Public Hero No. 1

Public Hero No. 1
Directed by	J. Walter Ruben
Produced by	Lucien Hubbard
Written by	J. Walter Ruben (story) Wells Root (story and screenplay)
Starring	Lionel Barrymore Jean Arthur Chester Morris Joseph Calleia
Music by	Edward Ward
Cinematography	Gregg Toland
Editing by	Frank Sullivan
Studio	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Release date(s)	May 31, 1935
Running time	89 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Public Hero No. 1 is a black-and-white crime film released in 1935 by MGM. It stars Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur, Chester Morris, and Joseph Calleia. It was directed by J. Walter Ruben.

The film was remade in 1941 as The Get-Away, with Robert Sterling taking Chester Morris's role, and Donna Reed replacing Jean Arthur.

Plot

Undercover FBI agent Jeff Crane (Chester Morris) is planted in the same prison as Sonny Black (Joseph Calleia), who is suspected of belonging to the notorious Purple Gang. Jeff helps Sonny escape in the hope that he will lead Jeff back to the rest of the gang.

Sonny is seriously wounded during the escape, so he sends Jeff for Dr. Josiah Glass (Lionel Barrymore), an alcoholic who has saved the lives of many of the gang members. In his rush, Jeff forces a bus off the road during a late-night rainstorm. One of the passengers, Maria Theresa "Terry" O'Reilly (Jean Arthur), gets him to take the stranded people back to town. However, he refuses Terry's persistent requests that he drive her to her destination, only a few miles away.

He finds Dr. Glass, but has to wait, as the storm has made a bridge impassible. During that time, he and Terry become acquainted. He learns that she is going to see her brother "Dinkie". She has not seen him in many years, and he has refused to respond to her letters about an inheritance from their uncle. Jeff is shocked when he sees a photograph of her brother - Dinkie is Sonny. Terry is unaware of Sonny's criminal activity.

When he takes Dr. Glass to Sonny, Terry stows away in the car. She meets Sonny, and learns that he is the subject of a nationwide manhunt. However, family ties are strong, and she helps nurse him back to health. Later, when Sonny slaps Terry for trying to persuade him to turn himself in, Jeff cannot control himself. He punches Sonny. Sonny angrily orders Jeff and Terry to leave at gunpoint.

Jeff's boss, Special Agent James Duff (Paul Kelly), had warned Jeff not to get involved with Terry. The whole operation seems to be ruined, so Duff fires Jeff.

However, Jeff has an idea. Knowing that the gang is planning to strike that day, he tricks Dr. Glass into taking him to their hideout. He notifies Duff, and a fierce gunfight ensues. All of the gang members are killed except for Sonny, who escapes. A dying Dr. Glass confirms that Sonny was the boss.

Weeks go by, but Sonny eludes capture. A newspaper publishes photographs of Sonny and Jeff side by side, with one captioned "Public Enemy No. 1" and the other "Public Hero No. 1". Duff and Jeff learn that Sonny has undergone plastic surgery, but knowing that he must be out of money, they have his sister watched at the vaudeville theater where she is the cashier. They also place an advertisement supposedly from Terry offering to help Dinkie. Sure enough, he approaches her for money and is spotted. Terry warns him, but he is gunned down in an alley by Jeff.

Afterwards, she wants nothing to do with her brother's killer. However, he corners her on a train and they reconcile.

Cast

• Lionel Barrymore as Dr. Josiah Glass
• Jean Arthur as Maria Theresa "Terry" O'Reilly
• Chester Morris as Jeff Crane
• Joseph Calleia as Sonny "Dinkie" Black
• Paul Kelly as Special Agent James Duff
• Lewis Stone as Warden Alcott
• Paul Hurst as Rufe Parker
• George E. Stone as Butch
• Sam Baker as Mose Jones

External links

• Public Hero No. 1 at the Internet Movie Database
• Public Hero No. 1 at AllRovi
• Public Hero No. 1 at the TCM Movie Database