Public Hero Number 1

Public Hero #1 (1935)

*** (out of 4)

Extremely strange film from MGM starts off as a prison drama then moves to a screwball comedy and then goes back to gangster action. An undercover cop (Chester Morris) gets inside of a prison where he befriends a gangster (Joseph Calleia) and soon the two bust out but the gangster gets shot. Near death, the undercover cops goes out to find the gangster's drunken doctor (Lionel Barrymore) but due to a storm they are forced to stay at a hotel where the cop falls for a young woman (Jean Arthur) who turns out to be the gangster's sister. After hearing the news, the cop must try to find a way to bring the gangster down without hurting the sister. This film is pretty much all over the map but it's still a greatly entertaining film that works on ever level that it tries. The prison stuff early on is very entertaining as is the gangster stuff at the end. There's a big shootout at the end, which ranks among the best I've seen from any of these early gangster films. Normally screwball laughs wouldn't fit into a film like this but Barrymore does a terrific job in the comedy department as the drunken doctor. The highlight has to be the scene where he accidentally gets dressed in Arthur's robe due to how drunk he is. Barrymore's comic timing is terrific throughout the film. Arthur is also very strong in her role and delivers a very memorable character and performance. The real star is Morris who is simply wonderful all the way through. He has a lot of roles to play here from the tough guy trying to enter the gang to the cop trying to bring down the bad guy but he also does a great job in the romantic department with Arthur. Calleia, Paul Kelly, Lewis Stone and George E. Stone add nice support as well. It's also worth noting that the film seems partially influenced by the John Dillinger case who of course was murdered after watching MGM's Manhattan Melodrama the previous year and that includes the ending here, which has been slightly changed but still takes place outside a theater.

Always enjoyed the great acting of Lionel Barrymore, (Dr. Josiah Glass) "Key Largo" along with Chester Morris,(Jeff Crane) "Ghost Ship". This film is about the gangster era in the Mid-West, namely: Chicago, Milwaukee, and Racine, Wisconsin. The boss of the mobsters is Joseph Calleia who is a brother to Jean Arthur "Peter Pan" 1950 on Broadway NYC, who has not seen her brother for many years. Jeff Crane is an FBI agent and winds up getting deeply involved with Jean Arthur who follows him every where he goes; Jeff has no idea that the gangster he is after is Jean Arthur's brother. There is a great supporting cast of Paul Kelly,(Special Agent, James Duff) who is Jeff Crane's boss and tries to caution him that getting involved with Jean Arthur is going to be big trouble. Paul Kelly in real life served a prison sentence in San Quentin, Calif., and made a big come back into the movie industry. This is truly a gem of a picture with a great look back at old automobiles, furniture and crazy looking clothes and plenty of hats on both men and women.

Interesting mash-up of genres from MGM: part prison/crime drama and part romantic comedy. Two convicts (Chester Morris and Joseph Calleia) escape from prison and one is wounded. The other goes for help and comes back with a drunkard doctor (Lionel Barrymore) and a girl (Jean Arthur), who turns out to be Calleia's sister! Starts out as a fairly typical but enjoyable prison flick. Then there's a twist. I admit I didn't see the twist coming but in retrospect I should have. Others might peg it right away or see it in some plot descriptions. Anyway it changes gears once Jean Arthur enters the picture and becomes a sort of romcom for a little while, before returning to being a crime picture.

Terrific cast really makes it worth seeing. In addition to Morris, Arthur, Barrymore, and Calleia, there's Lewis Stone, Paul Kelly, Paul Hurst, and George E. Stone. Ladies will appreciate a shirtless Barrymore washing his moobs in a bath. Spectacularly violent shoot-out between cops and criminal gang. Calleia's fate was obviously inspired by how John Dillinger met his end. Eliminate the final scene between Morris and Arthur and I might have bumped this up to a 7. Hated that part. Remade in 1941 as The Getaway with Robert Sterling and Donna Reed.

"Public Hero Number 1" is a good film with an original plot and interesting twists. This is in the vein of the type of hard-hitting crime movies that Hollywood was cranking out during and shortly after prohibition. Only this one has some nice twists to it, along with a top cast of prominent actors of the day.

All of the cast give good performances, with Lionel Barrymore and Jean Arthur in superb roles. This is a more dramatic role for Arthur, but she gets to use some of her comedic charm as well -- that she shows in her later comedies. And, she plays the serious part very well. Chester Morris is very good as Jeff Crane, the fed who was willing to go to prison and sit three weeks in solitary confinement. All to bring down the Purple Gang that had been pulling big time robberies around the Middle West of the day, and often killing innocent people.

This film has some very good scenes and all around good production for its day. Here are some favorite lines.

Maria Theresa O'Reilly, "I thought you had a grin in your system somewhere."

Theresa, "You grabbed me like a seal grabs fish."

Jeff Crane, "What's your name?" Theresa, "Maria Theresa O'Reilly." Jeff, nodding, "Cook me some, too." Theresa, "That's my name and I've had enough trouble with it from wise guys. My father was Irish and my mother was Italian and it's not my fault."

Jeff, "Because, when I get around to it, I'm gonna see a lot of you. And if I started in now, you might get tired of me by that time." Theresa, "Well, that doesn't make sense. Besides, the demand's awfully big for me. I might get tied up."

I wasn't sure what to expect from Public Hero Number 1, since the plot synopsis I'd read online wasn't very clear. Turns out, I was really glad I didn't learn too much, since the plot was so intriguing and fast-moving.

Chester Morris stars as a prisoner who doesn't like to be contained. He starts a riot, loses his temper, and tries to cozy up to a notorious gangster Joseph Calleia. How is prison warden Lewis Stone going to handle him? Believe it or not, Chester's big secret gets revealed pretty early on, but since it's so much fun to see it as it plays out, I won't even tell you that much of the plot. All you need to know is that he's hiding something, and this part is a pretty big tour-de-force for the 1930s actor. He only had about ten years in the spotlight, so if you like him, be sure and check this movie out.

Along the way, Chester and Joseph escape from prison and try to escape the cops. Jean Arthur, who's hiding a secret of her own, feels an instant connection to Chester, but with all the deception, will they find a happy ending? Or is this drama, with Lionel Barrymore as a drunken, disreputable doctor in the supporting cast, too much of a drama for a normal romance? You'll have to rent it, which I suggest you do during the next rainy afternoon, to find out.