Movie: Crime School

 

Crime School, the 1938 movie, is in the tradition of US ‘social conscience’ movies.

It featured the Dead End Kids: Frankie, Squirt, Spike, Goofy, Fats, and Bugs. When the boys are all sent to reform school, the harsh warden, Morgan, flogs Frankie after he tries to escape. The superintendent of the state reformatories, Mark Braden – an early role for Humphrey Bogart – visits the school and finds evidence of Morgan’s subtle cruelty, as in feeding his new inmates poor-quality food. He then visits Frankie in the hospital ward, finding him untreated and the doctor inebriated. As a way of starting over, he fires the doctor, Morgan, and four ex-convict guards, while retaining the head guard, Cooper. Braden takes charge of the reformatory himself and wins over the boys’ cooperation by considerate treatment.

Most of the real action takes place off-screen. 

Picture and video credit: Warner Bros.

For more Movie Clips, click here

For TV drama, click here

Traditional School Discipline

Traditionalschooldiscipline@gmail.com