San Quentin (1937)

This is a Warner Bros production starring 30's star Pat O'Brien with rising star Humphrey Bogart as the chief bad guy, or the one behind bars, at least.  With Ann Sheridan as the female lead, San Quentin is an above average crime drama due to star power alone.  San Quentin was directed by Lloyd Bacon who worked a lot in musicals and photographed by Sidney Hickox.

The movie followed the new pattern set by Warner's to cope with the censors and that was to tell the story from a law enforcement standpoint, rather than just telling it from the gangsters' viewpoint as they did with the first few dramas like Little Caesar and Public Enemy. This approach gave them a little cover from the censorship of the Hays Office yet allowed them to use their identifiable stars and insert the action that Depression audiences demanded. The story is not all that special but it does allow Pat O'Brien to show his usual caring persona that is just as tough as the hoodlums but more humane. He was often cast as a priest as well as a cop in his movie career and was one of Jimmy Cagney's lifelong pals appearing with him in a number of movies.

Pat O'Brien is the new yard captain of San Quentin Prison. The yard captain is the chief guard who controls the prison population and whose authority is second only to the warden.  O'Brien has some new ideas about more humane treatment of the prisoners and the former yard captain (Barton MacLane) is very jealous and wants his position back. Humphrey Bogart is a small time thug who gets arrested and put under O'Brien's supervision. Bogey's sister (Ann Sheridan) is also a love interest for Pat O'Brien; small world.

The movie has some great sets and makes use of real footage of San Quentin Prison intercut with the studio footage with actor close ups very well edited so the aura of the prison environment is very strong.  There are many memorable character actors from the Warner stables including Frank Faylen, Marc Lawrence, and several other familiar faces as well as Pat O'Brien and Humphrey Bogart with the inmates all dressed in the distinctive 30's prison uniforms that look so cool today.  The guards were generally brutal and applied their night sticks to the inmates with gusto.

Barton MacLane who was a regular in these crime movies makes a great foil for both Bogey and Pat O'Brien as the sadistic and jealous former yard boss.  Add the 30's automobiles, lots of car crashes and even a couple motorcycle crashes as well as a few shoot-outs and the movie has a lot of appeal for crime aficionados, action lovers, and people interested in the history represented by the architecture, clothes, and artifacts of everyday life that are shown throughout the picture.

San Quentin is a recent DVD release from Warner Bros and is available both separately and in Warner Bros Gangster Collection Vol 2 with several other titles. This seldom seen title is presented in Warner Night at the Movies format with many extra features that were seen with the movie when it was in theaters.  In addition to a decent full length commentary by Patricia King Hanson, there are several features including a vintage newsreel, a couple film shorts, a featurette about prison life, the trailer, and bloopers from 1937 movies. It is a great package that gives a lot of insight into the movie and I particularly liked the blooper reel with such stars as Errol Flynn, Bogart, Bette Davis, James Cagney, and others muffing lines with the chagrined looks as they realized it.

San Quentin will be a good watch for fans of crime stories and Humphrey Bogart and those who wish to discover another great 30's actor - Pat O'Brien.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV