Getting To Know James Cagney
My picks for viewers looking to delve into the career of classic tough guy James Cagney.
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- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsJames CagneyJean HarlowEdward WoodsAn Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.This definitive 1930s gangster movie made Cagney a star. Released prior to the strict enforcement of the Production Code, this Prohibition-era tale is violent and gritty.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsJames CagneyVirginia MayoEdmond O'BrienA psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist.Cagney revisits his gangster image as the psychotic Cody Jarrett in this gritty and exciting crime drama released eighteen years after "The Public Enemy". Edmond O'Brien goes undercover to help the feds bring down Jarrett's gang.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJames CagneyJoan LeslieWalter HustonThe life of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer, and singer George M. Cohan.Cagney won his only Oscar as real-life song and dance man George M. Cohan, early twentieth-century entertainer and author of patriotic songs "You're A Grand Old Flag", "Over There", and "The Yankee Doodle Boy". Tough guy Cagney shows off his (rather eccentric) hoofing skills.
- DirectorLloyd BaconStarsJames CagneyJoan BlondellRuby KeelerChester Kent struggles against time, romance, and a rival's spy to produce spectacular live "prologues" for movie houses.Cagney is in top form as the snappy-talking producer of stage musicals in this film featuring Busby Berkeley's excellent choreography. Cagney does partake in one number at the end, but is in his element as the quick-thinking producer, paired with snappy secretary Joan Blondell.
- DirectorMichael CurtizStarsJames CagneyPat O'BrienHumphrey BogartA priest tries to stop a gangster from corrupting a group of street kids.One of Cagney's gangster highlights. He plays a hood who's back in town, but providing a bad influence on the street urchin youth. His best friend, now a priest, urges him to reform for their sake. Also notable for pairing Cagney with Humphrey Bogart (before he became a star in his own right).
- DirectorWilliam KeighleyStarsJames CagneyMargaret LindsayAnn DvorakJames Cagney helped jump-start the gangster genre as The Public Enemy. Outcries against movies that glorified underworld criminals put Cagney on the side of the law in 'G' Men.Tough guy Cagney lends his services to the right side of the law in this gritty FBI vs. gangsters saga.
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsJames CagneyHorst BuchholzPamela TiffinIn West Berlin during the Cold War, a Coca-Cola executive is given the task of taking care of his boss' socialite daughter.A hilarious, fast-paced comedy set in Cold War Berlin. Sixty-two-year-old Cagney is at his comedic best as a fast-talking Coca-Cola man caught up in Cold War hijinks. This is an underrated Billy Wilder gem and features an interesting look at West Berlin/East Berlin before the construction of The Wall.
- DirectorJohn FordMervyn LeRoyJoshua LoganStarsHenry FondaJames CagneyWilliam PowellIn the waning days of World War II, the cargo officer of a Navy supply ship chafes at its role far from the action in the Pacific's backwater areas, his frustration rising when its captain denies the crew liberty over petty irritations.Middle-aged Cagney plays a tyrannical Navy captain, joined by stars Henry Fonda, William Powell, and a young Jack Lemmon.