jdeureka "Sergeant Madden" is a remarkable movie on many levels. First, it's an excellent Irish-American melodrama -- and unashamedly so. You don't like melodrama, don't watch this movie. You like strong emotions and interpersonal conflicts, extravagant actions and feelings, people and situations that push it just that little bit too far -- watch it. Second, Berry does what he always does perfectly - - the tough old guy with a heart of gold, with an edge of the maniac in the glint of his eye. The other actors are equally strong, play each part to the melodramatic, Irish-American hilt; family, loyalty, work, love, comradeship, the whole wonderful and emotional lot. Third, the crowing touch is the blend of direction and scenery & settings, the rich tapestry of indoors and outdoors urban backdrop of late 1930s USA. Josef von Sternberg, as usual, saw and found God in the details. (Inspect the living room or the boarding house!) Watch it. Enjoy. They don't make'em like this anymore. Except as a parody. Which this is not. Here's the real thing.

MARIO GAUCI This is another atypical Sternberg film, his sole official effort at staid MGM; I TAKE THIS WOMAN (1940; which is to follow) was another assignment for that studio that would however be completed by other hands. Still, given the presence of Wallace Beery, I thought this would be a comedy-drama whereas it turned out to be a thriller with elements of both the gangster pictures then at their zenith and the soon-to-be in vogue noirs! That said, the film starts off in a sentimental vein as Irish copper – with traditional heart-of-gold – Beery offers to raise a slew of orphaned or abandoned babies. The catch is that, when they grow up, the kids would cause all sorts of trouble for him: two are in love but another claims the girl (Laraine Day) for himself and, while the latter (Alan Curtis in the kind of role John Garfield would come to specialize in) follows in father's footsteps, his impatience for promotion sees him antagonize a notorious gangster (Marc Lawrence) who had learned to respect Beery and eventually turn criminal in his own right! The latter aspect links the film with his earlier (UNDERWORLD [1927], THUNDERBOLT [1929]) and later (MACAO [1952]) phases and, while MGM was best-known for producing wholesome, entertainment-oriented fare, they did churn out the occasional hard-hitting picture over the years. Beery, too, could be serious and schmaltzy and here he mixes the two to reasonable satisfaction.Though, as I said, Sternberg was unable to invest the proceedings with his trademark style, the film does incorporate an effective montage sequence (courtesy of Peter Ballbusch, who had worked for the director on his masterpiece i.e. THE SCARLET EMPRESS [1934]) depicting Curtis' 'road-to-ruin'.

MartinHafer MGM worked hard to create on and off-screen personas for the stars. Sometimes these images weren't far from the truth and other times they bore little similarity to the facts. A great case in point is Wallace Beery. Through the 30s and 40s, MGM cultivated the image of a giant teddy bear of a man--gruff but with a heart of gold with a soft spot for children. Unfortunately, everything I have ever read about Beery is that he was a total creep--violent, angry and an all-around mean guy. Apparently his violence led to this divorce from Gloria Swanson and Jackie Cooper's autobiography describes Beery as surly and often drunk. Not a nice guy at all...but a sweetheart on camera.I mention all this because "Sergeant Madden" might just be the quintessential 'nice guy' role for Beery. He is not just a cop--but an almost impossible to believe nice cop! He has an affinity for bringing home orphans and adopting them--he's THAT nice in the film! It's not just because I know about the real-life Beery that this is silly--no one is THAT nice and the film overdid this in the film. Giving him some flaws would have been great, as his character in this film makes Santa look like a serial killer!! Now had this been the only excess of the movie, I could have easily looked past it. However, throughout the film I kept thinking 'this CAN'T happen in real life!'--and the plot does strain reality way past the breaking point! The film begins with Beery adopting kids. However, as his own son grows, he shows a vicious streak. He wants to be a policeman like his old man, but without any of the sweetness or restraint. His methods are to make the public fear him and it's not too long before he shoots a young criminal in the back. He clearly over-stepped his bounds and should have been up on manslaughter charges, but for some odd reason the police look the other way. But, the mob is furious--this cop must be taught a lesson. So, they frame the bad cop and soon he's sent to prison. But he soon escapes and goes from bad cop to a one-man crime spree--killing and stealing with abandon! And so, in the end, it's up to good ol' Sergeant Madden (Beery) to come to the rescue.As you probably gathered from this description, the plot is very hard to believe. HOWEVER, here's the odd part...it IS very entertaining and is a film you just can't stop watching. My 16 year-old who rarely ever watched old films sat through this one and enjoyed it--despite the schmaltz and ridiculous plot. So, I think it deserves a 6--it is worth seeing despite its shortcomings.

Jim Tritten Wallace Beery's excellent portrayal of a stereotypical Irish-American police officer who is content with his lot as a precinct sergeant. Beery's character totally believes in the police force and the law. Beery is confronted by a rebellious son (Alan Curtis) who is urged into the force to everyone's regret. The son is overtly ambitious and wants more than his father accepted in life. Curtis's character gets sidetracked when he kills a young robbery suspect and in turn is framed and convicted of phony bribery rap. The son goes over the edge and kills a policeman and turns to a life of crime. Wallace's character is forced into the moral dilemma of family or duty. Marc Lawrence is equally good as the underworld hood. Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Good discussion on what is the proper role of the policeman: a humanitarian or a bully. Strongly recommended.