Change Your Image
HotToastyRag
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941)
Monty is just too unlikable
The Man Who Came to Dinner was far too stage-y for my taste. It's supposed to be a glib, witty movie based off a glib, witty play, but either the screenplay should have been re-worked, or Monty Woolley's delivery should have been altered from his 739 Broadway performances. It's about a very grumpy, personal and professional critic who comes to a humble home for a nearly-Christmas dinner, then injures himself and has to stay as a houseguest for far too long. Monty's character rattles off insults in the practiced manner of someone who imagines his words celebrated in print the moment after he's said them. He's extremely irritating, and while he's supposed to be, you're also supposed to want to watch the entire movie to see if he changes his ways and softens up a little.
This movie is one of the reasons why I never liked Monty Woolley. He's smug, enjoys being cruel, and thinks he's cleverer than God. Sure, that's his character, but there are other actors who would have been a touch more likable: Fredric March (who was considered), Charles Laughton (considered as well), Edward G. Robinson, William Powell, John Barrymore (whom Bette Davis wanted, but whose alcoholism prevented him from memorizing the lines), or Robert Morley (not only did he star in the original London production, but he played a similar but extremely likable character in Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?) Plain and simple, Monty just wasn't likable. There was nothing his costars, Ann Sheridan, Jimmy Durante, Billie Burke, Grant Mitchell, Reginald Gardiner, Mary Wickes, or his onscreen assistant, Bette Davis, could do to soften him.
June Bride (1948)
Slow pacing
I love both leads in June Bride, and the screenplay is cute enough, but there was one main problem with the finished product: the timing. Both Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery have a slower delivery to their way of speaking, and so, when trying to tell a joke, it takes a long time. It's like the opposite of the "fast talking high trousers" (Family Guy, anyone?) movies of the 1930s. Instead, both actors enunciate their words carefully, politely wait so they don't clip the other's line, and give the audience a beat to digest what they've just said. Bette didn't make many comedies, but the one she made with fast-talking James Cagney worked much better. His high energy fooled the audience into thinking she was speaking quicker than she was.
But, back to June Bride. If you don't mind, I don't mind (and I didn't mind that much). Robert plays a reporter assigned to write about a small town wedding - much different than his usual work. He's surprised to see Bette at the site, since she's his ex-girlfriend. He's even more surprised to find out she's the magazine's new editor. They squabble about the past, disagree about the present assignment, and try to influence the townspeople and betrothed in their own ways. It's a cute story, with a large supporting cast (Fay Bainter, Tom Tully, Barbara Bates, Betty Lynn, Mary Wickes, Jerome Cowan, and a glimpse of Debbie Reynolds in her debut), so give it a try when you want something quiet that can help you relax. Remember, they give you time to digest every line, a consideration not given in the era of early talkies.
Jezebel (1938)
A total classic that's beautiful to watch
If you're new to Bette Davis movies, the three you've got to watch first are Dark Victory, The Old Maid, and Jezebel. I don't really like Jezebel, but it follows the formula of her classic films so much, it'll get you in the mood for more. It was created specifically for Bette after she wasn't chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara, but since Gone With the Wind took so long to film, it was actually released the year before, and garnered Bette her second Academy Award. She plays a spoiled Southern belle who likes to do things her own way (a lot of actresses had their own versions of this role, just as a lot of actors had their own Mutiny on the Bounty knock-offs). She's in love with Henry Fonda, a beautiful fellow but completely proper. He doesn't like when she embarrasses him in polite society - which brings us to the famous dance scene. Just as Scarlett O'Hara defies propriety by dancing with Rhett Butler in her mourning gown, Jezebel goes to a sedated ball wearing a fire red dress. But the movie is in black-and-white! It's supposed to be a shocking scene, but all we have are the actors' reactions to her outfit. We see her twirling around in gray just like everybody else.
