The Mayor of Hell (1933)

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Islin Auster (story)
Edward Chodorov (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 June 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Five members of a teen-age gang, including leader Jimmy Smith, are sent to the State Reformatory, presided...

Plot Keywords:

Nurse | Gangster | Gang | Fire | Political Corruption

Cast

James Cagney	...	Richard 'Patsy' Gargan
Madge Evans	...	Dorothy Griffith
Arthur Byron	...	Judge H.J. Gilbert
Allen Jenkins	...	'Uncle' Mike
Dudley Digges	...	Mr. Thompson
Frankie Darro	...	James 'Jimmy' Smith
Sheila Terry	...	Blonde with Mike
Robert Barrat	...	Fred Smith, Jimmy's Father
Allen 'Farina' Hoskins	...	Joliet 'Smoke' Hemingway (as Farina)
Harold Huber	...	Joe, Gargan Henchman
Dorothy Peterson	...	Mrs. Smith, Jimmy's Mother
G. Pat Collins	...	Brandon, Head Guard (as George Pat Collins)
Edwin Maxwell	...	Louis Johnson
John Marston	...	Hopkins, Children Society's Lawyer
William V. Mong	...	Mr. Walter, the Auditor

Also Known As:

Reform School (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2644-R, 3 September 1936 for re-release) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Company:

Vitaphone Corporation, The

Goofs:

Continuity: When Thompson is brought to trial by the boys in their court for the murder of Johnny, a white handkerchief is visible in the breast pocket of his black suit coat in the medium close-ups. In the long shots, the handkerchief is missing.

Quotes:

Lawyer: Tell us what you know, I said! Never mind what you think!
Mr. Hemingway: Excuse me, boss. I ain't no lawyer. I can't talk without thinkin'.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Hell's Kitchen (1939)

WB sure knew how to make them

This one of those social dramas that WB knew how to put together and were guaranteed boxoffice hits in the thirties. This early "dead end kids" are sent to a reform school where they are mistreated. Cagney, a gangster as part of a deal is appointed as the commissioner of the school. He doesn't take it seriously at first but he changes and makes the necessary changes to improve the lives of the boys. The idea is to let the boys rule and administer their community. Whether this is sound social reform is beyond my belief but it's a movie. It's a lot like Boys Town with a slight darker tone. A useless happy ending deluges what impact the scene prior hard but is still good. WB would later make this same movies with Bogart in the Cagney/fatherly role.