James Cagney

  • Michael Curtiz – Captains of the Clouds (1942)

    1941-1950ActionDramaMichael CurtizUSA

    CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS (1942). Just as the 1942 Best Picture Oscar winner Mrs. Miniver boosted American support for the British cause during World War II (as was intended), so too did Captains of the Clouds offer its own measure of Hollywood-manufactured propaganda for our Canadian neighbors. A tribute to the Royal Canadian Air Force, this stars James Cagney as Brian MacLean, a bush pilot operating in the Canadian wilds. MacLean’s penchant for trouble leads him to steal business away from the other bush pilots — the noble Johnny Dutton (Dennis Morgan), the British expat Scrounger Harris (Reginald Gardiner), and the comic relief pair of Tiny Murphy (Alan Hale) and Blimp Lebec (George Tobias) — and to steal the fiery Emily Foster (Brenda Marshall) away from her boyfriend Johnny.Read More »

  • William Dieterle & Max Reinhardt – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935)

    William Dieterle1931-1940ClassicsFantasyMax ReinhardtUSA
    A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

    Two couples and a troupe of actors have an encounter with some mischievous fairies in the forest.Read More »

  • William K. Howard – Johnny Come Lately (1943)

    William K. Howard1941-1950ClassicsDramaUSA
    Johnny Come Lately (1943)
    Johnny Come Lately (1943)

    James Cagney stars in this Oscar-winning smalltown drama as an ex-reporter turned drifter who arrives in a town where corruption is rife. Jailed for vagrancy, on release he meets up with Vinnie McLeod, editor of the local paper and one of the few honest citizens in town.Read More »

  • Frank Lloyd – Blood on the Sun (1945)

    Frank Lloyd1941-1950DramaThrillerUSA
    Blood on the Sun (1945)
    Blood on the Sun (1945)

    PLOT: A dedicated American reporter in 1930s Japan is determined to expose that government’s plan for world domination.Read More »

  • H.C. Potter – The Time of Your Life (1948)

    H.C. Potter1941-1950ComedyDramaUSA
    The Time of Your Life (1948)
    The Time of Your Life (1948)

    The film follows the adventures of a group of regulars at Nick’s ‘Pacific Street Saloon, Restaurant and Entertainment Palace’ in San Francisco. A sign outside tells people to come in as they are. At the center is the wealthy Joe (James Cagney), who has given up working to hold court at Nick’s (William Bendix) bar. He desires to live “a civilized life” without hurting anyone and believes the real truth in people is found in their dreams of themselves, not the hard facts of their actual existence.[4] Joe has a stooge named Tom (Wayne Morris), who runs his eccentric errands until a woman with a past named Kitty (Jeanne Cagney) comes in and steals Tom’s heart. Also appearing are Broderick Crawford as Krupp, Ward Bond as McCarthy, Tom Powers as Blick, and James Barton as Kit Carson.Read More »

  • Raoul Walsh – The Strawberry Blonde (1941)

    USA1941-1950ClassicsComedyRaoul Walsh

    Quote:
    As if it weren’t obvious already, Raoul Walsh’s Strawberry Blonde confirms what most men have known for decades: Betty’s always a better choice than Veronica. This charming comedy starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, and Rita Hayworth may be over 80 years old — and it mostly takes place in the 1890s — but it’s still as accessible as ever, providing you don’t mind overused music cues and/or extended flashbacks. It’s the kind of crowd-pleasing fare that’s solid enough for “movie night” yet equally easy to enjoy as a light and breezy afternoon matinee.Read More »

  • Milos Forman – Ragtime (1981)

    Drama1981-1990ClassicsMilos FormanUSA

    Synopsis:
    A well-to-do New Rochelle family is split when it takes in a homeless black woman (Debbie Allen) and her child; all initially looks well when her estranged boyfriend, Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard E. Rollins Jr.) reappears with a good job and an offer of marriage. The ‘younger brother’ of the family (Brad Dourif) falls in love with the notorious playgirl Evelyn Nesbit (Elizabeth McGovern) as she awaits the outcome of her husband Harry Thaw’s murder trial – Thaw killed famous architect Stanford White (Norman Mailer) out of jealousy.Read More »

  • John G. Blystone – Great Guy AKA Pluck of the Irish (1936)

    John G. Blystone1931-1940CrimeMysteryUSA

    Plot:
    It’s the New York Department of Weights and Measures vs. a systematic effort to cheat the public by giving them less product than they pay for…organized by crooked city alderman Marty Cavanaugh, who put the last chief deputy inspector in the hospital. The new man, pugnacious Johnny Cave, steps on the toes of influential merchants and gets increasing pressure, both political and strong-arm, to desist. Will the luck (if not the pluck) of the Irish pull him through?Read More »

  • Roy Del Ruth – Taxi! (1932)

    1931-1940CrimeDramaRoy Del RuthUSA

    Amidst a backdrop of growing violence and intimidation, independent cab drivers struggling against a consolidated juggernaut rally around hot-tempered Matt Nolan. Nolan is determined to keep competition alive on the streets, even if it means losing the woman he loves.Read More »

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