With a large supporting cast, including George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Crisp, Fay Bainter, Henry O'Neill, Theresa Harris, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and Spring Byington, it's very easy to draw parallels between Jezebel and Gone With the Wind. It's well acted and visually attractive to watch (Bette dressed in beautiful period gowns, and Hank just has to stand there and look pretty). William Wyler's usual perfectionism is evident, but was it really worth it to have him direct the film? He and Bette had a very intense affair that did a lot of damage to her. She may have won a second Oscar, but I'm willing to bet she would have rather traded her statue to remove her heartache.
La noia (1963)
Interesting role reversal romance
With a German lead actor, a French lead actress, and an American second lead, you'll be surprised at the audio track when you watch The Empty Canvas. No one is speaking their own lines; they're all dubbed by Italian actors! It's quite ridiculous, but I can only think of one reason why this happened: the nudity and sexual content could only be passed by the Italian film board. Even with the demise of the Hays Code, there were some barriers Americans hadn't crossed yet.
This is one nasty movie! Horst Buchholz plays a drifting artist, a poor little rich boy without purpose. He can't stand his mother, Bette Davis, and treats her with contempt while taking her allowance. When he sees Catherine Spaak, who modeled nude for an elderly artist (recently deceased after a bedroom excursion with her), he can't control his hormones. While it may appear they can't keep their paws off each other, they actually do for long enough for Catherine to cheat on him. Why would she do that? He's such a cutie! Even with the pain of sharing her with another man, Horst can't let her go.
It's an interesting take on the romance genre, if you think about the story itself. On paper, if you reversed the genders of the characters, it would be a classic romantic storyline. A woman repeatedly hurt by her boyfriend, suffering one humiliation after another but hanging in there because her hormones make her think it's love. If you imagine Catherine's character as a man, being so callous and hurtful, it's much more familiar. Why won't Horst ever kick her to the curb? Watch this very steamy movie to find out if he ever does. After a while, you won't even notice they're speaking Italian; there are other things to pay attention to.
Deception (1946)
All the great elements of a Davis melodrama
Paired together again after the tearjerker romance Now, Voyager, Bette Davis and Paul Henreid made Deception with Claude Rains, one of her favorite costars. It's a dramatic love triangle about three classic and talented musicians. Bette starts the movie married to Claude, a conductor, but when she finds out her old boyfriend Paul is still alive, she wants to rekindle their love. Will they sneak around or boldly ask Claude for a divorce? Will he let her go or fight for her?
Bette Davis fans will really like this movie, since it has all the elements of her classic vehicles. If you don't generally like her, you'll probably think it just follows the formula too much. There's an awful lot of drama (and dramatic music), buckets of tears, a bit of violence, and tension. I always get it mixed up with The Letter, but that gives me reason to watch them both again. And since Bette is one of my favorites, that's never a bad thing!
Dead Ringer (1963)
Bette looked like she had fun
I'm sure Bette Davis had a blast making this picture. Not only did she get to play a dual role (for the first time she played twins, check out A Stolen Life), but she got to have two younger men as costars in her love scenes. Karl Malden is a sweet detective, boyfriend to one sister. Peter Lawford, fifteen years her junior, plays the young lover of the other sister. No wonder she wanted to make this movie - a make out scene with Peter can be quite the motivation!
Bette Davis was known for making some lousy horror movies when she got older, but I enjoyed Dead Ringer more than the others. Yes, she still has her Bette Davis style of acting that didn't adapt through the decades, but this movie has an interesting story and great plot twists you don't see coming. Skip Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? And watch this one instead.
Dark Victory (1939)
Bette's favorite performance
Bette Davis stars in Dark Victory as a socialite who likes to live life on the edge. She enjoys her racehorses, expensive cars, parties, and adoring friends. She initially ignores her headaches and brief dizzy spells, but when she falls down a flight of stairs, her secretary and best friend, Geraldine Fitzgerald, takes her to the doctor.
