Tough Guy (1936) User Reviews

Gollywhoppers!

[boblipton · 6/10 · 22 April 2004]

A nice little second feature, the last directed by silent perennial Chester Franklin -- brother of Sidney Franklin, with whom he co-directed a lot of children's movies in the teens.

We needn't go too much into the details of the plot, which are pretty harmless as you might expect of anything with Rin-Tin-Tin Jr. and Jackie Cooper. However, it is a pleasure to watch Joseph Calleia, who was all too frequently cast as a gangster in evening clothes as a tough guy, being reformed by Coop's innocence and, of course, Rinty. He does very well with the role. MGM was trying to promote him as a leading man in this period. It's a pity it did not take.

The kind of sentimental B film that 30's MGM put some work into

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 30 July 2017]

This was kind of silly fun made worthwhile by the performances of both Calleia, in familiar gangster role and the young Cooper - who gets to cry about his dog, whom his father does not like. Cooper runs away in the first place to save his dog from dad's ire.

One has to suspend all belief in the plot. At the start Calleia is intent on rubbing out young runaway Cooper because he is a witness to a crime he has just committed. But then a common love bond develops for Cooper's dog, who happens to be Rin Tin Tin, Jr. and Calleia does a miraculous if somewhat unbelievable 180. He soon becomes a big brother to Cooper and even does battle with the other baddies to protect him.

I found myself wishing that I could be Jackie Cooper, romping around with a tender hearted gangster and my loyal Rin Tin Tin, swimming in a forest lagoon, frolicking amongst the berry bushes while singing an old Italian tune, and eating roasted rabbit and marshmallows. That being said, I'd have preferred a different ending, but only in regards to the gangster.

A boy and his dog and their gangster

[csteidler · 6/10 · 21 May 2011]

It's Jackie Cooper and Rin Tin Tin, Jr. against the world in the opening scenes of this okay crime drama. Having run away together, the two of them can't even hitch a ride--though they both give their best efforts at flagging down passing cars. Claudette Colbert being nowhere to be found, they eventually climb into the back of a parked truck, and....

Joseph Calleia is the crook who, in an early turning point in the plot and in audience sympathies, can't refuse helping a boy with a wounded dog--he did have a dog himself, once, he admits.

Speaking of audience sympathies, the other adult characters in this movie nearly all range from annoying to repulsive--and that includes the boy's neglectful father and the smug detective even more than Calleia's stooges who are ready to turn on him right from the moment we meet them.

No surprises, overall, but Cooper is earnest and Rinny gets to show off his acting chops. And Calleia is actually quite good in a somewhat meatier role than he is normally seen in.

some classic lines from the '30's

[tommorg · 7/10 · 24 November 2012]

The back and forth between Jackie Cooper and Joe C. is at times hilarious. I love the touching scene with them at the camp fire toasting marshmallows while on the lam. "Hey, these ain't bad", quips Joe and then laughs to himself. "what's funny", says Jackie. "Oh...I was just thinking about what it be like to shove one of these in a guy's ear...". And in classic gangster lingo: "I got no use for dames; I had one once and she give me the air. What would you do if a dame did that to you?" "Why, I'd knock her block off!", says Jackie. "That's exactly what I did", chuckles Joe, "and they ain't found her YET" (both laugh). Yeah the dog's great too....

Hit the Road, Jackie

[wes-connors · 7/10 · 27 November 2012]

Southern California rich kid Jackie Cooper (as Frederick "Freddie" Martindale Vincent III) runs away from home when his wealthy widower father tells the boy he can't keep his dog "Duke" (a role credited to Rin Tin Tin Jr., billed as a canine offspring of the most successful animal star at the time). Young Cooper and his German Sheppard hit the streets as hitchhikers. Unable to get picked-up, Cooper and "Duke" jump a truck. In quick succession, they are caught in a gangster shoot-out, kidnapped and taken hostage by convicted bank robber Joseph Calleia (as Joseph "Joe" Calerno)...

While trying to avoid detectives and disgruntled gangsters, Cooper and Mr. Calleia bond; they sleep, swim and toast marshmallows together. Cooper eventually finds himself in even greater danger, with Calleia, "Duke" and father Robert Warwick (as Frederick Martindale Vincent II) struggling to save the lad's life. Veteran humanitarian Jean Hersholt appears nicely as a La Crescenta veterinarian. "Tough Guy" is a formula film with subversive undertones. The co-stars perform well. Calleia and veteran director Chester M. Franklin skillfully bring it to a captivating, bang-up ending.

