A vicious crime lord decides that he has had enough and much to the shock of his colleagues decides to give the business to his second in command and retire to Florida after marrying his moll. Unfortunately, he has no idea that she and the man are lovers.
The Doorway to Hell (1930) is a crime and drama film directed by Archie Mayo, released on October 18, 1930 with a runtime of 1h 18m. It stars Lew Ayres, Dorothy Mathews, Leon Janney and Robert Elliott. Viewers rate it 6.5 out of 10 across 25 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Doorway to Hell before you stream it.
Lew Ayres
as Louie Ricarno
Dorothy Mathews
as Doris Ricarno
Leon Janney
as Jackie Lamarr
Robert Elliott
as Captain Pat O'Grady
James Cagney
as Steve Mileaway
Kenneth Thomson
as Captain of Academy
Jerry Mandy
as Gimpy, Gangster
Noel Madison
as Rocco
Edwin Argus
as The Midget
Eddie Kane
as Dr. Morton
Tom Wilson
as Big Shot Kelly, Gangster
Dwight Frye
as Monk, Gangster
Directed by Archie Mayo, written by Rowland Brown, George Rosener and George Rosener.
Average viewer score of 6.5/10 from 25 ratings.
With Chicago effectively a lawless city controlled by warring gangsters fighting over their turf and their lucrative prohibition income, opportunistic “Louie” (Lew Ayres) sees an opportunity to centralise things. A meeting, a few machine guns, and some sheer brass neck soon sees him running the racketeers and presiding over an unusually peaceful city. Then he marries his sweetheart “Doris” (Dorothy Matthews) and…
Reviewed on October 3, 2025
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The Doorway to Hell (1930) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of The Doorway to Hell (1930) includes Lew Ayres, Dorothy Mathews, Leon Janney, Robert Elliott and James Cagney. The film was directed by Archie Mayo. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Doorway to Hell was released on October 18, 1930 and runs for 1h 18m.
The Doorway to Hell (1930) holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 25 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy crime and drama films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Doorway to Hell trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