Paired with her favorite leading man, George Brent, in this classic tearjerker, Bette Davis gives one of her best performances (and it was her favorite role!). Setting a never-to-be repeated record at the Hot Toasty Rags, she was nominated three times in the same category, for Dark Victory, The Old Maid, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. She's truly wonderful in all three films, and this one has an extra silver-screen-magic to it, with the glamorous lighting, melodramatic script, and simple but tragic story. On their own (or perhaps without Bette Davis), those elements might not have combined as well. But together, they create one of the great classics of the thirties. I dare you to watch this movie without a tissue. It's just impossible.
Dangerous (1935)
The start of the famous "feud"
Bette Davis won her infamous make-up Oscar for Dangerous, the year after she was snubbed due to silly studio politics in 1934 for Of Human Bondage. She's always been credited to nicknaming the statuette after her husband, but there was another man from 1935 who made almost as much of an impact in her life: Franchot Tone. You can read varying reports on exactly what happened, but the world knows the gist. Bette fell in love with her costar in Dangerous, and when he married Joan Crawford the following year, the two ladies had a famous "feud" that lasted the rest of their careers. It's easy to see why Bette fell for him; he's charming, classy, attractive, sweet, and above all "elegant" (her word). And it's understandable, when you know his biography, that he picked the wrong girl. He tended to do that throughout his life, with disastrous consequences.
But back to the film. Bette stars as an alcoholic who gets taken in by Franchot and tries to clean up her act. She does a very good job, even though the Hot Toasty Rags didn't give her the award for Best Actress of 1935. We agreed with Bette herself, who stated she thought Katharine Hepburn should have won for Alice Adams. Definitely check it out, though, if you're a Bette or Franchot fan, or especially if you want to see the origin of the feud we've heard so much about through the decades.
The Corn Is Green (1945)
I liked Katharine Hepburn better
Just as in The Glass Menagerie, I got spoiled by watching the remake first. The original pales in comparison. If you watch the 1945 movie first, you might like it. Bette Davis plays a self-sacrificing teacher who believes a low-class student, John Dall, has enormous potential. At first, he likes the different kind of attention he's never received before, but then he gets resentful of her expectations and how his scholarly efforts make him a laughing stock in town. He's a lowly miner, after all, and his friends want him to drink beer, use incorrect grammar, and have unkempt fingernails. When he expresses his frustration to Bette, she responds flippantly: "My dear boy, file your nails at home (...rather than in the pub...)." I am a huge Bette Davis fan, but I didn't like her interpretation of the character. I probably wouldn't have liked Ethel Barrymore's either, and she was in the Broadway show for years! I didn't think the dedicated teacher would have used so much sarcasm and glib dialogue. Ethel's famous smirk and twinkling eyes would have undoubtedly irritated me.
Katharine Hepburn played in the television remake, and she was so warm and full of passion. She truly cared about her student and even loved him like a son. Bette was cold and her usual clipped style of dialogue made it seem like she didn't care about the boy at all. John Dall's performance was very good, but again, I was spoiled and didn't appreciate the movie as much as I might have.
Another Man's Poison (1951)
Dark role for Bette
While they were married, Bette Davis and Gary Merrill made a few movies together. He never rose to the echelon of stardom as his wife, but Hollywood gave him a chance to take the lead. In Another Man's Poison, they play a version of husband and wife, but it's not exactly cute. She kills her real husband, and he helps abet the crime by impersonating the dead man so the police don't get wise. There's a ton of arguments between the "happy" couple, and Bette even has an affair with someone else - not really paradise for the real life newlyweds.
But if you like to see movies where the leads were together on and off the screen, you can give it a shot. It's a dark role for Bette; she's unscrupulous, murderous, and easy to root against. Perhaps that was her gift to Gary: if on the screen, he was more likable than she, perhaps the audience would want him to have a big career. Or perhaps I'm reading too much into it. Others might think it's just a black-and-white thriller. What do you think?
All This, and Heaven Too (1940)
Classic, self-sacrificing tearjerker
If you're looking for a classic, self-sacrificing Bette Davis tearjerker, look no further than All This, and Heaven Too. She plays an old maid schoolteacher who is disliked by her students. They make fun of her and hate her sternness; when the opportunity arises to rub her nose in her past, they do so. Bette decides the truth has to be told, so she sits everyone down for story time. Obviously, since the movie starts where she's an old maid, she doesn't end up with Charles Boyer. But that's the reason you're reaching for your handkerchief, right?
In her youth, she was hired as a governess to Charles Boyer's and Barbara O'Neil's children. Barbara quickly shows herself to be a neglectful, cold mother with an unpredictable temper. Charles is the sweet one the children adore. Bette soon adores him, too, and Barbara gets pretty upset about it. It's understandable, since the governess who makes eyes at the master of the house is an old stereotype. Since this is a melodrama, you can expect a lot of hysterics, tears, and cruel deeds done to kind souls. Bette fans will love it; next up, watch Now, Voyager! If you like Charles Boyer in this, check out When Tomorrow Comes.
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
One of the best
The Roaring Twenties was made at the perfect time: at the end of the decade, enough time had passed for audiences to remember the good times and forget the bad times of the 1920s. This heavy drama reminded everyone how the previous decade was full of wild vices and uninhibited fun, but also violence and crime. If anyone in the Depression missed the glitz of speakeasies, this movie could cure them of their longing.
James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart play gangsters (of course), while goody-goody Jeffrey Lynn plays an honest lawyer. What's their connection? They were soldiers together during WWI and formed a deep bond. But in civilian life, they take very different paths. Humph is just bad to the bone, Jimmy uses the racketeering business to better his situation but he's not truly a villain, and Jeff truly walks the straight and narrow. They'll collide later on in the movie, and it'll be on another battlefield: a social one.
There are lots of familiar faces in this movie, including Elisabeth Risdon, Frank McHugh, Priscilla Lane, and Gladys George. Gladys tugs on your heart and shows that there's really no reason why Claire Trevor had a career. Gladys could have taken on any of her roles in her sleep. She loves Jimmy, but since she's a hardened nightclub owner, he takes a fancy to the more innocent Priscilla instead. Whether you're watching it for the gangster dramatics or the love triangle, The Roaring Twenties is engrossing and entertaining. My brother, who isn't the biggest fan of old movies, remembers this as one of the best.
The Public Enemy (1931)
The grapefruit movie!
Ah, the grapefruit movie. The most famous scene from The Public Enemy, and one of the most iconic actions of the silver screen, features James Cagney scowling at Mae Clarke while sitting at the breakfast table then suddenly shoving half a grapefruit in her face. This movie is actually a gangster drama about racketeers during Prohibition, but never mind that. The grapefruit is what matters.
The rest of the movie is about Jimmy and his pal Edward Woods, whom Jimmy blew out of the water with his energy and charm. Woods didn't stand a chance at having a career after being paired up against the silver screen's original bad boy. There are also two other women in the film with far more prominent roles than Mae (Jean Harlow and Joan Blondell) but this isn't either of their most famous flicks. The two pals and their respective molls battle their way to the top during Prohibition, and since this movie was made before its repeal, it really feels like a time capsule. Two years earlier was the 1920s, and all the actors in the film enjoyed their adulthood during the roaring decade. There was no need for history books or imagination. If only for the fruit, check out this movie. It's almost one hundred years old and still entertaining. If you like it, try The Roaring Twenties, which is even better.
Picture Snatcher (1933)
Naughty pre-Code comedy
Even if you think journalists are despicable, and even if you don't like James Cagney when he has absolutely no principles, you've got to rent Picture Snatcher. It's a pre-Code flick, and it's so naughty! Jimmy plays an ex-con who gets a "picture snatcher" job at a newspaper, where he has to be unscrupulous in order to get the hard-to-get photos. Alice White is a fellow reporter, and editor Ralph Bellamy's girlfriend. That doesn't stop her from putting the moves on the new cutie pie in the office. When she all but attacks him on the sofa, he gives a good fight because he doesn't want to steal a pal's girl. But keep your eyes on Jimmy's hands. What does he grab during their kiss scene? Yes, this is definitely a pre-Code movie. "I was just lying in bed thinking of you," Alice says when she opens the door Ralph, right after her canoodling session with Jimmy. Ralph asks, "Could I join you or would I be disturbing you?" Do you believe this?
There is one section of the film that is a total drama, though: an electric chair scene. A bunch of journalists are invited to the execution, and even though it's not graphic, it's still creepy - especially by 1933 standards. Jimmy wants to have the one newspaper article with a photo, and even though they're not allowed to bring cameras in, he manages to squirrel one away. He's not exactly likable, but he is paired up with Patricia Ellis, whom I found adorable in The St. Louis Kid. They're a great couple; and if you like naughty comedies, check this one out.
Lady Killer (1933)
Naughty ladies in the pre-Code era!
At the start of Lady Killer (a title I don't understand, since James Cagney is pretty effeminate in the second half of the film), James Cagney plays a bad boy theater usher. He chews gum, plays craps, and gives attitude to the customers. He gets fired, then played for a sucker by Mae Clarke when she "loses" her purse and when he comes to her apartment to return it, he "loses" a bankroll to her "brother" in a rigged poker game. It sparks the idea in him that crime does pay, so he, Margaret, and her non-brother Douglass Dumbrille, start a crooked nightclub with a burglary racket on the side. When one of the robberies goes wrong and ends in a murder, the gang tries to flee before they get caught. Off to sunny California they go, where Jimmy finds work as a movie extra. There's another old movie where the lead character hides out from his criminal past by becoming a movie star, but I can't remember it - in any case, this movie is more of an escapism pseudo-comedy.
You can tell this movie is pre-Code because of the naughty behavior from the ladies. In one scene, Jimmy and Mae are canoodling in the side of the screen. They're not even center stage, and Jimmy takes full advantage. He buries his head in her bosom and plants a kiss on a definite no-no place - had the movie been made just one year later.
All in all, the first half of the movie is the better half. It's funny and even though the gang is despicable, you wrestle between hoping they do and don't get caught. Plus there's a very cute joke in the opening scene at the movie theater: there's a publicity poster for the Edward G. Robinson flick Dark Hazard. Two mugs admire the poster and decide to watch the film because "he's pretty good". How adorable! The second half is kind of implausible, and Jimmy's romance with Margaret Lindsay isn't that compelling. Still, if you love James Cagney, you probably want to watch all his movies - especially the pre-Code ones.
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
Excellent prison drama
Even if you've already seen Each Dawn I Die, it's worth watching again. Overshadowed by the same year's The Roaring Twenties, it's still an excellent James Cagney movie that should be revisited often, whenever you're in the mood for two great classic gangsters teamed together. George Raft is also in this drama, and ladies, he looks extremely handsome in this movie. Usually eye candy is enough reason for me, but those who want an interesting story and great acting don't have to pay attention to George's hair flopping in his face and his sorrowful looks.
Jimmy starts the movie as a reporter on the crusade for justice. He believes in honesty and right over wrong, which is why he crosses a crooked district attorney and writes a very damaging piece in his newspaper. The DA gets mad and frames him for drunk driving, one of his pet causes he's preached against. As a bonus, Jimmy's car (which the bad guys set in motion after they knock him unconscious and pour alcohol all over him) hits another and kills three people, so he gets sent to jail for a very, very long time. While locked up, he meets George, a hardened con with escape plans in the back of his mind.
Jimmy's excellent performance runs the gamut, from innocent kid thrown in jail to suffering in solitary confinement, to screaming at the parole board. It's wonderful to watch him in a role where he's not just a bad-boy. One of the most famous wrongfully accused movies of the classic era is I Am a Fugitive of a Chain Gang, but this movie definitely deserves a place on the shelf.
