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source: Public Hero Number 1

Trailer—Public Hero Number 1

Public Hero Number 1

I won't go into the comedy, fine acting or shoot 'em up thrills. This is not Detroit or the purple Gang by all accounts. The gang was a bunch of mainly jewish guys that bootlegged, robbed, extorted and even freaked Al Capone out. Being from motor City I was hoping for a little biography here but this a story about something else. Not a bad story but it's also not about the purple Gang from Detroit.

stars in this quirky yet unsuccessful comedy-drama about an undercover cop (Chester Morris) and the plot to capture a gang leader (Joseph Calleia) who happens to be Jean Arthur's brother. Lionel Barrymore is along for the ride as a drunken doctor (a nice comic turn). But it doesn't all come together; even Miss Arthur's beauty and fine comic timing can't save this one.

I wasn't sure what to think of this one. It appears to be a very obscure film that not many have seen for some reason. I knew Lionel Barrymore (as the drunken Doctor) in it I had to see it. He takes a comedic yet tragic turn in this one. Lionel was versatile enough to play anything. I disagree he overacts here. What else are you going to do with a role like that? On a side line I have read he had personal issues going on while this was filmed. His wife was dying and his severe arthritis left him exhausted. And what a splendid job he did here. He steals every scene he is in! Impressive Chester Morris and Jean Arthur are key characters here. Strange unlikely romance going on. I wasn't particularly happy with the ending. And my favorite Doctor was killed off. But how else could it end?

'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" is a relatively little known, continually entertaining gangster thriller that veers from prison mellerdrama to quirky romance to bullet-riddled shoot-out. Okay, so the plot has enough holes to drive a getaway car through -- like the unexpected "meet cute' encounter, during a flash flood, of a government agent disguised as a hold-up man with the sister of the crime czar he's tracking. But Chester Morris as the plucky, love-stricken fed, Jean Arthur who still loves her brother despite his homicidal tendencies, Lionel Barrymore as a boozy doctor and Joseph Calleia as the underworld kingpin who doesn't seem bright enough to rob a candy store are all fun to watch. And darn near believable. At no point, as the tale gallops through various genres, does it bog down. Wish the same could be said of quite a few more modern movies. Credit director J. Walter Ruben with doing a first-rate job on one of the final films he would helm prior to his premature death at the age of 43.