DVD Review: Amateur Night At City Hall: The Story Of Frank L. Rizzo

Amateur Night At City Hall: The Story Of Frank L. Rizzo is a documentary about the career and personality of Frank L. Rizzo, who was police commissioner and then mayor of Philadelphia. He was actually still mayor at the time this film was made in 1977, which makes it an even more interesting document, for the people interviewed are largely speaking of the present.

At the beginning of the film there is a shot of the “Welcome To Philadelphia” sign, and below the welcome, it reads “Frank L. Rizzo, Mayor.” I’ve driven all over the country, and I don’t recall any city signs listing the mayor. It’s a wonderful indication of his ego right from the start of the documentary. Also near the beginning we get some interesting and humorous thoughts and observations about Rizzo and his work from various citizens. One woman says, “I think for an uneducated man, he’s really achieved quite a lot.” One man says, “I think he’s an ignorant, brutal man who has clubbed his way to the top.”

The documentary has plenty of footage of Rizzo, who often talks about himself in the third person, like he’s some kind of exciting character even to himself. Also interviewed are Spencer Coxe (of the American Civil Liberties Union), who talks about how the police would routinely arrest any interracial couples seen in the area, and his opponent in the 1971 race for mayor, W. Thacher Longstreth, who interestingly has a very balanced view of Rizzo. There is footage of a televised debate between Rizzo and Longstreth.

The documentary includes material on Rizzo’s failing of a lie detector test, his spying on his political opponents, and about his hiring practices as mayor. There is also some fascinating stuff on the finances of the city, and about the attempt to recall him. Several journalists are interviewed. But Frank Rizzo himself is really at the center of this, and for a person who comes across as something of an idiot and thug, he is quite fascinating. The ego of the man is extraordinary. At one point he says, “Even the criminals that I arrested will vote for me.”

This film was directed by Robert Mugge, who is known for his music documentaries, such as Black Wax and Pride And Joy: The Story Of Alligator Records. But if you think that because this is a political documentary there will be no live music footage, think again. There is some footage of Dusty Gale And His Trio performing at a small venue, plus street musician Charles Sayles performing a song titled “The Man” (featuring some good work on harmonica). There is also some rather humorous footage of people at an odd little club singing famous songs rather poorly (ah, the glorious days before bloody karaoke). This, as well as shots of the Italian market, help to give us a good feel for the people and place at that time.

Amateur Night At City Hall: The Story Of Frank L. Rizzo was directed by Robert Mugge, and is scheduled to be released on DVD on July 26, 2016 through MVD Visual. There are no special features on the DVD.

One other thing worth mentioning: People in the film say that Frank Rizzo wants to be mayor for life, and at one point someone says he believes Frank L. Rizzo wants to remain mayor of the city until he’s seventy. When Frank L. Rizzo died in 1991, he was seventy years old. Just found that interesting.