Tribute to a Bad Man (1956)
Irene Papas's big break
What a break for Irene Papas, who made her first movie starring opposite James Cagney in a Robert Wise film! She plays the kept woman of Jimmy, living in his house without a ring on her finger but taking care of his every need, and the object of much of his harsh words. He is, after all, playing the title character and has a lot of mean things to say and bad deeds to do before the end of the movie. It's an odd genre for him, one that he only tried once before in the early 1930s; with his thick accent, it's hard to take him seriously in a western. Plus, since he's obviously the villain and much older than the other men in the cast, Stephen McNally and Vic Morrow, it's not much fun knowing Irene will fall for someone else. I'm a Cagney fan! I don't want him to get cheated on - I was even rooting against Cameron Mitchell in Love Me or Leave Me.
But if you're not loyal to the classic bad boy and don't mind seeing him as a bad man, you can give this one a shot. It's a very simple story: bad guy abuses his woman, his staff, and his neighbors who eventually turn on him and fight for freedom. Robert Wise's direction features a lot of outdoor western scenery, and since it's in Technicolor, you feel like you're baking in the sun right alongside the cast.
Come Fill the Cup (1951)
Very solid drama
A few years after The Lost Weekend won Ray Milland an Oscar for playing an alcoholic writer, James Cagney made a similarly themed movie. That's the breaks of Hollywood, but sometimes it's frustrating to the cast and crew of competing studios. At least they weren't released in the same year - talk about unfair!
Rather than spending the bulk of the movie fighting his addiction, Cagney gets his act together fairly early on in the film. Veteran character actor James Gleason helps him get sober, and as an upstanding citizen, he becomes a respected and successful journalist. One good turn deserves another, and Jimmy is called upon to help another alcoholic about to lose everything: Gig Young. Gig is very young in this film (no pun intended) and eighteen years before he won his Oscar for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? He showed his acting chops and was nominated for the statue. He has some incredible withdrawal scenes with the shakes, emotional fits, and chemical outbursts - all the classic elements of one of these movies, but for some reason, he didn't win the Oscar (and neither did Susan Hayward or Frank Sinatra four years later) and Ray Mi-bland did.
Come Fill the Cup is a very solid drama with equally solid performances from everyone in the cast. It's an important story that no matter how many times it's told, shows the audience the value of hard work, discipline, honor, and selflessness. If you like this subject matter, try Richard Egan's turn in Voice in the Mirror, or of course, Susan Hayward's in I'll Cry Tomorrow.
Blonde Crazy (1931)
Cagney's cute and he knows it
Oh, the nastiness of the pre-Code era! When James Cagney, a bellhop, lies his way into getting Joan Blondell a job as a maid, he expects a thank-you. He sends her to deliver "fresh towels" to an empty hotel room where he's got food and drinks, dim lights, and the record player playing. She rewards him with a slap in the face, then has to fend off the advances of married jewelry salesman Guy Kibbee in much the same way. These fellas are always on the make! Jimmy likes her nerve, so they team up as business partners and leave romance out of it: with her looks, she lures in the suckers, and with Jimmy's swagger and charm, he cons the guys out of their money.
Jimmy's character is actually brilliant, and you wonder how high he could have risen if he'd chosen a decent profession. When he pulls job after job, you'll marvel at his unique and detail-oriented thinking. Still, he's a scoundrel and should settle down decently, right? You have to admire him pulling off a jewelry heist by impersonating a millionaire's secretary, ordering a diamond bracelet to be delivered to the house, then impersonating the jewelry salesman and telling the butler that the item had been delivered by mistake. Still, he should settle down.
With Cagney's charm and cute little grin, he really is irresistible. Yes, he knows he's cute and uses it to his advantage, but Joan isn't at all to blame for hanging in there and waiting for his love. If you like this one, check him out in Picture Snatcher.
'G' Men (1935)
Cagney saves it
Want to see James Cagney playing an absolute good guy? Rent G-Men. He doesn't so much as jay-walk. The dirtiest thing about him is that his education was paid for by a crooked nightclub owner, William McKay; and when the movie starts, William decides to retire and go straight. Jimmy has always loved the law, and as a lawyer, he refuses bribes and guilty clients. When his friend Regis Toomey, an FBI agent, gets killed in the line of duty, Jimmy gets inspired to join the bureau as well.
