Angels with Dirty Faces

Angels with Dirty Faces Photos

View All Photos (2)

Cast

James Cagney
as Rocky Sullivan

Pat O'Brien
as Rev. Jerry Connolly

Ann Sheridan
as Laury Ferguson

Humphrey Bogart
as James Frazier

George Bancroft
as Mac Keefer

Billy Halop
as Soapy

Bobby Jordan
as Swing

Leo Gorcey
as Bim

Bernard Punsley
as Hunky

Gabriel Dell
as Pasty

Huntz Hall
as Crab

Bernard Punsly
as Hunky

Frankie Burke
as Rocky as a Boy

William Tracy
as Jerry as a Boy

Marilyn Knowlden
as Laury as a Girl

Joseph Downing
as Steve

Adrian Morris
as Blackie

Oscar O'Shea
as Guard Kennedy

Edward Pawley
as Guard Edwards

William Pawley
as Bugs the Gunman

Charles Sullivan
as Gunman

Theodore Rand
as Gunman

John Hamilton
as Police Captain

Dead End Kids

Earl Dwire
as Priest

William Worthington
as Warden

Jim Farley
as Railroad Yard Watchman

Pat O'Malley
as Railroad guard

Jack C. Smith
as Railroad Guard

Roger McGee
as Boy

Vince Lombardi
as Boy

Sonny Bupp
as Boy

Dan Jesse

A.W. Sweatt
as Boy

Chuck Stubbs
as Red

Eddie Syracuse
as Maggione Boy

George Sorel
as Headwaiter

Robert E. Homans
as Policeman

Harris Berger
as Basketball Captain

Lottie Williams
as Woman

Harry Hayden
as Pharmacist

Dick Rich
as Gangster

Steve Darrell
as Gangster

Joe Devlin
as Gangster

Donald Kerr
as Reporter

Ted Offenbecker
as Older Boy in Poolroom

Jack Goodrich
as Reporter

Al Lloyd
as Reporter

Jeffrey Sayre
as Reporter

Charles Marsh
as Reporter

Alexander Lockwood
as Reporter

Earl Gunn
as Reporter

Carlyle Moore Jr.
as Reporter

Lee Phelps
as Detective

Jack Mower
as Detective

Belle Mitchell
as Mrs. Maggione

William Edmunds
as Italian Storekeeper

Lotta Williams
as Woman

Charles C. Wilson
as Buckley the Police Chief

Vera Lewis
as Soapy's Mother

Eddie Brian
as Newsboy

Billy McClain
as Janitor

Claude Wisberg
as Hanger-On

Frank S. Hagney
as Sharpy

Dick Wessel
as Sharpy

John Harron
as Sharpy

Wilbur Mack
as Croupier

Frank Coghlan Jr.
as Boys in Poolroom

David Durand
as Boys in Poolroom

Mary Gordon
as Mrs. Patrick McGee

George Offerman Jr.
as Older Boy in Poolroom

Joe Cunningham
as Managing Editor

James Spottswood
as Record Editor

John Dilson
as Chronicle Editor

Charles Trowbridge
as Norton J. White

Thomas E. Jackson
as Press City Editor

Ralph Sanford
as Policemen at Call-Box

Galan Galt
as Policemen at Call-Box

Emory Parnell
as Police Officer

Wilfred Lucas
as Police officer

Elliott Sullivan
as Police Officer

William Crowell
as Whimpering Convict

Lane Chandler
as Guard

Jack Perrin
as Death Row Guard

Ben Hendricks Jr.
as Guard

Sidney Bracey
as Convict

George Taylor
as Convict

Dutch Hendrian
as Convict

Dan Wolheim
as Convict

Brian Burke
as Convict

John Marston
as Well Dressed Man

Poppy Wilde
as Girl at gaming table

Al Hill

George Offerman
as Adult boy

View All

Critic Reviews for Angels with Dirty Faces

Audience Reviews for Angels with Dirty Faces

• Mar 03, 2012

  William "Rocky" Sullivan is just a no good kid. Starting off as your average juvenile delinquent, he blossoms into a career criminal. His draw is quick and his name has adorned many a penitentiary charts. His childhood cohort Jerry on the other hand, grows out of his old ways and turns to a life of piety. After his most recent stint in the big house, Rocky has come back to his old haunt. Father Jerry and Rocky share a rich history, but their future appears to be heading in different directions. Rocky is still interested in making some dough, while Jerry is focused on turning around a new generation of delinquents. With this story, director Michael Curtiz touches on some serious issues. In a way, Rocky & Father Jerry represent patriarchs of two divergent paths. Both sure know the one that yields more material gain. But as lucrative as it may be, Father Jerry doesn't want the world building their fortunes on rotten foundations. Maybe I am assigning to much meaning to an old gangster picture, but I really feel like there is a good nature vs. nurture argument here. Is there an honorable James Sullivan deep inside? Or was he always destined to be Rocky? Do these kids have it in them to be stand up citizens? Or is it in their blood to be social pariahs? After all, this would have been a hot topic in America during this period in history. Juvenile delinquency was on the rise during the 1930's, disrupting a relatively stable American youth culture. This being the depression years, upward mobility wasn't always within reach. But with a life of crime, many felt that the sky was the limit. Criminals were often glorified for taking their piece of the American dream when it was scarcely available. Curtiz deconstructs these criminals in a very fascinating way. If these aren't good enough reasons to capture your interests, the bold & somewhat ambiguous ending will surely keep you thinking long after the credits roll.
