In Old Chicago

"The Great American Motion Picture!"

Apr 15 1938 Approved 1h 35m
Action, Drama, Musical

The O'Leary brothers -- honest Jack and roguish Dion -- become powerful figures, and eventually rivals, in Chicago on the eve of its Great Fire.

Plot

In 1854, the patriarch Patrick O'Leary of the O'Leary family dies in an accident nearby Chicago while traveling amid-western prairie. His wife Molly O'Leary raises her three sons alone working as laundress. Her son Jack becomes an idealistic lawyer; Dion is a gambler; and Bob helps his mother in the laundry business and marries local Gretchen (June Storey) in the old area known as The Patch. Dion meets the singer Belle Fawcett in the cabaret owned by Gil Warren and they fall in love with each other and become lovers. They also open a business of their own to compete with Gil that becomes their enemy. However Gil invites Dion to join the politics with him but Dion plots a scheme with tragic consequences.

Written by

Lamar Trotti, Sonya Levien, Niven Busch

Directed by

Henry King

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

20th Century Fox, Darryl F. Zanuck Productions

Languages

English

Awards

Won 2 Oscars. 2 wins & 4 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
2,798
Average Rating
6.7 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA