episodes of Tom's childhood with the corrupting influences of the beer hall, pool parlor, and false friends like minor-league fence Putty Nose. As young adults, Tom (James Cagney) and his pal, Matt Doyle (Edward Woods), are hired by ruthless but innately decent bootlegger Paddy Ryan (Robert Emmett O'Connor). The boys quickly rise to the top of the heap, with all the accoutrements of success: custom-tailored tuxedoes, fancy cars, and gorgeous girls. All the while, Tom's loving (and somewhat addlepated) mother (Beryl Mercer) is kept in the dark, believing Tommy to be a good boy, a façade easily seen through by his older brother Mike (Donald Cook). Tommy's degeneration from brash kid to vicious lowlife is brought home in a famous scene in which he smashes a grapefruit in the face of his latest mistress (Mae Clarke). Some dated elements aside, The Public Enemy is as powerful as when it was first released, and it is far superior to the like-vintage Little Caesar. James Cagney is so dynamic in his first starring role that he practically bursts off the screen; he makes the audience pull for a character with no redeeming qualities. The film is blessed with a superior supporting cast: Joan Blondell is somewhat wasted as Matt's girl, Mamie; Jean Harlow is better served as Tom's main squeeze, Gwen (though some of her line readings are a bit awkward); and Murray Kinnell is slime personified as the deceitful Putty Nose, who "gets his" in unforgettable fashion. Despite a tacked-on opening disclaimer, most of the characters in The Public Enemy are based on actual people, a fact not lost on audiences of the period. Current prints are struck from the 1949 reissue, which was shortened from 92 to 83 minutes (among the deletions was the character of real-life hoodlum Bugs Moran). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical, based on a long-running Broadway hit from 1927, a sailor finds himself the object of a cafe owner's affections. Singin', dancin', and mayhem ensues. Songs include: Sometimes I'm Happy," "Hallelujah," "Why, Oh Why," "Keeping Myself For You," "More Than You Know," "Billy Rose," "I Know That You Know," and "Sez You--Sez Me" ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Clara Bow's flat Brooklynese voice seems perfectly suited for the rowdy goings-on in True to the Navy. The "It" girl plays Ruby Nolan, owner of a drug store frequented by she-sick sailors. Each of the gobs assumes that he's the only man in Ruby's life, and when several of her boyfriends converge upon the pharmacy all at once, they tear the joint apart. Undaunted, Ruby pursues a romance with seafarin' man Gunner McCoy (Fredric March), who comes in mighty handy when our heroine is victimized by crooked gamblers. The spectacle of distinguished actor Frederic March in sailor togs, chewing gum and dispensing sez-you dialogue, is worth the admission price in itself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, which marks Barbara Stawyck's Hollywood film debut, a woman is taken to an illegal cabaret set aboard a wealthy man's yacht. Her captor, the owner, then locks her in a stateroom. When the cops raid the joint, she is photographed with the wealthy cad. Time passes and the woman ends up marrying her new boss. The cad gets involved with her sister-in-law. Later her new husband and the creep get in a fight over the woman. A shot is fired and the millionaire dies. The police then find the woman locked in her room. To spare her husband, the woman confesses to killing the cad. Her husband refuses to let her take the fall for his crime and she is freed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Behind the Front is a raucous silent vehicle for Paramount's Mutt-and-Jeff comedy team of Wallace Beery and Raymond Hatton. The film begins during the early months of World War I; myopic detective Beery chases pickpocket Hatton into an "enlistment" party held by pretty socialite Mary Brian. The boys are so moonstruck by her that both agree to sign up for the Army on the spot. The rest of the film is comprised of familiar but hilarious war-comedy sight gags; the overall mood is encapsulated by the wisecracking subtitles of Ralph Spence (sample: "Listening Post...Where Men are Men but wish they weren't"). Behind the Front is punctuated by a terrific closing gag, wherein Beery and Hatton team up after the Armistice to beat to a pulp the young man (Richard Arlen) in charge of the company that produces their indigestible "K Rations"--a young man who happens to be the fiance of leading lady Mary Brian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide