Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
 James CagneyRocky Sullivan | Rocky Sullivan |
 Pat O'BrienJerry Connolly | Jerry Connolly |
 Humphrey BogartJames Frazier | James Frazier |
 Ann SheridanLaury Ferguson | Laury Ferguson |
 George BancroftMac Keefer | Mac Keefer |
 Billy HalopSoapy | Soapy |
 Bobby JordanSwing | Swing |
 Leo GorceyBim | Bim |
 Gabriel DellPasty | Pasty |
 Huntz HallCrab | Crab |
 Bernard PunslyHunky | Hunky |
 Joe DowningSteve | Steve |
 Edward PawleyEdwards | Edwards |
 Adrian MorrisBlackie | Blackie |
| FFrankie BurkeRocky - as a Boy | Rocky - as a Boy |
 William TracyJerry - as a Boy | Jerry - as a Boy |
 Marilyn KnowldenLaury - as a Child | Laury - as a Child |
 Poppy WildeGirl at Gaming Table | Girl at Gaming Table |
| MMichael StarkNot listed | Not listed |
 Mary GordonNot listed | Not listed |
 Belle MitchellNot listed | Not listed |
 Oscar O'SheaNot listed | Not listed |
 Emory ParnellNot listed | Not listed |
 Charles TrowbridgeNot listed | Not listed |
 Charles Cahill WilsonNot listed | Not listed |