The Devil Is A Sissy (1936)

Caught this one on TCM this afternoon, while the meatloaf was on to cook.  They're doing a Jackie Cooper marathon today because he died a few days back.  I decided to watch it mainly because of the name.  I also haven't seen much of Mickey Rooney, and because he's somewhat of a prominent figure from time to time it peaked my interest.

A well-bred young English lad living in lower Manhattan tries to gain acceptance from his not-so-well-bred peers at school.  When one of his peers' dad dies, they hash a plan to get money for a tombstone.

35/50

It truly is remarkable how much better child actors from the past are then the ones of the present.  Both Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney were really good, but the role of Claude stole the show.  The film doesn't have much of a wow factor, apart from everything being spot on.  It's aimed for children, and contains a  great meaning, which doesn't hit you over the head like most kid's films nowadays.  There's not a whole lot I can say except that I really liked it.  I suggest it, if you can handle black and whites.

Dinky (1935)

Lucky enough for me the cable package I have includes TCM, which means about 80% of the time there's a movie on I haven't seen.  This one seems interesting enough.

Dinky is a young boy around the age of 10 going to an elite military school. When his mother is sentenced to 2 years for fraud, Dinky is shunned by the other boys causing him to move-in to the orphanage next door.

29/50 eggs

I feel indifferent about the movie.  I enjoyed it, however at no point did I feel it went above any expectations.  Something can be said for the kids acting abilities.  One expects children in an orphanage to behave like children, however, there's an air to there mannerisms similiar to noir.  Whether it's planned or not it does elevate their performance.  Unfortunately, the movie is riddled with cliches and makes the story wholesome but a tad unbelievable.  The runtime is also only 65 minutes, which easily could have been extended with a few more scenes, as the film seems rushed.  I assume that with the plot, simple cliches, and short runtime the film was probably meant for a young audience, but I'm unaware if that's true.  I can't see the opportunity of watching it being readily available, nor would I recommend going out of your way to watch it.