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bombs his store. Herman and the student who was with him survive the blast, but Herman is later murdered by
Garrett after he again refuses to pay. Garrett is acquitted of murder charges because he has a perfect alibi. Steve, who had taken the stand during the trial, is humiliated by his experience as a witness because he failed to prove Garrett's guilt. Billy, Gus and Sam Weber decide to investigate for themselves and discover part of a cufflink at the scene of the murder. They break into Garrett's bedroom, but Garrett is tipped off by Morry Dover, a student who is competing with Steve for the affection of Gay Merrick. While at Garrett's club with Gay, Dover introduces her to Toledo, Garrett's thug. Garrett shoots Billy, killing him, and frames Gus for the murder and robbery. After the funeral, Steve blames Gay for telling Dover about the plan to break into Garrett's apartment. He gathers all the student body presidents from neighboring high schools and formulates a plan to arrest Garrett. With the help of hundreds of students, Steve captures Garrett and takes him to a local brickyard for a secret trial. In the meantime, Gay and Dover, in an attempt to redeem themselves, capture Toledo's attentions, although Gay is forced to seduce him. Garrett confesses after the students suspend him over a pit filled with rats, and the mob marches him to city hall, with the assistance of the police, to get a witnessed confession. Meanwhile, the real "big" boss of Garrett's protection racket leaves town. After eluding Toledo, Gay arrives to witness Garrett's arrest. Garrett signs the confession; Gus is released; and Steve, Gay and Dover sit in a car she temporarily borrowed to get there, listening to a broadcast about themselves until a police officer arrests them for being in a stolen vehicle.
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New York State Board) have been insisting on maintaining respect for established law and order, and have stated specifically that they will not tolerate any attempt to undermine this sentiment. We suggest a certain toning down of some of the speeches. The second problem is the necessity of portraying this story in such a way that it will not be taken as a direct bid for open revolt and encouragement for high school pupils to disregard all the tenets of regularly constituted authorities, and attempt the administration of government by violent means....The third element is the use of the rat pit as a means of forcing confessions out of the gangster. This seems to us to be dangerous. It is bound to be offensive to a large part of any audience, particularly women, and unless great care is exercised, it May be so gruesome as to prove inadmissable both under the Code and to the censor boards generally."
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perversion." In the courtroom scenes, the AMPP recommended that "in the action of the boys walking up to the judge you take care not to inject any roughness that might be interpreted as disrespect to a representative of the law...This whole scene in the courtroom should be played in a dignified and serious manner, without any indication of contempt or disrespect...We recommend that Steve's speech, 'And you're going to try him without any bunk or hokum,' should be modified to something less rough, along the line of 'Try him according to the spirit as well as the letter of the law'...It would be advisable not to show the boys disregarding the judge's rapping for order. Also we believe further consideration should be given to the somewhat satiric tone of the opening lines of the district attorney's speech...."
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difficulty, and have written to the studio about them in detail...we do not believe it will be interpreted in any way as an attack on constituted authority or a portrayal of lynch law, inasmuch as the studio has taken care at all times to portray the boys as under control and working in harmony with the police department, having been appointed special deputies by the sheriff; and furthermore, at the conclusion of the picture the mayor, judge and the district attorney are portrayed as being won over to the boys' actions and in sympathy with them. We believe that on this basis, the story can be defended, should occasion arise." A letter to A. M. Botsford outlines some details "with which you May have censorship trouble in various territories."
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592:, student body president of a Los Angeles high school, and other Los Angeles high school students appeared in the film. Harry Green reportedly agreed to earn $ 1.00/week to appear in the film after a salary dispute. According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, the production was completed "$ 40,000 under budget and four days ahead of schedule." According to Motion Picture Herald, the film was released in conjunction with Boys Week.
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was submitted for approval by the AMPP on May 10, 1933. The AMPP responded with a letter to
Paramount producer A. M. Botsford noting "three major problems": First, they questioned "the general treatment of established law and order, as represented by Judge Maguire. Censor boards lately (particularly
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During Boys' Week at racially integrated North High School, students Steve Smith, Gus Ruffo and Billy
Anderson are elected to temporarily hold the city offices of district attorney, judge and chief of police. After Jewish tailor Herman refuses to pay protection money to Louis Garrett, Garrett's gang
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In July 1933, the film was previewed by the AMPP, and in a letter to
Paramount, they stated that "...after reviewing the picture, it seems to us that Mr. De Mille has handled these difficult elements with skill and discretion. At the preview we noted a few minor items which might cause censorship
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with a caption in the beginning of the film and on the trailer that read, "This is a story of the supposed revolt of
American youth against racketeering and the evasion of law. Dealing with a condition which must not be construed as affecting the Administration of law and order in this country."
