"Angels with Filthy Souls", the Gangster Movie Kevin is watching in Home Alone is actually an 80-second film shot entirely for one brief scene





Ralph Foody filming Angels with Filthy Souls for Home Alone, 1990


What's most interesting about "Angels with Flthy Souls" is that it used techniques and black-and-white negative film stock of movies from the 1940s to achieve its '40s cinema look.

As a child, I must've searched for months every time we went to the video store. Never found it and now I know why ..

"Home Alone" is an annual Christmas viewing, it's become a mandatory way to take in Christmas eve for this lonely Jew, and, poke at all its flaws, the film has a spirited  vibe to it that becomes infectious every time you see it. 

I believe the name of the short was inspired by "Angels With Dirty Faces" a Cagney Gangster picture from 1938.


Home Alone 2 had the sequel "Angels with filthier souls" ("I knew it was you! I can smell ya getting off the elevator"), but it's this one that is the true classic. "Keep the change, ya filthy animal" and "I believe you, but my tommy gun don't."




Gangster 'Johnny': [hears knock at door] Who is it?
Gangster 'Snakes': [Snakes comes in] It's me, Snakes. I got the stuff.
Gangster 'Johnny': Leave it on the doorstep and get the hell outta here.
Gangster 'Snakes': All right, Johnny, but what about my money?
Gangster 'Johnny': What money?
Gangster 'Snakes': Acey said you had some dough for me.
Gangster 'Johnny': That a fact? How much do I owe ya?
Gangster 'Snakes': Acey said 10%.
Gangster 'Johnny': [smirks] Too bad Acey ain't in charge no more.
Gangster 'Snakes': What do ya mean?
Gangster 'Johnny': He's upstairs takin' a bath. He'll call you when he gets out.
[pause]
Gangster 'Johnny': Hey, I tell ya what I'm gonna give you, Snakes.
[pulls out machine gun]
Gangster 'Johnny': I'm gonna give you to the count of 10, to get your ugly, yella, no-good keister off my property,
[shouts]
Gangster 'Johnny': before I pump your guts full of lead!
Gangster 'Snakes': [wide eyed and calm] All right, Johnny, I'm sorry. I'm goin'!
Gangster 'Johnny': 1... 2... 10!
[starts unloading bullets into Snakes while laughing maniacally]
Gangster 'Johnny': Keep the change, ya filthy animal!