For years, men and boys have struggled with what it means to be “tough.” Do you prove it by getting in a fistfight if someone looks at you wrong, by driving big cars or motorcycles, by playing sports, or by going out drinking with the boys? Nowadays, traditional masculine traits are labeled “bro mentality” or “toxic masculinity.” Should a fellow just give up all his rights and let others boss him around then? It’s a difficult balance to find, but many classic films teach valuable lessons about how to be strong and masculine while still being a kind, honorable man.
The Story
Young gentleman Claude Pierce (Bartholomew), the child of a divorced couple, has come to spend six months with his poor architect father (Ian Hunter) in an unsavory part of New York, much to the chagrin of his wealthy society mother (Katharine Alexander). On his first day at the local public school, he meets tough guy pals Buck (Cooper) and Gig (Mickey Rooney). Gig’s father is in the penitentiary, awaiting death by electric chair that very night. Despite Claude’s attempts to be friendly, the two boys shun him. However, through his persistence and his professional-grade football skills, he manages to join their gang.Gig determines to earn $80, through fair means or foul, to buy a tombstone for his father. To prevent his friends’ stealing and selling tires, Claude convinces them to break into a large mansion and steal some toys from it, not disclosing that their target is his mother’s house. The robbery goes as planned, and they purchase the tombstone but are soon brought into court on suspicion of the robbery. To avoid being sent to reform school, Claude confesses that the house was his mother’s, but the judge puts Buck and Gig on probation, since they believed they were truly committing a crime. When the boys plan to run away rather than report to the probation officer, Claude does everything in his power to stop them.
The Scene
Following the trial for robbing Claude’s house, the judge asks the parents to leave so he may speak with the three boys alone. He asks them, “You fellows play football, don’t you?” Buck answers, “Yeah.” “Sure,” adds Gig. “If you don’t like the quarterback’s signals, do you walk out on him?” the judge continues. When the question is met with silence, he says, “The point is, fellas, there are times when parents don’t seem to understand, just can’t understand at all. Now, that’s the time I want you fellas to show me how tough you are.”Its Significance
This scene should be a turning point for Buck and Gig, as they have narrowly avoided being sent to reform school. However, the boys are very stubborn and just laugh off the judge’s words at first. Angered by Claude’s deception, they ostracize him again. Rather than gleaning the wisdom someone has tried to bestow on them, they choose to continue being “little devils” by skipping out on their probation.
Both boys have learned to be “tough” in terms of street-sense, which to them means fighting, never giving anyone an even break, and, above all, not squealing. In their rather primitive code of ethics, squealing is the worst thing you can do, even if you’re squealing on yourself to get out of trouble. Earlier, they both are punished by their school’s principal (Etienne Girardot), not for breaking a window with a football but for stubbornly refusing to admit that they did it. Gig worships his father as a hero, despite his being a convicted criminal. He is further hardened by the fact that he was caught because another man squealed on him.
Tough Enough to Take It
Judge Holmes teaches the boys, and everyone who watches this film, a valuable lesson. Stubbornness and toughness, if they cause your own injury or the injury of others, are not characteristics to be admired. In fact, refusing to own up to something you’ve done is a sign of weakness. It takes bravery and strength of character to stand up and admit guilt, as George Washington so famously did in the anecdotal incident with the cherry tree.The judge strikes an even deeper chord by bringing up the religious concept that “the devil is a sissy.” It’s a stirring point, and not one of which you would often think. With the power of righteousness and the strength to stand against the world, we can defeat the devil and prove how weak he really is.
