[6]
James Cagney and Frankie Darro star in this story of abuse at a boy’s reform school. Darro plays a teenaged gang member sentenced to the school, where the cruel superintendent (Dudley Digges) whips the boys for slightest infractions. Cagney’s character is a former gangster appointed to watch over the school as a political favor. At first, he’s only in it for the money. But once an activist nurse (Madge Evans) informs him of the rampant abuse, he works with her to take control of the school.
The boys come to respect Cagney’s and Evans’ efforts and flourish under their new management, one that encourages self-governance among the boys. But when Cagney shoots a man in self defense, he’s forced to abandon the school to the old superintendent, who’s more determined than ever to beat the boys into submission. The school falls into chaos after one of Darro’s friends dies from being locked in a cold shed overnight. The boys pick up weapons and attempt to overthrow the superintendent in a violent climax that can only be squelched if Cagney can appeal to the boys’ better angels in time.
The Mayor of Hell is a somewhat clumsy mish-mash of gangster flick and social commentary drama. The first half hour is so committed to introducing Darro’s character and several other boys, that it’s a bit of a jolt when the film finally shifts focus to Cagney’s character. It’s disappointing to see the boys’ characters and their dramatic storyline take a backseat to Cagney. They finally reclaim the film’s attention in the third act, though. That final act gets surprisingly dark — so dark, in fact, that it requires a healthy suspension of disbelief in order to swallow a happy ending. While The Mayor of Hell certainly has its moments, this kind of story is better told in Wild Boys of the Road or Boys Town.
While the script is a little uneven, the casting is solid across the board. Cagney is plenty charismatic, especially when he’s standing up for the boys. Frankie Darro (Wild Boys of the Road) is equally great, conveying all the anger and disappointment of a youth disenfranchised from society and given no path to redemption. Unfortunately, nearly 100 years after this movie was released, such disenfranchisement can still be found in large swaths of young men across America.
Directed by Archie Mayo. With Arthur Bryon, Allen Jenkins, and Allen ‘Farina’ Hoskins.