W. S. Van Dyke and Rowland Brown directed The Devil Is a Sissy, a serio-comedy, starring Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper and Mickey Rooney, Hollywood’s three big child stars.
Claude Pierce is an aristocratic and well-bred boy from England, whose parents have divorced. According to child custody agreement, Claude will spend six months living with his father. Jay Pierce, the father in question, has settled in New York City, where he works as architect. Claude starts attending a public school in New York City.
Claude’s “polished” manners make him stand out among his schoolmates, and the other kids play pranks on him. He soon gets on the bad side of two lower-class kids, Robert “Buck” Murphy and James “Gig” Stevens. Gig’s father is about to be executed for murder. Finding himself the target of the other boys’ anger, Claude is forced to learn self-defense. Claude takes boxing lessons, which help him beat Buck. He wins his opponent’s grudging respect and starts befriending former tormentors.
Gig lacks the money to provide a headstone for his father’s grave, and so he starts seeking money. Gig initially tries to get money from his aunt Rose Hawley, who a kept, financially secure woman
Then Gig decides to raise the money by stealing, and convinces his friend Buck to help him. However, their initial attempts at crime fail.
Claude learns of the problem, and instructs his friends to start “stealing from the rich” and to emulate a fictional role model, gentleman thief A. J. Raffles. Claude personally orchestrates a robbery at a house that is vacant and unguarded. The trio steal toys which they can sell at a pawn shop to raise money. The robbery and visit to the pawn shop go as planned, but the juvenile delinquents are arrested by a police officer.
The boys appear at court, where it is noted that nobody has reported the robbery. Claude explains that it was a fake robbery to begin with. He led his friends into looting his own house, and those toys belonged to Claude himself.
The judge finds Claude innocent of any actual crime, but still finds that Buck and Gig acted with criminal intent. He places the two boys on probation, and they now have to make regular reports to a probation officer. Buck and Gig blame Claude for their fate and angrily sever ties with him.
As Buck and Gig decide to get in contact with their probation officer, Claude is visited by his mother Hilda Pierce. Hilda wants to transfer Claude to a better hospital, but her plan backfires. Claude’s condition gets worse after the transport.
Buck and Gig tell their dying friend how much they care for him, and encouragement helps in Claude’s recovery.
The tale ends with the three boys happily going on a bicycle ride.
Cast
Freddie Bartholomew as Claude ‘Limey’ Pierce
Jackie Cooper as Robert ‘Buck’ Murphy
Mickey Rooney as James ‘Gig’ Stevens
Ian Hunter as Jay Pierce
Katharine Alexander as Hilda Pierce
Peggy Conklin as Rose Hawley
Gene Lockhart as Mr. Jim ‘Murph’ Murphy
Kathleen Lockhart as Mrs. Murphy
Jonathan Hale as Judge Holmes
Etienne Girardot as Mr. Crusenberry, the Principal
Sherwood Bailey as Bugs
Buster Slaven as Six-Toes
Grant Mitchell as Paul Krumpp
