By Richard Harland Smith
Side Street
Brief Synopsis
A cop discovers the killer he's chasing is his brother.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Malcolm St. Clair
Director
Tom Moore
Jimmy O'Farrell
Matt Moore
John O'Farrell
Owen Moore
Dennis O'Farrell
Kathryn Perry
Kathleen Doyle
Frank Sheridan
Mr. O'Farrell
Film Details
Genre
Crime
Drama
Release Date
Sep
8,
1929
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Productions
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 10m
Sound
Mono (RCA Photophone System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.33 : 1
Film Length
6,965ft
(7 reels)
Synopsis
The O'Farrells, who live in a modest flat in Manhattan, have three sons whom they cherish: Jimmy, a policeman; John, an ambulance surgeon; and Dennis, who, unknown to them, is a racketeer. Jimmy gets a promotion and is detailed to work on a murder case involving the Muller gang. Kathleen Doyle, engaged to Jimmy, attends a party at Muller's luxurious home and there learns that "Silk" is a killer hired by Muller. Later, when a man is injured in a brawl, John answers a call and discovers that his brother Dennis is actually the underworld leader, Muller. Jimmy and Kathleen meet, and she tells him of her discovery but is overheard by members of the gang, who then set a trap for the officer. Dennis learns of the rendezvous, rushes to save Jimmy, but is shot down by his own men and dies in his brother's arms; his parents are told he has gone on another long and mysterious trip.
Director
Malcolm St. Clair
Director
Cast
Tom Moore
Jimmy O'Farrell
Matt Moore
John O'Farrell
Owen Moore
Dennis O'Farrell
Kathryn Perry
Kathleen Doyle
Frank Sheridan
Mr. O'Farrell
Emma Dunn
Mrs. O'Farrell
Arthur Housman
"Silk" Ruffo
Mildred Harris
Bunny
Charles Byer
Maxse
Edwin August
Mac
Irving Bacon
Slim
Walter Mcnamara
Patrick Doyle
Al Hill
"Blondie"
Heinie Conklin
"Drunk"
Dan Wolheim
"Pinkie"
Crew
Film Details
Genre
Crime
Drama
Release Date
Sep
8,
1929
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Productions
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 10m
Sound
Mono (RCA Photophone System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.33 : 1
Film Length
6,965ft
(7 reels)
Articles
Side Street (1929)
This early talkie from RKO Radio Pictures has a fascinating pedigree, being the only feature to bring together silent film actor siblings Tom Moore, Matt Moore, and Owen Moore in the same film. (The family acting dynasty also included a sister, Mary Moore, who enjoyed a few roles in Hollywood silents before the onset of World War I, which led to her tragic death in 1919 while serving as a Red Cross nurse in France.) Anticipating a plot point key to such crime classics as Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and Cry of the City (1948), in which childhood friends grow up on opposite sides of the law and order question, Side Street (1929) finds one Irish-American family sundered by Prohibition, with one brother becoming a policeman and another a bootlegger (with the middle child caught in the literal crossfire between them in his capacity as as an emergency surgeon). Scenes set in a gangster's penthouse include songs penned by composer Oscar Levant, later an esteemed interpreter of the music of George Gershwin and a comic presence in such films as An American in Paris (1951) and The Band Wagon (1953). Though the popularity of the Moore brothers waned with the standardization of sound films, one of Side Street's bit players was himself poised for super stardom: George Raft. Making his living as a specialty dancer, Raft hoofs elastically in the production number "Take a Look at Her Now," performed by June Clyde.
By Richard Harland Smith
By Richard Harland Smith
Side Street (1929)
This early talkie from RKO Radio Pictures has a fascinating pedigree, being the only feature to bring together silent film actor siblings Tom Moore, Matt Moore, and Owen Moore in the same film. (The family acting dynasty also included a sister, Mary Moore, who enjoyed a few roles in Hollywood silents before the onset of World War I, which led to her tragic death in 1919 while serving as a Red Cross nurse in France.) Anticipating a plot point key to such crime classics as Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and Cry of the City (1948), in which childhood friends grow up on opposite sides of the law and order question, Side Street (1929) finds one Irish-American family sundered by Prohibition, with one brother becoming a policeman and another a bootlegger (with the middle child caught in the literal crossfire between them in his capacity as as an emergency surgeon). Scenes set in a gangster's penthouse include songs penned by composer Oscar Levant, later an esteemed interpreter of the music of George Gershwin and a comic presence in such films as An American in Paris (1951) and The Band Wagon (1953). Though the popularity of the Moore brothers waned with the standardization of sound films, one of Side Street's bit players was himself poised for super stardom: George Raft. Making his living as a specialty dancer, Raft hoofs elastically in the production number "Take a Look at Her Now," performed by June Clyde.
By Richard Harland Smith