  Reid V Super Reviewer
• Dec 28, 2011

  Early Bogart, Classic Cagney. Cagney is Rocky Sullivan who is cheated by James Frazier (Bogart) when he's released from prison. Rocky's old friend, the priest Jerry Connolly (played by Pat O'Brien) tries to stop him from venturing down the same path again but to no avail. Excellent performances by the 3 men in this film. A well written script with some very classic tough guy dialogue. The basketball game is hilarious to watch. A memorable part was where the cops question Rocky about kidnapping Frazier and he says he wants his lawyer, they ask him who and he replies "Frazier". The only bad things are the sometimes campy things that they say and the melodramatic performance by Ann Sheridan as Laury. An interesting film which has some serious and deep things to say about glorifying criminals.
  G S Super Reviewer
• Sep 05, 2010

  This is my one of my favourite gangster movies. It's not the only movie with the story of two boyhood friends who grow up to be enemies, but it's the best of them. Plus, it has a great cast.
  Aj V Super Reviewer
• Mar 01, 2010

  Michael Curtiz has made some great films, yet the only one that tends to be well received among film fans is his contender for the best movie ever made - obviously Casablanca (and Robin Hood, to a lesser extent). However, the man has a wealth of other influential classics under his belt that don't tend to get the recognition that they deserve, and Angels With Dirty Faces is one of those films. To sum the film up easily, one would say that it is a crime drama. However; like the best crime dramas, this one has multiple themes that elevate it from being merely a film about crime, to being a character study, a portrait of what it is that makes a hero and a condemnation of criminals on the whole. The story follows Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connolly; two young New York thugs, the former of which is caught by the police and sent to a reform school, where, ironically, he learns to be a criminal. The latter escapes punishment and goes on to become a priest. The story follows these two men as they meet up as adults and have an effect on the lives of the kids of their old neighbourhood. The focus of the film is always centred on the neighbourhood. This allows Curtiz to show us the effects that Rocky's criminal endeavours have on the kids of the neighbourhood more effectively. This sort of narrative would be employed in later films, such as the critically acclaimed 'City of God', and works well here too. The way the film shows how impressionable young kids can be influenced by adults works brilliantly, and Curtiz is able to continue this theme up until the powerful ending. James Cagney would later go on to achieve major fame in the incredible 'White Heat', but here he shows us what the quintessential New York gangster would be like. His performance, in short, is incredible and easily ranks among the best gangster roles of all time. The rest of the cast do well in their roles, with distinct New York accents helping to firmly place the audience in the city that the film is taking place in. Furthermore, the film is economic in the way it's plotted and it's also very exciting, and therefore guaranteed to delight it's audience. Angels With Dirty Faces is an absolute cinema classic and quite why it isn't more famous is anyone's guess. Although not quite as good as Casablanca, this is a major notch in Michael Curtiz's filmography and I wouldn't have any qualms with recommending this to film fans at all.
  Cassandra M Super Reviewer

Angels with Dirty Faces Quotes

News & Features