Let's face it, without Jimmy in the lead, the movie would be pretty stinky. Robert Armstrong is the second lead, as Jimmy's superior officer who hates him, and his performance is so bad, it looks like he was a crew member who had to stand in for the day. Both women, Ann Dvorak and Margaret Lindsay, are one-dimensional (good girl with good background, good girl with bad background) and aren't given much to do. Besides Regis's surprise murder in the beginning, the rest of the plot is pretty predictable. But James Cagney has great energy, that lovable face, and endearing integrity. It's a welcome change to see him shed his scoundrel ways and hunt down the bad guys. Barton MacLane makes for a very chilling villain; when will he get caught by the feds - and how will they nail him when they're not allowed to carry guns? This story takes place in the early 1930s before they were allowed to be armed, which was very scary for those brave men to go up against machine guns with bare hands.
Winner Take All (1932)
Very simple story
Winner Take All is an early talkie, and it shows. It has an extremely simple story, not much character development, and a short running time. James Cagney certainly tries to make his character different and the ones he usually plays, but it's not enough to save this very basic movie. He plays a boxer who's been hit in the head too many times and needs to rest. While in on a health retreat in Tijuana, he meets the poor simpering female (Marian Nixon) who has a heart of gold and desperately needs his help. But while she loves him as a nobody, the blonde chiseler (Virginia Bruce) only loves him when he is on the up-and-up.
Both women are pretty much stereotypes, so there's not much suspense as to who Jimmy will eventually choose and how he will choose her. If you love James Cagney, you can watch it; it's only an hour long. But I would much rather watch Requiem for a Heavyweight (either version) instead.
Frisco Kid (1935)
Cagney is such a cutie
What a shame that United Artists and Warner Brothers both came out with a movie about the Barbary Coast in the same year - and starring their top gangster actors to boot! Edward G. Robinson starred in Barbary Coast as a ruthless villain who would stop at nothing to keep hooker Miriam Hopkins indebted to him. James Cagney starred in Frisco Kid as a newcomer to the bay who would stop at nothing to become the most powerful man in the city and win the heart of high-class newspaper owner Margaret Lindsay. Slightly different, but still similar enough to compete with the audience.
Barbary Coast is the superior film, one of the best pictures of the year, but if you're a James Cagney fan, you won't want to miss Frisco Kid. He looks so cute! Wearing a long curly wig, he's absolutely irresistible - which is why Margaret risks her reputation to see him. Even though he rises from the ranks, from lowly sailor to powerful nightclub owner, he still smells like the riffraff of his clientele. If she marries him, she'll be exiled from high society. But his dimples! His hair!
With lots of dramatic twists and turns that give Eddie G's movie a run for its money, it's a good film in its own right. It just shouldn't have been paired up against the other drama. If you're new to Cagney pictures, it'll give you a great representation of his talent. He has his classic high energy, and although he's a bad boy, his motivation is understandable. Just as in The Strawberry Blonde, he makes mistakes but he's easy to root for.
Ragtime (1981)
Completely takes you back in time
For the life of me, I don't understand why Ragtime didn't make a full sweep of the Academy Awards in 1981. I also don't understand why the Broadway musical wasn't a high enough of a success to make up for the production costs. I also don't understand why the musical was not turned into a film version in recent years, given the upswing of musicals, for it would certainly sweep the award season. It's a story that hits home and has stayed relevant since E. L. Doctorow wrote the novel. Flawlessly weaving in fact and fiction, overtness and symbolism, Ragtime is a masterpiece. It is upsetting to watch, absolutely, but there are many upsetting movies that become classics and make it to the top slots of must-see lists.
