During the "Great Depression", energetic Midwestern teenager Frankie Darro (as Edward "Eddie" Smith) helps his high school buddy Edwin Philips (as Tommy Gordon) sneak into their "Sophomore Frolic" dance by dressing him up as a girl. Admission for girls is free, but boys must pay 75 cents. Later, we learn Mr. Philips didn't have the money because his widowed mother can't find work. To help his best friend, Mr. Darro asks his father to find Philips a job. Then, Darro's dad reveals he's just been laid off. Darro sells his jalopy to help struggling parents Grant Mitchell and Claire McDowell (as Mr. and Mrs. James Smith) make ends meet...
Two months later, both boys' families can't afford groceries and Darro's parents are threatened with eviction. Darro and Philips decide to quit school and leave town by jumping a freight train. Believing they are just "another mouth to feed," the boys hope to send money home, after finding work in Chicago. They learn things are hard all over and wind up traveling with a group of jobless, homeless youth. Darro and Philips are joined by distinctly smiling Dorothy Coonan (as Sally), who is disguised as a boy. Begging, panhandling and job-hunting, they eventually end up living in a New York garbage dump...
Then, an apparent lucky break may derail the trio...
Based on a story called "Desperate Youth" (which would have been a good title, too) by Danny Ahearn, "Wild Boys of the Road" is one of the best films of its genre. The most obvious reason is that it has an excellent director in William A. Wellman. This may also be Darro's best starring role; while not his best acting performance, it's very representative. Watch for him to jump into a trash can and show off his ability to do back-flips. Also endearing are Philips and Ms. Coonan, both of whom have regrettably few film credits. The three have great screen chemistry. Philips should have had more screen work. Coonan became the final wife of Mr. Wellman, and kept busy having children...
There is a lot going on in this film. Mostly, it's a socially conscious portrait of the USA, before Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" changed the country's direction. While realistic, the story unfolds in "comic book" fashion. Cakes are huge and the good kids don't drink or smoke. Cross-dressing is rampant and Philips considers kissing his girlfriend a chore. There are Black extras among the kids and they aren't portrayed as subservient to the White boys. Left unexplained is why Sterling Holloway only soaks one foot in milk. A couple of shocking, for 1933, events occur; one is a rape and the other is best left to your viewing experience. The "stick-up" is dumb, but the end impresses.
******** Wild Boys of the Road (9/22/33) William A. Wellman ~ Frankie Darro, Edwin Philips, Dorothy Coonan, Sterling Holloway
Two months later, both boys' families can't afford groceries and Darro's parents are threatened with eviction. Darro and Philips decide to quit school and leave town by jumping a freight train. Believing they are just "another mouth to feed," the boys hope to send money home, after finding work in Chicago. They learn things are hard all over and wind up traveling with a group of jobless, homeless youth. Darro and Philips are joined by distinctly smiling Dorothy Coonan (as Sally), who is disguised as a boy. Begging, panhandling and job-hunting, they eventually end up living in a New York garbage dump...
Then, an apparent lucky break may derail the trio...
Based on a story called "Desperate Youth" (which would have been a good title, too) by Danny Ahearn, "Wild Boys of the Road" is one of the best films of its genre. The most obvious reason is that it has an excellent director in William A. Wellman. This may also be Darro's best starring role; while not his best acting performance, it's very representative. Watch for him to jump into a trash can and show off his ability to do back-flips. Also endearing are Philips and Ms. Coonan, both of whom have regrettably few film credits. The three have great screen chemistry. Philips should have had more screen work. Coonan became the final wife of Mr. Wellman, and kept busy having children...
There is a lot going on in this film. Mostly, it's a socially conscious portrait of the USA, before Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" changed the country's direction. While realistic, the story unfolds in "comic book" fashion. Cakes are huge and the good kids don't drink or smoke. Cross-dressing is rampant and Philips considers kissing his girlfriend a chore. There are Black extras among the kids and they aren't portrayed as subservient to the White boys. Left unexplained is why Sterling Holloway only soaks one foot in milk. A couple of shocking, for 1933, events occur; one is a rape and the other is best left to your viewing experience. The "stick-up" is dumb, but the end impresses.
******** Wild Boys of the Road (9/22/33) William A. Wellman ~ Frankie Darro, Edwin Philips, Dorothy Coonan, Sterling Holloway