Such a frustrating disappointment

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

This film worked for me where the estimable "Boys' Town" failed a few years back; true, it's a brisk-paced, openly manipulative crowd pleaser, but it's lively and gripping, with generous dollops of social comment, romantic comedy, melodrama, prison story, ensemble character work and even gangster action all thrown into the mix. Warner Brothers did have a social conscience, as Hollywood studios went (it didn't extend to their own employees, for example), but they certainly also knew how to play up the exploitation angle for entertainment. Perhaps the film's best moments are at its most cynical - Allen Jenkins shines as the lugubrious 'Uncle' Mike, the hard-bitten sidekick who has to put up with his boss's mercurial gyrations, and it's always entertaining to watch James Cagney go a little too far and get his face slapped by a dame who gives as good as she gets.The child actors are all very good, and nicely differentiated in the vast mix of boys, and there is attention to background detail throughout - not everything is spelt out explicitly in the dialogue, for all the film's efficient hustle. There is a bit of almost everything from heartbreak (the scene with the clinging mother in the courtroom is unexpectedly effective) to horror, with a healthy spice of humour on the side; the studio roster of character actors fills out the single-scene minor roles with talent, and all in all it's a fine film in ninety minutes.

Years ago, I didn't love and respect the films of Jimmy Cagney nearly as much as I do now. I noticed that many of Cagney's films done with Warner Brothers in the 1930s lacked realism and his acting style was far from subtle. However, the more I watched these films, the more I found I was hooked despite these aspects. In fact, I now kind of like and expect them! Fans of old time Hollywood films probably understand what I am saying--teens and other young whippersnappers don't! Well, when it comes to entertainment, THE MAYOR OF HELL never lets up from start to finish. While the idea of a shady character like Cagney played taking over running a reform school is ridiculous, and while all the changes he made also seemed far-fetched, it all somehow worked out and delivered solid entertainment.The gang of tough thugs were pre-Dead End Kids and instead of the likes of Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and Billy Hallop, similar roles are played here by Frankie Darrow and Farina. Yes, I did say "Farina". This Black actor was already famous for his roles in the Our Gang comedies and was, believe it or not, one of the highest paid child actors in Hollywood. All he needed to give up in return was be named an insipid name and act like a nice stereotypical "Negro". Here, he actually was pretty good and the usual Black stereotypes are a bit more subdued than usual. However, some will cringe at the very funny but horribly offensive court scene involving Farina and his dad, Fred 'Snowflake' Toones. With awful names like "Farina" and "Snowflake", don't say I didn't warn you.Apart from this small complaint and a plot that is tough to believe, the film is exceptional and fun. The kids do a great job, as does Cagney and Dudley Digges in a truly despicable but exciting role as the evil warden. Also, as an added plus, you get to see perennial Warner stock actor Allen Jenkins in his first role for the studio.

