Street Scene (1931)

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Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Street Scene was purchased for the screen by producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1931. The entire story takes place on the street in front of a foreboding old New York brownstone, between one evening and the next afternoon. The individual fates of eight neighboring… More Elmer Rice's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Street Scene was purchased for the screen by producer Samuel Goldwyn in 1931. The entire story takes place on the street in front of a foreboding old New York brownstone, between one evening and the next afternoon. The individual fates of eight neighboring Manhattan families intertwine during this brief stretch of time. Special emphasis is given the Maurrant family: the philandering mother (Estelle Taylor), the drink-sodden husband (David Landau) and long-suffering daughter Rose (Sylvia Sidney). When the husband catches the wife "in the act" with bill-collector Russell Hopton, the resulting tragedy is not shown, but reflecting in the wildly varying reactions of neighbors and passersby. Though resisting the temptation to "open up" the play, director King Vidor nonetheless injects his cinematic know-how into the proceedings, by utilizing an entirely different camera setup or angle for each individual "take." The cast of Street Scene includes several carry-overs from the Broadway original, including David Landau, Max Montor, Matt McHugh (brother of Frank), John Qualen, George Humbert, Tom H. Manning, and Anna Konstant (Sidebar: Shirley Kaplan, the role played by Ms. Konstant, was portrayed in the London production of Street Scene by Greer Garson). Unavailable for TV for many years due to legal tangles, Street Scene was freed up for the small screen when it lapsed into public domain in the early 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.
Written By: Elmer Rice
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Aug 26, 1931 Wide
On DVD: Sep 19, 2000

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Too stage-struck and mired in generalities to be a moving experience.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Dated but moving melodrama

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Cast

            Sylvia Sidney as Rose Maurrant

            William Collier Jr. as Sam Kaplan

            Estelle Taylor as Mrs. Maurrant

            Max Montor as Abe Kaplan

            Louis Natheaux as Harry Easter

            David Landau as Frank Maurrant

            Russell Hopton as Steve Sankey

            Greta Granstedt as Mae Jones

            T.H. Manning as George Jones

            Matt McHugh as Vincent Jones

            Adele Watson as Olga Olsen

            John Qualen as Karl Olsen

            Nora Cecil as Alice Simpson

            George Humbert as Filippo Fiorentino

            Eleanor Wesselhoeft as Greta Fiorentino

            Kenneth Seiling as Charlie Hildebrand

            Russell Howard as Dr. John Wilson

            Beulah Bondi as Emma Jones

            Douglas Carter Beane as Dick McGann

            Walter James as Marshal James Henry

            Anna Konstant as Shirley Kaplan

            Walter Miller
            
            Harry Wallace as Fred Cullen

            Dick Powell as Officer Harry Murphy

            Monte Carter
            
            Jane Mercer
            
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