******* Tough Guy (1/24/36) Chester M. Franklin ~ Jackie Cooper, Joseph Calleia, Harvey Stephens, Jean Hersholt

"That kid was nuts about me, and I was the same about him."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 7 September 2023]

I obviously know better, but the ending to this film had me thinking it might have been a reworking of 1931's "The Champ", in which a nine-year-old Jackie Cooper had one breaking out the handkerchiefs for the passing of his washed-up boxer dad, Wallace Beery. The idea that his character here would get so sentimental over the death of gangster Joe Calerno (Joseph Calleia) comes across as all too incredible in this story, although the filmmakers did their best to make it look somewhat believable. The setup is something of a stretch too, as young Freddie Martindale Vincent, Jr. (Cooper) runs away from home with his dog Duke (Rin Tin Tin Jr.), and gets right in the middle of gunfire at a holdup after climbing aboard a truck at a gas station. (Quick aside, a buck seventy to fill up the truck might be the most amazing thing about the movie!).

Off to a shaky start, things get worse when Calerno fires blindly and hits Duke in the neck with a stray bullet. Taking responsibility, the gangster finds a vet for Duke, and through the miracle of 1930's movie making, the dog is back to good as new in no time. At which point the teen and the criminal begin to bond while camping out, fishing and generally having a good time while on the run. There was another scene in particular that reminded me of "The Champ", and that was when Freddie shared Calerno's jacket with him as they went to sleep in the woods. A similar scene played out in that film with Cooper's character placing his drunk father in bed and putting him under the covers.

All the while, you know this situation couldn't last forever, and it was soon enough that the rest of Calerno's gang would come looking for the both of them, especially after learning Freddie's dad posted a fifty-thousand-dollar reward for his son's return. Quite a piece of change in those days, considering that earlier gas fill up. By this time though, the cops caught up with the criminal, but surprisingly allowed him to go free in order to have him lead authorities to the rest of the gang. A gambit that worked, but during a rough and tumble fight in double time between Calerno and his main henchman Tony (Edward Pawley), the good-hearted bad guy took a bullet that led to the maudlin conclusion. Whereas it was a sad ending for young Freddie, the resolution didn't pack the kind of emotional punch as it did in "The Champ".

Hey, wait a minute. Where did they get those marshmallows to roast while on the run?

Strange Bonding

[bkoganbing · 3/10 · 3 January 2009]

Tough Guy is a film that has not aged well in the can. It was films like this that led to a gradual waning of Jackie Cooper's popularity as a kid star. It's one far cry from The Champ or Treasure Island.

Cooper's a rich kid whose dad Robert Warwick won't let him keep his dog, although why anyone would resist owning Rin Tin Tin of any generation is beyond me. Maybe Warwick's a cat person like me. Anyway Cooper runs away from home and dad calls in the cops as personified in this film by Harvey Stephens.

But Stephens gets another case that moves the Cooper runaway situation to the back-burner. A truck hijack which left the driver and a cop wounded has sparked a manhunt for a gang headed by Joseph Calleia.

But wouldn't you know it, Jackie Cooper and the dog hid in the back of the hijacked truck and naturally of course the gang's all for silencing Cooper. But Calleia just melts with all that pouting innocence that Jackie Cooper could bring to bear. Even after he shot Rin Tin Tin, does Calleia take it on the lam without boy and dog? No with the cops looking for him, he finds a veterinarian, Jean Hersholt, and takes the boy and dog to him.

I can't imagine that audiences in 1936 bought that one, let alone audiences seeing Tough Guy today. You can probably figure out how this one is going to end, but there are a few more eye openers left.

Joseph Calleia, God Bless him, kept a straight face throughout all this claptrap. I can't believe Jackie Cooper doesn't cringe watching this one.

The criminal ain't the captain, but the kid is courageous.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 15 April 2014]

Joseph Calleia takes over the parts usually played by Wallace Beery in this corny story of an armored car robber who befriends the runaway kid (Jackie Cooper) who overheard the stick-up occur. After shooting the kid's dog (Rin Tin Tin Jr.), the gangster has a change of heart, and after some hedging, agrees to let the kid go on the run with him. Meanwhile, the kid's father (Robert Warwick) gets involved in the federal case while searching for his son.

