Sinners' Holiday

Against the clatter and whirl of a beachside carnival comes the tale of the Delano family, operators of the carny’s penny arcade. Among the Delano brood is reckless mama’s boy Harry, who seeks to make his fortune by pinching proceeds from a speakeasy. Confronted by the bootleg boss, the panicked youth pulls the trigger, and then conspires with his doting Ma in a desperate bid to beat a murder rap. In Sinners' Holiday, top-billed Grant Withers (as a sideshow barker) and Evalyn Knapp (Harry’s sister) play the main romantic duo in this early talkie, but what audiences find of greater interest now (and the caught the eye of critics and studio execs then) is the dynamic presence of two fresh stars, each appearing before the cameras for the first time: James Cagney (as brash Harry) and Joan Blondell (as Harry’s wisecracking sweetie), reprising roles they played on stage in Penny Arcade. Goodbye, Broadway and hello, Hollywood! Two cinema legends first stepped onto the sound stage here.