The Devil's Party

The Devil's Party
Directed by	Ray McCarey
Written by	Roy Chanslor (writer) Borden Chase (novel Hells' Kitchen Has a Pantry)
Produced by	Edmund Grainger
Starring	See below
Cinematography	Milton R. Krasner
Edited by	Philip Cahn
Release date	20 May 1938
Running time	65 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Devil's Party is a 1938 American film directed by Ray McCarey.

Plot Summary

Marty Malone is a member of a street gang called the "Death Avenue Cowboys," consisting of poor children in Hell's Kitchen, New York. As the gang try to steal fruit from a fruit wagon, Marty, unfortunately is caught by the police. Even though the police give him a rough time in questioning, he refuses to say the names of any other gang members, thus saving his friends and accomplices from capture. Marty is sent to a reformatory for delinquents.

Many years go by after that, and now Marty is the proud owner of the Cigarette Club, which is a cabaret and casino on Manhattan. In tending to his business, he sends men to strong-arm a reluctant customer into paying a gambling debt. His goons, Sam and Frank Diamond, accidentally kill the customer when they beat him up. To cover their tracks they try to make his death look as if a neon sign accidentally fell on him on the sidewalk.

The police are still involved. The emergency squad, which includes Joe and Mike O'Mara, two brothers who graduated from Marty's childhood gang, investigate the crime. Soon enough the police dismiss the death as an accident. However, Joe is quite convinced it was murder.

That same evening there is a reunion dinner at Marty's place, and all the childhood friends, including the O'Mara's, come to attend. Also present are Jerry Donovan, who is now a priest, and Helen McCoy, who has become a performer at the club. Helen is in love with Mike O’Mara, and has refused Marty's many proposals because of this. At this event, Mike and Helen dance the whole evening.

Joe, not having the same luck with the ladies at the reunion, leaves the dinner and returns to the scene of the murder, impatient to solve the crime he thinks is committed. At the crime scene he is conered by Diamond and Sam, who realize he is on their tracks. They kill him by pushing him off a roof.

Later in the evening, Marty arrives to the scene and is mortified by the meaningless murders his thugs have perpetrated. The homicide bureau dismisses Joe's case as an accident. However, Mike is unable to dismiss his brother’s death as an accident, and connects Joe's death with the previous one.

Diamond and Sam continue their crime spree by robbing a jewelry store. Showing total lack of loyalty they also set off a bomb next to Marty's club, and send notes to Mike incriminating Marty. Mike takes the bate, loses control and tries to kill Marty, but Jerry stops him, and Mike is arrested. Marty refuses to press charges, and also confesses his involvement to Jerry. He explains to Jerry that he never intended any deaths to occur.

When Diamond and Sam plan a robbery at the Polar Gardens, they force Marty to participate. They also give Mike a heads up on the plan. Mike goes berserk again and Jerry again prevents Mike from killing Marty. There is a shootout and Marty takes a bullet intended for Mike and dies. His death brings Mike and Helen together, and as Marty had requested, there is a playground built at Jerry's boys club in Marty's name.

Cast

• Victor McLaglen as Marty Malone
• William Gargan as Mike O'Mara
• Paul Kelly as Jerry Donovan
• Beatrice Roberts as Helen McCoy
• Frank Jenks as Sam
• John Gallaudet as Joe O'Mara
• Samuel S. Hinds as Judge Harrison
• Joe Downing as Frank Diamond
• Arthur Hoyt as Webster

External links

• The Devil's Party at IMDb
• The Devil's Party is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive