Celebrate Repeal Day with a Drink or a Movie
On December 5, 1933, citizens of the United States could once again legally consume alcohol. The 75th anniversary of the end of the 13- year Prohibition era is a natural marketing opportunity for distillers, and an excuse to party for booze enthusiasts. Repeal Day festivities are planned throught the land, and some sprit-makers have produced special products and Web sites.
As I wrote here in June, Old Forester has issued Repeal Day bourbon. The folks at Dwars have put together a Repeal Day Web site, complete with old newsreel clips and classic cocktail recipes. Dewars and others are sponsoring Repeal Day activities in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Los Angeles, among others.
As a history and film buff, I always enjoy watching grainy newsreel photos of people dumping barrels of booze into the gutter, like those n the Dewars site. But even better are some of the films of the time, some released after repeal, that give a feeling for the culture of drinking and the lawbreaking associated with it, that occurred in the US during the 20s and early 30s. I thought I’d share a few. Unfortunately, some of my favorites are not available on DVD. Here are a few that are:
The Public Enemy (1931): The granddaddy of the 1930s gangster genre, this story of juvenile delinquents who become bootleggers and criminals is notable for its brutality. Stars James Cagney and Edward Woods rise through the criminal ranks by forcing bar owners to buy their bootleg beer and pay protection. In a notable scene, the two siphon contraband booze from barrels in a a federal warehouse, using a gasoline truck. In the end, Cagney’s Tom Powers gets his comeuppance not from the law, but from another gangster, causing quite a stir among moralists of the time. Unfortunately for its critics, The Public Enemy created a template for more filmed crime drama, not less.
Night Nurse (1931): This is not a movie about making or selling booze when it was illegal to do so. Rather, it is one of the best examples of pre-production code debauchery in early Hollywood. Crusading nurse Barbara Stanwyck encounters criminals and dipsonamniacs (gotta love that term) who seem to have no trouble finding enough alcohol to fuel their parties. They’re positively stewed, in fact. The fact that alcohol is illegal only comes up as a sidebar.
The Thin Man (1934): Released six months after repeal, The Thin Man serves up a Dashiell Hammett murder mystery from the inside of a martini glass. Though a few of detective William Powell’s friends are Ronyonesque criminal types, the movie finds its drinkers within a much higher strata of society than what you’ll find in the early gangster and “forbiden Hollywood” films. In this celebration of sophisticated drunkenness, Powell swills his way through solving a murder case, with jokes aplenty about early morning drinking, flasks, over-consumption, and so forth. It is remarkable for its unapologetic embrace of booze and drinking humor.
The Roaring Twenties (1939): This is my absolute favorite gangster movie of all time, and a minor epic. The film’s style combines documentary narration with a story about how poor kids became bootleggers, and how crime, in the end, can mess up your life. Well, that and not getting the girl you wanted. Sound familiar? Maybe a little like The Public Enemy? But this one offers a large dollop of sympathy to the eventual bootleggers, who start out as World War I veterans returning from the army to find no jobs at home, James Cagney is in his absolute prime, and his climactic scene is one you will probably recognize, even if you haven’t seen the entire film. The documentary-style footage shows the making and distribution of booze from bathtub to full-on distillery. The mechanics of bootlegging and great gangster film entertainment? What’s not to love!
