The Mayor of Hell

Infobox Film | name =The Mayor of Hell


caption =movie poster
director = Archie Mayo
Michael Curtiz (uncredited)
producer =
writer = Islin Auster (story Reform School)
Edward Chodorov
starring =James Cagney
Madge Evans
Arthur Byron
cinematography =
music =
editing =
distributor = Warner Bros.
released = June 23, 1933 U.S. release
runtime = 90 min
language = English
country = USA
budget =
imdb_id = 0024314

"The Mayor of Hell" (1933) is a Warner Brothers film starring James Cagney. The film was remade in 1938 as "Crime School" with Humphrey Bogart taking over James Cagney's role and "Hell's Kitchen with Ronald Reagan.

Plot

Racketeer Patsy Gargan is made deputy commissioner of a reform school as a reward from his corrupt political cronies. Initially, he has no interest in the school, but his sympathy for the boys, who are abused and battered by a brutal, heartless warden and his thuggish guards convince him to take the job seriously. As does an attractive resident nurse.

Gagan sends Thompson, the superintendent, on vacation and, while he is gone, puts Dorothy's reform ideas into action. The school is functioning well under a system of self-government when Patsy is called back to the city to take care of some political business. Patsy shoots another man during a fight and has to go into hiding.Thompson returns to the school and convinces the boys that Patsy has abandoned them. He then starts running things the old way and, when Dorothy protests, he fires her. Then one of the boys, Johnny Stone, dies while in solitary confinement and the boys rebel. Dorothy finds Patsy in his hideout and tells him the whole story. Patsy races back to the school to restore order, but the boys have killed Thompson. Then Patsy decides to give up his political career and stay at the school permanently.