Sin's Pay Day

... but the lawyers here apparently didn't study law THAT hard, or maybe the rights of the accused really were ignored this much in 1932.

I'll start at the beginning. James Markey is an attorney that defends bootleggers against gangland murder charges, pays off witnesses, and manages to escape disbarment while raking in the big fees. Out of the blue, James' wife, Iris, develops an attack of conscience and tells James that it's either the straight life or she's leaving. James goes ahead with defending gangster Joe Lou on a murder charge. He wins the case but he loses his wife. After losing his wife he starts drinking heavily, stops practicing law, and hits the skids. When he's thrown out of Joe Lou's bar the last time he doesn't even have the price of a drink on him. This is hard to believe given the shot of the mansion he was shown living in at the beginning of the film. He could have sold that house and lived in a one room dive the rest of his life and had money to eat and drink on for another 50 years. But then we'd have no story. Meanwhile Iris has gone downtown and donated much of her own time and money to a clinic that both feeds and treats the many poor and unemployed.

James hits bottom when he hears food is being handed out at the clinic, goes inside and catches a glimpse of his wife before she can catch a glimpse of him. He ducks back out in the alley, and almost swoons both from hunger and from disgust at what he's become, but is befriended by little Chubby Dennis (Mickey Rooney, .... yes THAT Mickey Rooney), who takes him home with him. Chub's dishwasher dad can see Markey may be on the skids, but that he's educated, and trades some room and board for Markey watching out for Chub when he's out of school so that he doesn't wind up in the gangs.

During this time that Markey's been drowning his sorrows in a bottomless pool of liquor, the gangland wars still rage. Joe Lou, Markey's old client, has three of his close friends and associates killed by a rival gang and decides to personally take care of the rivals himself. In an ironic and tragic twist Joe shoots it out on the street where Markey and Chub are walking, and Chub is shot dead in the crossfire. Markey feels like he is to blame for Chub's death, and goes to the D.A. offering to work as a special prosecutor to go after Joe Lou.

Now in modern days this alone would be taboo, because if you were a lawyer for a client once, you certainly would never be allowed to prosecute that same client as a representative of the state - you'd have too much privileged information in your brain. But Markey takes it one step further. He goes to Joe Lou and offers to be his lawyer again, basically gets him to incriminate himself while police down the street record the conversation, and an arrest is made on that basis. Today Markey, the D.A., and Joe Lou would all be sharing a cell, but this is 1932. I'll let you watch and see how this works out, since there's still Joe Lou's trial to consider, and Joe Lou has a knack for beating every rap.

I did actually see this film. I am not imitating a deceased reviewer that shall not be named who reviewed all kinds of films that had long since turned to dust when he put fingers to keyboard to write about them. In fact, the copy I saw had some skips but was in very good condition. The almost completely anonymous cast does a pretty good job, with Forrest Stanley as the tormented James Markey turning in a particularly fine performance. He reminded me much of Paul Muni both in his appearance and in his acting style. Mickey Rooney steals the little bit of the show he's in as a kid that's seen too much of poverty and the streets to not be somewhat streetwise, but he's basically a good cheerful little kid. Highly recommended for anybody who wants to see a good effort by a poverty row studio at the height of the depression when these small outfits were just struggling to keep the doors open.

i also saw this film. it wasn't under "Sin's Pay Day' as the original title but the re-issue tittle of Slums Of New York' honestly the original title is better. in (1938) it was put out again and the copy i have has Mickey Rooney as the star when he's clearly not the star of the film.

it was cause he was a star at the time they put this out again. actually i believe he's credited Mickey McGuire in the original print. that print may be lost. but the re-issue clearly isn't. thank god for that. the previews Reviewer is Correct the law is totally different in (1932) than it is today. Mickey Rooney has a decent Size Role in it. and he's quite good. the print i saw was in terrible shape and it did skip. and the sound was off as well. but i'm not complaining that much cause it exists so that's all i care about.

the acting for everyone is top notch for my guess this B film that was made. Bess Flowers the legendary Extra who has done it is said over 1200 films is also in it. if you can find yourself a copy of it i highly recommend it.

This review is biased as Im going to be completely honest I am more into all star cast films with major studios attached to it in the 1930s-1940s. That being said B movies can be good like 1950s "outrage" this film is not a good b film other wise known as a poverty row motion picture. The whole plot revolves around a girl who threateans to leave a man all cause he is defending criminals that know are guilty. I know its a diffrent era but just leave the dude. Mickey rooney is in this picture and is not the lead and has a small part (duh they would give the lead to a literal child at least not in 1930 and the star that would break barriers for children stars would be our gang and shirley temple)

Forrest Stanley is a criminal lawyer who always gets them off, even if he has to use suborned testimony. When mobster Harry Semels is acquitted, his wife, Dorothy Revier leaves him and he goes on a bender that last long enough for them to scrape his name off his office door.

Director George B. Seitz handles a talented cast pretty well for Poverty Row producer Action films, and it's a pretty lively story, with the slums portrayed as pretty nasty, but with sprigs of hope in it. Mickey Rooney makes his first of 16 appearances in Seitz' film, Bess Flowers gets a credited role, and Paul Panzer has a nice small role as a drunk drinking milk.

Many capable directors fell from the A list in the conversion to sound. Some never made their way back up, but Seitz worked his way up into the ranks of MGM as a capable director of comedies before his death in 1944 at the age of 56.

"Sin's Pay Day" is a film that is both hard to believe and a bit campy. Still, I enjoyed it and think other lovers of classic Hollywood cinema will like it as well.

James Markey (James Markey) is a very successful defense lawyer and he's made a fortune defending various mobsters. But his wife is very upset about this and insists he stop defending guilty people. This is VERY naive, though she did have a point about the particular mobsters he's in tight with when the story begins. Well, James doesn't listen and his career means everything to him...or so he continues his work. Soon, the wife leaves...vowing never to return.

James does NOT react well to this news and soon tries to drown himself in the bottle. Now he's unemployed and roaming about skid row. Fortunately, a young boy (Mickey Rooney) and his father feel sorry for him and help him sober up and get his life together. But soon something happens that changes James...and his old pals in the mob are now his mortal enemies.

The film isn't very believable...particularly the ending. But it IS enjoyable as well as a great opportunity to marvel at Rooney's amazing acting even though he was only 12....and he easily outacted everyone else in the story!