Read Online When Satan Wore a Cross by Fred Rosen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Fred Rosen
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Methodist child in Oregon, an Episcopalian tomboy in Arizona, a Jewish kid in Brooklyn, or an agnostic in Toledo, they all saw the same movies about priests and thought of them in the same way. Television’s introduction to the general public in 1948 and the subsequent videotapes and DVDs of these same films shaped public opinion about priests for generations, more than real-life events. They still do. The reason is, the men who directed these films weren’t the kind of film directors who relied on kinetic cutting, special effects, graphic bloodletting, sadism, or nihilism.
They were, for better or worse, directors out to entertain. Unlike others, their goal was not social realism. On the contrary, their job was to create a fantasy, in this instance regarding priests, to be consumed by the masses. The three directors who would have the most profound influence on how generations to come looked at priests were Michael Curtiz, who made his first film in Hungary in 1912 and knew how to use a camera; Norman Taurog, a journeyman film director who would take his game to the highest plane; and Leo McCarey, who would have, perhaps, the most influence on how future generations thought of priests.
More than any other movie studio in the 1930s, Warner Bros. used priests as major characters in its classic gangster films. In all of them, the tough-guy priest was a key character. The idea was to contrast the saintliness of the priest, usually played by Pat O’Brien, with the evil of the gangster, usually Jimmy Cagney. Of course, in the end, saintliness always won. This theme reached its zenith with Michael Curtiz’s Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). With a script doctored by the great screenwriters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, Curtiz produced a hit movie that became the apotheosis of the godly priest. The plot went something like this.
Rocky Sullivan (Cagney) and Jerry Connelly (O’Brien) were tough kids who grew up together in Hell’s Kitchen, the toughest part of New York City. Rocky gets sent to reform school, where he learns how to be a first-class criminal. Jerry, who had escaped from the law, goes straight and becomes a priest. As adults, they reunite in the old neighborhood. Jerry works with the children (the Dead End Kids) who, like he and Rocky, could end up on either side of the law.
Rocky returns looking for a safe place to stay till he can get back into his old racketeering organization, something Jerry is determined to prevent. When Rocky is convicted of murder and sent to the chair, Jerry visits him right before his execution. He pleads with his old friend to “turn yellow” when he dies. This way, the Dead End Kids won’t want to emulate him. Rocky turns his old friend down, finishes his last meal, and is escorted on the last mile.
As he walks to his death, Cagney performs a remarkable acting feat, suddenly going from tough, hard-as-nails gangster to whimpering coward as he’s strapped in the chair. Then the electricity is turned on and he is no more. When the Dead End Kids read of their idol “turning yellow,” they realize the criminal life is not for them and decide to go straight forever.
Father Pat O’Brien has just won their souls and ours. Priests are only capable of helping young boys out chastely.
Hollywood never does anything in “ones.” That same year, 1938, another film about a priest didn’t become a hit—it became a massive hit and a classic. In an era where people paid a dime to see a movie, Boys Town (1938) took in millions of dollars. It told the dramatic tale of the legendary Father Edward J. Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, who coined the phrase, “There is no such thing as a bad boy.”
Despite the sentimental nature of the material, Dore Schary’s story and script emphasized the humanity in Flanagan’s character. Journeyman director Norman Taurog hit a home run before even getting to the set when he cast the one actor who could perform a sentimental part
They were, for better or worse, directors out to entertain. Unlike others, their goal was not social realism. On the contrary, their job was to create a fantasy, in this instance regarding priests, to be consumed by the masses. The three directors who would have the most profound influence on how generations to come looked at priests were Michael Curtiz, who made his first film in Hungary in 1912 and knew how to use a camera; Norman Taurog, a journeyman film director who would take his game to the highest plane; and Leo McCarey, who would have, perhaps, the most influence on how future generations thought of priests.
More than any other movie studio in the 1930s, Warner Bros. used priests as major characters in its classic gangster films. In all of them, the tough-guy priest was a key character. The idea was to contrast the saintliness of the priest, usually played by Pat O’Brien, with the evil of the gangster, usually Jimmy Cagney. Of course, in the end, saintliness always won. This theme reached its zenith with Michael Curtiz’s Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). With a script doctored by the great screenwriters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, Curtiz produced a hit movie that became the apotheosis of the godly priest. The plot went something like this.
Rocky Sullivan (Cagney) and Jerry Connelly (O’Brien) were tough kids who grew up together in Hell’s Kitchen, the toughest part of New York City. Rocky gets sent to reform school, where he learns how to be a first-class criminal. Jerry, who had escaped from the law, goes straight and becomes a priest. As adults, they reunite in the old neighborhood. Jerry works with the children (the Dead End Kids) who, like he and Rocky, could end up on either side of the law.
Rocky returns looking for a safe place to stay till he can get back into his old racketeering organization, something Jerry is determined to prevent. When Rocky is convicted of murder and sent to the chair, Jerry visits him right before his execution. He pleads with his old friend to “turn yellow” when he dies. This way, the Dead End Kids won’t want to emulate him. Rocky turns his old friend down, finishes his last meal, and is escorted on the last mile.
As he walks to his death, Cagney performs a remarkable acting feat, suddenly going from tough, hard-as-nails gangster to whimpering coward as he’s strapped in the chair. Then the electricity is turned on and he is no more. When the Dead End Kids read of their idol “turning yellow,” they realize the criminal life is not for them and decide to go straight forever.
Father Pat O’Brien has just won their souls and ours. Priests are only capable of helping young boys out chastely.
Hollywood never does anything in “ones.” That same year, 1938, another film about a priest didn’t become a hit—it became a massive hit and a classic. In an era where people paid a dime to see a movie, Boys Town (1938) took in millions of dollars. It told the dramatic tale of the legendary Father Edward J. Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, who coined the phrase, “There is no such thing as a bad boy.”
Despite the sentimental nature of the material, Dore Schary’s story and script emphasized the humanity in Flanagan’s character. Journeyman director Norman Taurog hit a home run before even getting to the set when he cast the one actor who could perform a sentimental part
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