In Old Chicago ***** (1938, Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Alice Brady, Andy Devine, Brian Donlevy, Phyllis Brooks, Tom Brown) – Classic Movie Review 8542

Director Henry King’s 1938 In Old Chicago is a sumptuous, beautifully acted and thoroughly enjoyable, fanciful tale of old Chicago running up to the Great Fire of 1871.

Alice Brady picked up a best supporting actress Oscar as the Irish matriarch Mrs O’Leary bringing up sons, roguish Dion (Tyrone Power), honest Jack (Don Ameche) and little Bob (Tom Brown), whose varying lives we follow up to the point where the mother’s cow infamously upsets the naked-flame lamp that sets off the inferno. Best of all, Alice Faye charms and croons admirably as lovely singer Belle Fawcett, lusted after by Power’s Dion O’Leary.

Director King makes imaginative and eye-assaulting use of 20th Century Fox’s huge budget (around $1.8 million) to produce a breathtakingly lavish historical soap opera with some songs.

The expert screenplay by Lamar Trotti and Sonya Levien is based on the story We, The O’Learys by Niven Busch.

J Peverell Marley shoots in black and white.

Tyrone Power, Alice Faye and Don Ameche in In Old Chicago (1938).

In Old Chicago won two Oscars: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Alice Brady) and Best Assistant Director (Robert D Webb). There were four other nominations, including Best Picture, Best Writing, Original Story, Best Sound, Recording and Best Music, Score. It is old Hollywood at its finest. It is advertised as ‘The great American motion picture!’ which is not a modest claim, but for once we can agree with the hype, well, at any rate ‘a great American motion picture’.

Also in the cast are Alice Brady, Andy Devine, Brian Donlevy, Phyllis Brooks, Tom Brown, Berton Churchill, Sidney Blackmer, Gene Reynolds, Bobs Watson, Paul Hurst, Rondo Hatton, Eddie Collins, Spencer Charters, Russell Hicks, Madame Sultewan, June Storey and J Anthony Hughes.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8542

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