Public Hero Number 1

'Public Hero Number 1' is certainly not the greatest gangster flick ever, but the film is hugely entertaining: fast-paced, suspenseful and fun. The acting is excellent throughout: Joseph Calleia is a convincing ruthless crime boss, Chester Morris the undercover agent on his tracks, Lionel Barrymore the permanently plastered doctor who caters to the underworld, and Jean Arthur the estranged sister of the gangster boss who falls for the police agent. There is a clear division of labour: Calleia and Morris are responsible for generating suspense while Barrymore and Arthur take care of the laughs. For me, 'Public Hero Number 1' ticks all the boxes. Have a look - it's worth it!

Public Hero #1 starts out as a conventional prison yarn, then switches to sophisticated screwball comedy, then back to shoot 'em up melodrama. Perhaps it is the way the cast handles the crackling dialogue by J Walter Reuben and Wells Root that makes this mixed-genre film so entertaining. It never sinks into torpidity, thanks in part to the introduction of Jean Arthur and Lionel Barrymore well into the proceedings. Until then it is up to Chester Morris to hold our interest, which he does robustly, as an undercover federal agent posing as a convict to trap bad guy Joseph Calleia and his gang. Barrymore, however, steals the show as a pickled-to-the-gills alcoholic mob doctor - the great ham at his hammiest. Calleia contributes a nicely textured portrait of a hardened but still human criminal. All in all, an energetic if contrived gangster story spiked with laughs, fun plot twists and colorful characters. The final moment is interesting. It's as if Chester Morris was itching to wrap and go home that day, didn't like the way the fade out was written, so he recklessly improvised the last line and the last blocking bit and then the director gave in and allowed it. See for yourself!

"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."

Is a fine Irish-American girl whose strangely Italian (?) brother (named Sonny "Dinkie" Black) runs Detroit's Purple Gang. At least they are both Catholic. Beginning inside a prison, the film introduces the immortal Chester Morris as an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the gang and falls for Terry (played by Jean Arthur).

They have a slick prison break sequence and a fair amount of action, romantic comedy, and Hollywood's on-going campaign to make G-Men public heroes. John Dillinger had been killed a few months before "Public Hero #1" went into production, they change the names and the city but recreate the events of his apprehension outside a theater.

Forgotten actor Joseph Calleia plays the gang boss and brother. He has the most challenging role and does a fine job portraying a multi-dimensional character. Lionel Barrymore gets to overact nicely as a perpetually drunk mob doctor.

"Public Hero #1" is a surprisingly good film. It's mix of genres is as strange as it sounds but that works in its favor if you like to get away from standard formula stories. While it lacks overall unity, the disparate pieces are quite well done and are very entertaining inside their own little compartments.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

As in White Heat a G-Man is planted in a cell with known criminal Joseph Calleia who is part of the infamous Purple Gang with the intention of letting him escape and leading him to the rest of the gang.

In Public Hero Number 1 it's just the name of the Purple Gang is used. In real life that group's main concern was in Prohibition they were the main suppliers in the Detroit area of bootleg hooch. They did diversify in their hoodlum careers, but this story takes the name of the Purples and uses John Dillinger's exploits as a basis for the story with Calleia as the Dillinger type character.

Chester Morris is the undercover Fed and he really lays it on thick as this punk with an attitude and a temper. But the problem is that he meets Calleia's sister Jean Arthur and that kind of leads him astray in his mission for a bit.

Stealing the film in every scene he's in is defrocked doctor Lionel Barrymore like I haven't seen him in any other film. He's now a medic to the crime community when he draws a sober breath or three. Also note Paul Kelly in a strong performance as Morris's FBI handler.

I did have a problem believing Joe Calleia and Jean Arthur as brother and sister. They really don't bear the slightest resemblance to each other.

Outside of that a nice action though not in the class of White Heat.