The MGM sentiment gets in the way of reality here as Cooper cries over his wounded dog, Calleia sings Spanish songs while picking berries and shooting bunny rabbits, and Rin Tin Tin Jr. protects his old pal and new buddy (I guess dogs do forgive) as the law and Calleia's vindictive cronies (sensing ransom money for Cooper) and the law closes in. This was so close to the following year's "Captain's Courageous" in set-up, in fact everything but excellence. This defies reality on all ends, even though the action keeps the viewer from giving up on it although a speeded up fight scene looks absolutely ridiculous.

One interesting thought about this film is that while there are a few women extras in the film, not one of the billed actors are female. There's only one moment where a woman reacts briefly out loud to Calleia's being wheeled in on a gurney into a waiting ambulance.

Rin Tin Tin, Jr.- Stole Every SCENE !

[whpratt1 · 10/10 · 16 September 2004]

In 1936 there was no special films about 'Lassie', Rin Tin Tin Sr. and Jr. entertained the movie goers. In this film they even had Rin Tin Tin ride on top of a station wagon and at times you could see a stuffed animal being a stunt dog for the dangerous twists and turns around a deserted road! Jackie Cooper(Freddie), "Chosen Survivors",'74 was the great child star and was the pretty boy of MGM studios. In this film Freddie goes through a rough time being kidnapped by a mean bunch of gangsters. Joseph Callera,(Joe Calerno),"Cry Tough",'59, came to Freddie's rescue, however, Rin Tin Tin Jr.,"Fangs of the Wild",'39, went through plenty of trouble trying to track down his faithful friend Freddie through thick and thin! Jean Hersholt,(Doctor Mulback, Veterinarian), Dancing in the Dark",'49, gave a great supporting role, who was a great veteran actor for many years. This is a great Classic Rin Tin Tin film along with Jackie Cooper, which was shown along with another feature film, newsreel and some cartoons on Saturday night at the local movie houses in the USA!

A killer with a heart of gold! Only in movies!

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 25 March 2020]

Freddie (Jackie Cooper) is an incredibly weird and stupid child. He comes from a wealthy family but runs away because he feels neglected emotionally. This might be true....and that's not why he's weird and stupid....more about that in a minute. After running away with his doggy (Rin Tin Tin Jr.), the pair hide out in an armored car (???). Soon the car is attacked by vicious criminals and soon the boy and dog are taken captive. Now here's where it gets weird...and stupid. The boy and the gang leader (Joseph Calleia) soon become buddies and they take off together with the dog and hide out from the law. Now this kid appears to be about 12 or so...a bit old to be hanging out with his best buddy, a most-wanted criminal! But the boy and crook inexplicably hit it off and soon they are making plans for a life together. What's next....see the film.

The notion of most 12 year-olds becoming BFFs with a most-wanted criminal seems a bit hard to believe. Now had the kid been a complete sociopath then it would have made sense...but this didn't. Not a terrible film...but an illogical one. No...wait...when the pair sang..then it WAS pretty terrible!

child star dog star

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 16 August 2023]

Frederick Martindale 'Freddie' Vincent, III (Jackie Cooper) runs away from home with his dog Duke (Rin Tin Tin Jr.) They climb onboard a truck which gets into the middle of a heist. The truck gets taken by Joe Calerno and his gang.

Child star Jackie Cooper and dog star Rin Tin Tin Jr. Combine to do a crime thriller. It should be easy. I don't like a few of these plot turns. It's so simple to have the dog help the kid escape from the gangsters. It doesn't need anything else. I don't need the search party. I really don't need the developing friendship. It comes off wrong. I mean he's making a morbid joke and it's not funny.

tough guy

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 29 August 2023]

The most interesting thing I took away from this soporifically sentimental movie was that Rin Tin Tin, before he hooked up with Rusty and the lieutenant way out there at Fort Apache, played canines other than himself. As for entertaining, exciting or touching elements to take away, there were none. Unless, of course, you want to give a mournful shout out to the great character actor, Joseph Calleia, and note the sad fate of a guy who could have been Anthony Quinn if only he'd been a bit taller. Otherwise, prepared to be bored as hell, especially in the scenes without Rinny, Jackie and Joe. Give it a C.