There are three social circles in Ragtime: the white affluent suburbanites, the Jewish immigrants, and the black lower class. The characters in the three circles end up entwined in each other's lives, with dramatic consequences for all involved and for future generations. It'll make you think and talk about it afterwards, so it's no wonder that new and old faces alike were drawn to be a part of the cast. James Cagney was drawn out of retirement for his final role to play the mayor, and while it is sad to see him very old and bloated from medication, it's still nice to see him after a twenty years' absence. Keep a lookout for Pat O'Brien, Kenneth McMillan, Moses Gunn, Brad Dourif, James Olson, Debbie Allen, and Donald O'Connor in a brief stint as Elizabeth McGovern's dance teacher. Mainly, you'll see Mary Steenburgen as the matriarch who sets the ball in motion for the entire plot, Mandy Patinkin as an immigrant who quickly discovers the American dream, Howard E. Rollins as the most tragic character who believes he'll be treated fairly no matter the color of his skin. Elizabeth plays a showgirl with a very funny nude scene that won her an Oscar nomination; she argues with her lawyer while completely naked to show that her character is so money hungry and used to showing her body that she doesn't think to cover up. Howard's character has a great emotional range and tugs on your heartstrings even when he's in happy scenes. Mary gives a surprisingly subtle performance that tells the audience exactly what she's thinking when she's not saying a word.
The costumes are breathtaking, and the art direction and lighting (as well as Milos Forman's pace in his direction) truly transports the audience to the turn of the century. This is a beautiful movie to watch, but if you don't know the story ahead of time, you will not find it very beautiful as it unfolds. I had already read the book twice as well as practically memorized the musical by the time I'd seen the film. The latter set a very high bar, but Randy Newman's music did not disappoint me. In his near dozen different themes, there were several tunes that reminded me of the songs in the musical - written later, of course. Keep your Kleenex box handy and step back in time to 1906.
White Heat (1949)
Classic and complex
In James Cagney's most famous prison movie, White Heat, you'll see a very complex villain whom you love to hate and hate to love. Cagney played countless bad boys in his time, but his character Cody Jarrett is the type to have been written in modern times. For 1949, it's quite shocking. He's not just a gangster with a moll on the side or a jailbird who can't walk the straight and narrow. He's mentally ill; some would argue he's physically ill as well because of his persistent headaches, but I believe those are manifestations of his mental problems. Unlike many gangster characters of the silver screen, he has a wife - not just a loose floozy he covers in furs. But instead of loving his wife, Virginia Mayo, fiercely, his devotion belongs to his mother, Margaret Wycherly. Margaret is as tough as any mobster head honcho, even tougher than her son. Jimmy's compulsion to please her and make her proud is clearly abnormal, especially because he's middle aged and has a family of his own.
White Heat is not a feel-good film, but if you haven't seen it, definitely rent it. (Have The Strawberry Blonde on hand to get you in a better mood.) It's a classic that deserves its place on the must-see lists, and Cagney puts his heart and soul into the part.
Taxi! (1931)
Cute early Loretta Young flick
"You dirty rat!" comes from the film Taxi - except, like Clark Gable's famous line, it is often misquoted. The real line is, "You dirty, yellow-bellied rat," but the shorter one has become Jimmy's catchphrase. Much as Bette Davis's "What a dump" line comes from a forgettable film, Taxi isn't his greatest. It's actually pretty cute, but it's not as famous as The Strawberry Blonde and doesn't feature fabulous acting like Love Me or Leave Me.
Jimmy stars as a taxi driver fighting for the rights of his fellow oppressed coworkers. When Guy Kibbee is killed (indirectly) for standing up for himself, his daughter Loretta Young turns her back against the protestors. It's understandable why she doesn't want any more violence and bloodshed, and she initially dislikes Jimmy for wanting to continue the cause. But, since it's Hollywood, their meet-cute soon turns into a romance.
I'm not a Loretta Young fan, but she's awfully cute in Taxi. When she was younger, she was pretty, and paired against the charming, bad-boy Cagney, she got to rattle off some cute banter that made her more likable. Instead of her usual "holier than thou" image, she was just another 1930s dame in a cloche hat. George Raft was also in a bit part in Taxi as a dance contestant. It's fun to see him in his early dance roles, just as it's fun to see Cagney dance before he won his Oscar for playing a song-and-dance man.