THE HOODLUM SAINT
US, 1946, 90 minutes, Black and white.
William Powell, Esther Williams, Angela Lansbury, James Gleason, Lewis Stone, Frank Mc Hugh.
Directed by Norman Taurog.
The Hoodlum Saint is an oddity – and seems rather dated. It was set in 1919 to 1929, but made in 1946. While it shows soldiers returning from World War One, it was released in the atmosphere of soldiers returning from World War Two.
The film has religious overtones. It is a mixture of Frank Capra, based on his look at the little people in society with a touch of optimism despite the difficulties, and a Damon Runyon comedy.
William Powell portrays a writer returning from the war who cannot get his job back. He determines to make money, does so successfully and fairly unscrupulously over the ten years until he loses everything in the 1929 crash. He gatecrashes a wedding and meets Esther Williams, and uses her contacts to make his way in the world. This is a non-swimming role for Esther Williams and she is quite a radiant screen presence. The other leading lady is Angela Lansbury, at the age of twenty, twenty-one. Her singing voice is dubbed, but it shows that she was a strong actress from her earliest years, looking older than her age, able to do ambiguous characters rather than mere glamour. James Gleason and Frank Mc Hugh lead a group of Damon Runyon-type characters and Lewis Stone appears as a friar who helps William Powell to take a moral stand.
The title refers to Dismas, the so-called good thief who was crucified with Jesus but who repented. William Powell uses the Dismas story as a means to teach his Runyonesque friends a lesson. James Gleason follows it through and develops a devotion to the saint, and his friends develop a charity which is able to help people in need. At one point, there is a lengthy sequence where one of the characters explains to Gleason the story of Luke’s gospel and the crucifixion, using the pseudo-gangster kind of language to make the story relevant. This is the period of Going My Way and The Bells of St Mary’s so American audiences were used to hearing this kind of religious dialogue. For many audiences nowadays it might seem very quaint and some correspondents on the IMDB think that the whole thing was a fiction from the screenwriter of this film.
The film’s heart is in the right place, it shows something of American greed during the 1920s. It was directed by Oscar winner Norman Taurog (The Champ) who directed six Martin and Lewis comedies and nine (the most for any director) Elvis Presley musicals.
1. The film as entertainment? A story from the 1920s? Made in the 40s? The retrospect? Impact now?
2. The American settings, the city of Baltimore, New York City? The feel of the period? The musical score?
3. The title, the story of Saint Dismas? The development of the story by Terry O’ Neill, telling his friends, using it to control them? The friend telling Snarp the story in jail, the elaboration of the story, the references to Jesus and his behaviour on the cross? The consequences for the charity foundation? The shrine in the church? Snarp praying? His believing in the saint, trying to persuade Terry to believe, finally getting Terry to go to the church? The conversion of Dusty and the friends in surrendering the money instead of stealing it?
4. The focus on the character of Terry O’ Neill, his return from the war, his experience of the trenches in France? His uniform? His applying for his old job, not getting it? Walking the streets, encountering Snarp and his friends, his bailing them out of jail, losing all his money? His generosity? Meeting Father O’Dowd? The discussions about the people on the streets? His determination to make money? His friends going to Baltimore with him?
5. His gatecrashing the wedding, Snarp getting the car? Terry and his meeting Kay, kissing her? Her playing the game with him? His meeting her uncle, the millionaire? His ingratiating himself, suggesting ideas? Getting a job with Uncle Joe Lorrison? The articles? The target of the articles, his leaving Uncle Joe, going to New York, ingratiating himself with the enemy, getting a job, rising to CEO in the ensuing years? His articles, his business sense?
6. His love for Kay, the feeling of the two working together? Esther Williams and her screen presence? The job, going to the dance, Terry tricking her? His decision to leave, leaving her behind? Her love for him?
7. Terry in New York, ingratiating himself, getting the job? Snarp and co following him? Their relying on him for money? Setting up the pool hall? His friendship with Dusty, listening to her sing, waiting for the opportunity to get to the millionaire? The encounters with Dusty, her falling in love with him, his not loving her? Her questions about Kay?
8. Terry, his going to Baltimore? Meeting Kay again, the wedding, finding it was hers? His failing her? His return to New York, his success, advice with money? His little goddesses indicating the millions? Snarp and co and their getting money, their building up finance? The crash and Terry accepting it, losing his job? His fortitude? The reaction to the Wall Street crash – and the collages of Wall Street, the columns of money, the collapse?
9. Terry, the discussions about Saint Dismas, his meeting the journalist going overseas, getting a job, writing? His attitude towards Dismas, not wanting to write any more? The discussions with Snarp about faith? The discovery of the swindle, his going to appeal to the group? His failure? His going to the charities board, the last moment, Dusty coming with the money, his giving her the bracelet and her donating it? The happy ending? Kay coming to New York, her seeing that he was money-focused, her wanting him to be the man of the past? The final together? His collapse in the train, Father Nolan looking after him? Kay rescuing him?
10. Dusty, her singing, the advice from Terry, improving her performances? Friendship with Snarp? Her meeting Kay, the spiky response? Her masterminding the fraud? The confrontation with Terry, changing her mind, giving the money back?
11. Snarp, the group, their friendship with Terry, conning him of the money? The pool hall? The police and the entrapment? His going to jail, Terry wanting to teach him a lesson, the story of Dismas, his believing it? The other characters? Runyonesque? Their deciding to follow Dusty and keep the money, the cynical attitude towards Terry? Their change of heart?
12. The background of big business, investments, banking? Newspapers and articles, campaigns? The ordinary people in the streets, the clubs, the pool halls? The contrast with high society?
13. A piece of Americana in the mid-40s – with the styles and tones of the 1930s?
