6,000 Enemies

B-movies were inexpensively made films that lasted about an hour. They were intended as the 2nd, or 'B' film, for a double-feature. There is a perception that Bs were always bad films or that they were always made by cut-rate studios but neither is true. In the case of "6000 Enemies", it is not a bad film AND it was made by MGM--the richest and most prestigious studio at that time. While I think the film easily could have been better, it still hold up pretty well with other Bs.

Walter Pidgeon plays a district attorney who is a decent and honest man. As a result, organized crime hates him and they frame him for a crime he did not commit--and he's sent to prison. Naturally, many of his fellow prisoners hate him and want to kill him. With the help of a woman he sent to prison (she, too, was framed) and a nice prison doctor (Paul Kelly) he hopes to prove his innocence. However, and this REALLY is dumb, Pidgeon undergoes a magical transformation near the end that really undoes all the good writing and acting before this--and the film is, unfortunately, wrapped up way too quickly and perfectly to make it anything other than an average time-passer. High points for the film is the acting of Pidgeon and some interesting plot ideas--and they are able to carry the film further than it should have been.

By the way, it's ironic that Kelly was cast as the nice prison doctor, as he actually served time in prison for killing a man. He's one of the very few actors I can think of that had left acting due to prison and was able to make a successful return once released.

Walter Pidgeon is a tough and honest D. A. He gets framed for bribery, convicted and sent to prison, while his brother, John Arledge works to figure out who framed him. Pidgeon has other problems, to wit the many convicts whom he convicted and sent to the pen.

MGM frequently claimed they produced no B movies, but this one has all the hallmarks, including direction by the always competent George Seitz, and camerawork by John Seitz. That's not to say it didn't have the MGM gloss on it, and the sequence in which Pidgeon earned the respect of his fellow cons by getting into the boxing ring with Nat Pendleton and being pounded into unconsciousness has a crowd of hundreds dressed in prison greys watching the fight; let's just say that an MGM programmer had the budget of an A picture at Columbia or Universal, and showed the money on the screen.

6,000 Enemies (1939)

*** (out of 4)

Good "B" picture from MGM about a tough-as-nails D.A. (Walter Pidgeon) who sends everyone to the big house and he takes pleasure in making sure that the streets are clear of any scum. His luck eventually runs out when a gangster frames his and soon the D.A. gets sent to the same prison where he's sent thousands of people. Once inside his life is in danger but he plans on making it through and along the way he meets a woman (Rita Johnson) he sent up who might just have been innocent as well as hold a clue to his own case. 6,000 ENEMIES is without question MGM's attempt to try and capture the mood and spirit of a Warner crime picture and for the most part it succeeds. At just 62-minutes there's really no time for any character development or any type of plot growth as everything happens without much reason for thought. The first five-minutes pretty much covers Pidgeon's rise to the top and then the next two-minutes covers his fall from grace and yet the way he's framed makes no sense and probably could have been defeated inside any court room. With that said, there's really no point in making fun of the plot too much because the movie was made to be simple entertainment and that's exactly what it manages to be. I thought the prison stuff was a lot of fun as we get a lot of familiar situations yet director Seitz really makes them seem fresh and original. One of the highlights is a scene where the D.A. wants to be put in with the regular guys instead of the safe haven so they send him to the cafeteria where a full riot breaks out. Another very good sequence has him having to fight 'Socks' Martin (Nat Pendleton) who just happens to be one of the men sent to kill him. There's another good subplot between the D.A. and a doctor (Paul Kelly) inside the prison. In a film like this it's always good to have a strong group of actors and they all do fine work here with Pidgeon fitting the role of the tough guy with ease. He has no problem making you believe he's this brilliant D.A. and he is good at showing off his toughness as well. I thought both Kelly and Pendleton added a lot of entertainment and both are strong as usual. Johnson was also very good in her role and you'll certainly be wishing you could see more of her. Character actor Grant Mitchell plays the dimwitted warden and we even get Guinn Williams in a brief part. Fans of "B" crime pictures are going to get a real kick out of this one. It's certainly far from a masterpiece but then again it wasn't trying to be GONE WITH THE WIND.

MGM'S 6000 ENEMIES (1939) bears a passing resemblance to Warner Brothers EACH DAWN I DIE (1939) without the star power of James Cagney and George Raft. Stalwart crime fighting citizen is unjustly framed and put behind bars. Proves himself to the "Cons", gets the goods on the guilty and brings them to justice, wins the girl, fade out. Oh, forgives the society that imprisoned him destroyed his career that leads to the death of his brother. Does not even give a thought to filing a lawsuit. Did I mention that this is also a fantasy.

The most interesting thing about this film is seeing the way MGM handles such a subject. Or how differently they handled it nine (9) years earlier. THE BIG HOUSE (1930) is a gritty, realistic and tough depiction of prison life. THE BIG HOUSE is a dirty and very unpleasant place to be in. The inhabitants of this prison are scum with little or no saving graces. They will turn on you with the least provocation and on the flimsiest of motives.

By the time of 6000 ENEMIES things had changed. The 1934 Production Code was being enforced and at MGM Irving Thalberg was gone and with him the driving force of creativity and risk. L. B. Mayer preferred every picture to be as clean and sanitized as Dr. Kildare's instruments. No studio embraced 'The Code' more then MGM. If you were looking to stretch the envelope it better be at another studio and this film is a perfect example of that. Even the dirt looks clean and as for the gangsters you get the feeling all they need is career counseling. Even when they brought in a hi-powered actor like Edward G. Robinson (for other films) who knew how to play gangsters the results were still tepid. So there is little that Walter Pidgeon could do but fulfill his contract in a pedestrian role. Thankfully for him better days were ahead.

Walter Pidgeon, Rita Johnson, and Paul Kelly star in "6,000 Enemies" from 1939.

Pidgeon plays Steve Donegan, a very successful DA who is framed by a mobster, Selenus (Harold Huber) and himself sent to prison for 11 months. It's unfortunate because of the 6,000 crooks in Alcatraz, he has put about 2,000 there, and they're happy to see him.

His time there is rocky. He spends time in solitairy confinement, and when he's released, he finds out the doctor (Kelly) has set him up in a prize fight with another inmate. Donegan did prize fighting as a younger man, and the doctor figures he will earn some respect among the inmates.

Also, while there, Donegan meets a woman (Rita Johnson) that he put away. She claimed she was framed by Selenus - and having had the same experience, Donegan believes her and promises to help.

A wild ending. Some good scenes, with top acting from everyone.