User Reviews

I'm a big fan of old movies (keep my TV tuned to TCM mostly) and I've been noticing Gene Reynolds a lot more lately. I'm sure I've been aware of him in the past because looking at his credits I've seen several of his films as a child star. Why he's not better known for this is a wonder to me.

Slightly Spoilerish Plot Points below.

I watched The Penalty this morning and he was just great in this film. It's a slight little film (less than 90 minutes) but it was long enough for him to make a transition from a tough gangster's kid to a responsible ward of a good farmer. He conveys emotions well. He's just as good as Freddy Bartholomew or Mickey Rooney, who I supposed were the biggest male child stars of the late 30's and early 40's. In fact he's more subtle than Rooney, whom I admire.

The rest of cast is good too including Edward Arnold as the father, Robert Sterling as his guardian, and Marsha Hunt & Lionel Barrymore as neighbors who help Sterling turn the boy around.

This is one of MGM's lesser known "family" films from the early 1940s. It's based on an unsuccessful Broadway play that closed after a week, but the basic idea was reworked so that we get the usual "crime does not pay" studio programmer. Though not a spectacular production, it contains smooth performances from its two top-billed character actors, Edward Arnold and Lionel Barrymore. And there is also a good turn by juvenile player Gene Reynolds.

As I watched THE PENALTY, it seemed obvious to me that Metro wanted something reminiscent of Warner Brothers' Dead End Kids product. They did not put someone like Mickey Rooney into it, since it had to be someone like Reynolds who could play "bad," about as opposite of Andy Hardy as possible. We are meant to root for Reynolds the troubled teen, but only after he's shown character growth and started to change.

In the beginning of the story Reynolds is a morally challenged adolescent, the son of a vicious robber and cop killer (Arnold). He remains loyal to his dad, alongside dad's voluptuous moll (Veda Ann Borg), even though he knows the old man does horrible things to get ahead. There's an interesting scene where Arnold explains his racket as a business, which Reynolds accepts no questions asked.

It is not until a shoot-out occurs at a cabin where Arnold blasts more cops, as well as the senseless murder of an innocent taxi cab driver, that Reynolds begins to see this destructive and violent lifestyle from another angle. Also, he has to deal with Borg dying during the ensuing gunfire. Miss Borg does a splendid job expressing her character's final moments, mistakenly believing something she did is what led the coppers to their hideout.

There is no time to grieve Borg's death since the cops are closing in and it looks like Arnold may have to surrender. In the next part, Reynolds still the obedient son, helps get his father out through the back of the cabin and into a waiting car. They race off, narrowly avoiding a spray of bullets.

This leads to a poignant farewell under a bridge, where Reynolds drops his injured pop. Arnold is going to take his chances and hide here. While Reynolds speeds off and leads the police on a wild goose chase.

A short time later Reynolds is caught and sent to reform school. When that doesn't curb his misbehavior, a judge (Grant Mitchell) ships him to a rural community for rehabilitation. The second half of the movie details his new life on an Indiana farm run by a young man (Robert Sterling) and his mother (Emma Dunn).

Well-meaning neighbors include a local teacher (Marsha Hunt), her kid sister (Gloria DeHaven) and their irascible grandfather (Barrymore).

There are humorous bits involving a mean old gander that likes to attack Reynolds on the derriere when he's bending over in the cornfield. Also, Mr. Barrymore has some amusing lines meant to portray an elderly rural coot as both exaggerative and logical. He is not exactly Dr. Gillespie here.

Reynolds' rehab is overshadowed by the unknown whereabouts of his father, since Arnold is still at large and not dead. Later, Sterling gets a call from the feds who inform him that Arnold was spotted and is probably heading to Indiana to pick up Reynolds.

The last sequence features Arnold's dramatic arrival at the farm using an alias. He attempts to take Reynolds away with him. Sterling and Dunn try to reason with him that he should let the boy stay, where there is a future for him. Going on the lam will only lead to the boy's death. But Arnold doesn't agree. His son is leaving with him right now.

In the next scene Barrymore enters the house with a gun. He knows all about Arnold's type, and he is not going to let this two-bit gangster ruin Reynolds' chance of happiness and a normal life. A standoff occurs.

Barrymore tries to shoot Arnold but misses. Arnold, with a weapon of his own, fires back and Barrymore falls to the floor and drops his gun. Reynolds picks it up. Earlier in the movie, we had seen Arnold teach Reynolds how to use a firearm. And how to not let anyone get close to him. Dramatic irony, as things come full circle.

Since this is a studio entry bound by the production code, with emphasis on how a boy from a troubled background can go straight, Reynolds is not able to shoot and kill his father. Arnold seeing how his boy has changed, gives up and scrams. Off-camera Arnold has exited the farmhouse and run into a police ambush. We hear him die.

In the end we are left with a sobering realization on what it takes for a kid and his community to live a peaceful life. Part of that requires standing up to evil and facing down danger. Shades of the impending war with Europe. This was not meant to be a film that won Oscars, just a film that was made to help its intended audience think more clearly about the sanctity of human life. And for that reason, we should watch THE PENALTY and remember its lessons.