At first viewing, The Mayor Of Hell seems like a step backwards for Cagney after his successes in films such as The Public Enemy and Taxi, because it feels so low budget.It feels more like a showcase for Frankie Darro than anything else, with Cagney just drafted in to a supporting role to give the movie some box office appeal.Frankie Darro plays Jimmy Smith, the leader of a street gang sent to a reform school for petty crimes. The courtroom scene where he is sentenced, tries to define the characters of these boys by explaining the cause of their delinquent ways, Smith is no good because his dad is no good and so on.In the Reform School, the boy's soon find out that it is the most inappropriately named institution ever, as there is virtually no schooling and even less reform, as the treatment dished out to them is just as bad as the food they are forced to eat, courtesy of cruel Warden Thompson, (Dudley Digges). In fact the only person that seems to care about the welfare of these boys is Nurse Griffiths, (Madge Evans), who is always vocal in her protests regarding the treatment.Enter Deputy Commissioner, Patsy Gargan (Cagney), although he himself is not the paragon of virtue that you would expect of a man in such a position. He is in fact an gangster on the payroll of a mob run political machine. He reluctantly goes to the school on a mandatory fact finding mission, and within minutes of his arrival, Jimmy Smith is bought before the warden, and Gargan witnesses first hand the brutality that the 'inmates' endure. In a vain attempt to escape, Smith leaps at the barbed fence but is yanked down by the guards and is sent to the medical block.It is in the infirmary, that Gargan meets Nurse Griffiths and though the course of their conversation and by seeing some of the other boy's that have had the same brand of 'treatment', he comes to realise that he has in fact come to a torture chamber as opposed to a house of correction.He appeals to his 'superiors' to take over the school full time, although his main motivation at this stage is to gain the affections of Nurse Griffiths. Together they start to instigate some much needed changes, such as better food, no beatings and no guards. The boy's are also instructed to install their own justice system, whereby, the boy's will learn tolerance and reform by governing themselves in their own mock court.The new 'Mayor' of what was formerly known as 'Hell' (hence the movie's title), is Jimmy, to whom Gargan has developed a genuine liking. It is through these new conditions that Jimmy and the other boys start to learn about right and wrong and the first seeds of reform are planted and the boys develop endearing personality traits such as responsibility, adulthood and friendship.Warden Thompson, however, disapproves of the new approach and wants to expose Gargan as a crook. Gargan himself hands him the ammunition, as after heading back to the city to sort out problems with his 'less legal' businesses, he accidentally shoots one of his disloyal goons.Although the shooting was not fatal, Gargan flees for the state line just in case the guy dies and he's wanted for murder. He telephones Warden Thompson, and gives strict instructions that no changes are to be made while he's out of town on 'business', but the resourceful Thompson finds out the real reason why Gargan has fled, and convinced he won't be returning, reverts the school back to the house of horrors it once was, only this time and with revenge in mind, it's twice as bad.Unable to cope with the return of Thompson's harsh regime, Nurse Griffiths resigns and with his last obstacle out the way, Thompson's punishments become more severe, with tragic consequences.After one of the boy's dies of exposure after a spell in 'The Cooler', the other boys, led by Jimmy, revolt and overthrow the guards. They put Thompson on trial for murder in their own courtroom.Nurse Griffiths visits Gargan and explains what has happened to the school in his absence. Fuming with rage, Gargan risks arrest by driving back to the school to stop Thompson once and for all. However, the boy's have done the job for him, as after being found guilty of Murder, Thompson is chased by the frantic mob of delinquents, taking sanctuary on the roof of a barn, the boy's have no second thoughts about setting the barn on fire, forcing Thompson to choose between death by fire or death by falling, it is the latter that transpires, and minutes later Gargan arrives at the school and is determined to stop the boy's from spending the rest of their lives in jail by quashing further unrest. It is only when the boy's realise that Gargan has taken a huge personal risk to save them that he is successful.The conclusion made by the authorities, is that Thompson's death was bought about by his own vicious actions, and nobody else will be made accountable. Gargan is also in the clear as his shooting victim is expected to make a full recovery. Gargan get's his girl, and thrilled at the difference he has made to the boy's lives, he quits the rackets for good and becomes the school's Governor full time.The movie is very entertaining indeed especially considering Cagney is playing 'second banana' to Frankie Darro despite having top billing. Allen Jenkins is great as Cagney's right hand man, although it's a shame he was not given more to do as he could have given the movie some much needed comic relief, although the subject matter may have deemed that slightly inappropriate.Not the best of Cagney's early picture's. but enjoyable nonetheless.Enjoy.

"The Mayor Of Hell" has the feel of an early Dead End Kids film, but with a much harder edge and very few light spots, preceding the first appearance of the Dead Enders by four years. James Cagney has a full screen opening credit, even though technically, the 'mayor' of the movie's title is actually portrayed by Frankie Darro, one of several boys sent to reform school during the opening scenes. Darro's character is Jimmy Smith, a young tough who's befriended by 'Patsy' Gargan (Cagney), and is elected to the position when Gargan takes a chance at humanizing conditions at a state reformatory.Warner Brothers made a lot of these types of films, attempting to provide a conscience of sorts in an era that knew only too well about the effects of crime and poverty. This movie is quite gritty, with no apologies for ethnic stereotyping, as in the submissive posture of a black father in court or the way a Jewish kid gets to run a candy shop in the reform school. The rules at the reformatory are simple enough - work hard and keep your mouth shut; step out of line and you answer personally to Warden Thompson (Dudley Digges).Cagney's role in the story seems somewhat ambiguous, since even though he makes a serious effort to improve conditions inside the reformatory, on the outside he's still nominally in control of a criminal racket. The film's attempt to juggle this dichotomy falls short in my estimation, the finale attempts to wrap things up in a neat package as Gargan awaits the outcome of a near fatal shooting of one of his henchmen. Not exactly the kind of role modeling one would look for in a film like this.Warner Brothers would sanitize some of the elements of this story in a 1938 remake titled "Crime School", featuring Humphrey Bogart in the Cagney role, and Billy Halop in the Frankie Darro part. If you're partial to the Dead End Kids you'll probably like the latter film better, since it also offers familiar faces like Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Bobby Jordan and Gabriel Dell. However the ending is somewhat muddied in that one too, with Bogart's warden character involved in a cover up of a prison breakout. Both films offer a romantic interest for the lead characters, in 'Mayor', Madge Evans is a reform minded nurse that falls for Cagney's character.Curiously, a lot of James Cagney's early films aren't commercially available, so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled for a screening on Turner Classics, or source the film from a private collector. Personally, I can't get enough of this kind of stuff, and find intriguing points of interest in the films of all genres from the Thirties and Forties.