The Beast of the City (1932)

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick ruthlessly goes after organized crime and is prepared to use brutal and violent methods to fight it.

Director:

Charles Brabin

Writers:

W.R. Burnett (story), John Lee Mahin (dialogue continuity) (as John L. Mahin)

Stars:

Walter Huston, Jean Harlow, Wallace Ford

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Walter Huston	...	Jim Fitzpatrick
Jean Harlow	...	Daisy Stevens
Wallace Ford	...	Ed Fitzpatrick
Jean Hersholt	...	Sam Belmonte
Dorothy Peterson	...	Mary Fitzpatrick
Tully Marshall	...	Michaels
John Miljan	...	District Attorney
Emmett Corrigan	...	Chief of Police Burton
Warner Richmond	...	Tom
Sandy Roth	...	Mac
J. Carrol Naish	...	Pietro Cholo

Storyline

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick is fighting gangster Sam Belmonte. He asks his dishonest brother Ed to keep an eye on Daisy who was connected with Belmonte.

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Plot Keywords:

police | organized crime | vigilantism | hijacking | death of a child | 

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Taglines:

Human lives are offered up daily to the Beast of the City Jungle, so that scented, silken-clad women can enjoy the forbidden thrills of a modern Babylon! See this heart-wrenching drama!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 February 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

City Sentinels

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$230,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$889,440

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,329,800

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Cosmopolitan Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film originated from a conversation between President Herbert Hoover and MGM head Louis B. Mayer. Hoover thought the public needed to have greater respect for the police and law enforcement, in light of all the "gangster" pictures coming out at the time seemingly glorifying them.

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Goofs

During the bank heist, the number and position of the filing cabinets on the back of the truck changes between several shots.

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Quotes

Det. Ed Fitzpatrick: Well, you big baboon, they couldn't keep you off the front page if they put you in a straight jacket. Been kinda insulting you, haven't they?
Capt. Jim Fitzpatrick: Mary's been reading me a lot of hot air.
Det. Ed Fitzpatrick: Aw, it's not a lot of hot air. It's hysteria! Your names being flung around headquarters like a pass to a speakeasy.

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Crazy Credits

Opening card: Instead of the glorification of cowardly gangsters, we need the glorification of policemen who do their duty and give their lives in public protection. If the police had the vigilant universal backing of the public opinion in their communities, if they had the implacable support of the prosecuting authorities and the courts, I am convinced that our police would stamp out the excessive crime, which had disgraced some of our great cities. ---- President Herbert Hoover

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Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007)

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Soundtracks

Chopsticks
(1877) (uncredited)
Traditional piano tune
Music by Euphemia Allen
Played on piano by Betty Mae Crane and Beverly Crane

User Reviews

Very exciting but also a bit ridiculous

This is an exciting Pre-Code cop film from MGM. When I say "Pre-Code", I am indicating that it was made just before the adoption of the Hollywood Production Code that was intended to clean up movies and eliminate sex, violence and other adult-only content in films. Because of this, the film is much more violent than films made in the mid-30s and later. It also features a lot of seamy dialog and content. A few examples of these taboos that were in some Pre-Code films would include:

Police radio reports of "a nude woman on the corner of Elm and Berry" and an "indecent exposure".

Memorable lines such as "the back of his head was blown out" and referring to the coroner's vehicle as "the meat wagon".

These sleazy elements actually helped make the movie more exciting and seem more like a real police story. And it was exciting throughout until a very, very disappointing and silly ending. Yes, this ending WAS violent and satisfying on a baser level, but it just made no sense at all. This helped to make this movie a good time-passer with some sleazy elements, but not much more. Exciting but not all that satisfying.

In addition to all the excitement, look for a very young and pretty adorable Mickey Rooney as Walter Huston's son.