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According to more recent sources, Howard
Jackson, L. Wolfe Gilbert and Abel Baer contributed to the music and John Carradine was in the cast. In his autobiography, DeMille said that he intended to expose the "evil of racketeering" in this picture, and although some critics thought the film was
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The AMPP also advised that "care" be taken in the scene when a bomb is thrown and when
Garrett kicks Steve, recommended the deletion of the "action of the girl being patted on the posterior" and noted that "all use of the word 'lily'... should be deleted under the Code, as an inference of sex
604:"fascist" in tone, due to the students' handling of the racketeer, it was not his intention that scenes such as the students' torture of the racketeer be taken as literal suggestions. DeMille noted the final day of shooting as June 21, 1933.
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reported that author James O'Hanlon sued
Paramount, and Paramount writer Dave Lewis, for plagiarism, claiming that his story "Rough on Rats" was used for the film without his permission. The outcome of the lawsuit has not been determined.
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However, in his autobiography Cecil B. DeMille credits Sam Mintz as the author of the story, from which
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Studio personnel suggested other titles for the film, including
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The film was a box office disappointment for Paramount.
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D. W. (Nov 25, 1934). "TAKING A LOOK AT THE RECORD".
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401:– Assistant Principal Abernathy
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335:Michael Stuart – Billy Gordon
275:Vault Series DVD collection.
161:Cecil B. DeMille (uncredited)
16:1933 film by Cecil B. DeMille
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58:"This Day and Age" film
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395:– Student Body President
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955:Chimmie Fadden Out West
875:The Warrens of Virginia
486:Los Angeles High School
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1155:For Better, for Worse
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1075:Nan of Music Mountain
795:The Call of the North
1585:1930s American films
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1255:The Ten Commandments
1065:The Woman God Forgot
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595:A 1935 news item in
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434:improve this article
363:Charles B. Middleton
311:Harry Green – Herman
43:improve this article
1055:The Little American
755:Brewster's Millions
533:These Young Sinners
525:The Young March On!
255:is a 1933 American
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785:The Man on the Box
727:Films directed by
692:TCM Movie Database
371:– Defense Attorney
273:Universal Pictures
194:Paramount Pictures
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1426:The Crusades
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1325:Walking Back
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885:The Unafraid
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775:The Only Son
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480:In his book
479:
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432:Please help
427:verification
424:
387:Onest Conley
351:Fuzzy Knight
315:Bradley Page
306:Judith Allen
282:
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249:
224:Running time
201:Release date
105:
96:
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
1496:Unconquered
1366:Madam Satan
895:The Captive
590:Horace Hahn
490:Horace Hahn
393:Horace Hahn
381:Howard Lang
341:– Gus Ruffo
158:Produced by
138:Directed by
1550:1933 films
1544:Categories
1245:Adam's Rib
1015:Maria Rosa
975:Temptation
865:After Five
616:References
537:No Kidding
501:Battle Cry
406:Production
228:86 minutes
212:1933-08-25
148:Written by
69:newspapers
1416:Cleopatra
965:The Cheat
658:101193306
608:Reception
545:We Accuse
541:Over Here
529:The Snare
180:Edited by
1356:Dynamite
935:Kindling
915:The Arab
654:ProQuest
488:student
347:– Mosher
317:– Toledo
257:pre-Code
241:Language
166:Starring
99:May 2011
1265:Triumph
690:at the
517:May Day
509:Pay Day
377:– Mayor
244:English
233:Country
210: (
83:scholar
1529:(1956)
1519:(1952)
1509:(1949)
1499:(1947)
1489:(1944)
1479:(1942)
1469:(1940)
1459:(1939)
1449:(1938)
1439:(1936)
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945:Carmen
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736:Silent
656:
635:
551:, and
85:
78:
71:
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1347:Sound
353:– Max
90:JSTOR
76:books
681:IMDb
633:ISBN
288:Cast
279:Plot
267:and
62:news
679:at
436:by
45:by
1546::
652:.
624:^
563:.
547:,
543:,
539:,
535:,
531:,
527:,
523:,
519:,
515:,
511:,
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499:,
720:e
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87:·
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39:.
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