The Mayor of Hell

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The Mayor of Hell ★★½ 1933

Gangster Patsy Gargan (Cagney) has his political cronies appoint him the titular head of a state reformatory. But when he sees the brutal conditions, Gargan makes improvements and tries to get the teenaged criminal inmates to see the error of their ways. However, when Gargan is forced into hiding after killing a rival, things get bad again until he finally decides to step up. Remade as 1938's “Crime School.” 85m/B DVD . James Cagney, Madge Evans, Allen Jenkins, Dudley Digges, Frankie Darro, Carolyn Farina; D: Archie Mayo; W: Edward Chodorov; C: Barney McGill.