Bad Boy (1935)

Poolroom ace Eddie marries his girlfriend Sally but can't find work so he sends her back to her family. Things improve after he catches some crooks.

Director:

John G. Blystone (as John Blystone)

Writers:

Viña Delmar (as Vina Delmar's 'Bad Boy'), Allen Rivkin (screen play)

Stars:

James Dunn, Dorothy Wilson, Louise Fazenda

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Dunn	...	Eddie Nolan
Dorothy Wilson	...	Sally Larkin
Louise Fazenda	...	Mrs. Harris - Landlady
Victor Kilian	...	Sid
John Wray	...	Fred Larkin
Luis Alberni	...	Tony
Beulah Bondi	...	Mrs. Larkin
Allen Vincent	...	Bob Carey

Storyline

Eddie Nolan is a good-hearted layabout who scrounges a living as a pool shark. He wants to marry his girl Sally, but without a respectable job, he can't. Things are made worse when Eddie hustles a man who turns out to be Sally's father. When some gangsters put the squeeze on, Eddie and Sally try to save the day.

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Plot Keywords:

wager | vendor | unemployment | trick shooting | stepfather | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

25 October 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Aparências Enganam

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

56 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their announced character names): Irving Bacon (Butcher), Margaret Bloodgood (Irish Woman), Anne O'Neal (Mrs. Weise), Samuel E. Hines (Husband), Betty Farrington (Wife), Esther Michelson (Jewish Woman), Mariska Aldrich (German Woman), Edna Bennett (Saleswoman), Ann Doran (Telegraph Clerk), Frank Moran (Detective Jake), 'West Virginia Ramblers' (Hillbilly Act) and Jerry Mandy (Greek Counterman). A New York Times reviewer wrote "A victim of the cutting room and other departments, 'Bad Boy' seems to have been manufactured in a terrible hurry."

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Goofs

In soda shop, Sally removes Eddie's handkerchief to wipe her tears, and hastily stuffs it back in his pocket. As they leave the shop, it's neatly folded in his pocket.

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Soundtracks

As I Live and Breathe
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Lew Pollack
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Played during the opening and end credits, and often in the score
Sung at various times by Howard Phillips, James Dunn and Dorothy Wilson

User Reviews

James Dunn and John Carradine

1935's "Bad Boy" qualifies as a long forgotten quickie programmer, not even seen on the Fox Movie Channel (AMC last aired it in the 90s). At 56 minutes, it shows evidence of being rushed through editing, but fortunately succeeds in its own modest way of providing entertainment for undiscriminating audiences. James Dunn, future Oscar winner for "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," stars as expert pool shark Eddie Nolan, whose incredible prowess with a pool cue appears to be genuine, no fakery before the camera's discerning eye, much to the chagrin of his prize pigeon (John Wray), who only plays for relaxation. Eddie's sweetheart is Sally Larkin (Dorothy Wilson), anxious to have him meet her folks, with Beulah Bondi typecast as the mother, John Wray's frustrated pigeon the surprised father, forbidding his daughter from seeing that 'hoodlum' ever again. Instead of goodbyes the two exchange wedding vows, keeping their marriage a secret from her disapproving parents, forcing Eddie to make a go of respectability for the sake of his loving bride. Unable to gain employment as either a salesman or a radio singer, he decides it best to abandon pretense and leave Sally to wed the prominent, well to do Bob Carey (Allen Vincent), a desperate phone call saving his marriage and turning his life around for the better. Not the swiftest hour long feature, yet full of charming moments that make such little films a viewing pleasure. One sequence at the 32 minute mark sees Eddie fixing the buzzer system in his apartment building, succeeding only too well in having a staircase full of angry tenants, among them unbilled saxophone player John Carradine, soon to become a full time player at 20th Century-Fox, only four months away from character stardom in John Ford's "The Prisoner of Shark Island," going from pool sharks to real sharks!