....and with James Cagney at his crazy cocky best that is very hard to do!!! Unfortunately her type of role, indeed this type of movie would become extinct the next year when the dreaded production code came into force.
Like Robinson, Cagney loved to kid his "tough guy" persona. Here he plays Danny Kean, a tough crook who promises himself he does not want to go back "inside" again so decides to go straight and follow his child- hood dream of being a reporter. He is given a "letter of introduction" to the editor of the Graphic News - a dirty rag at the bottom of the newspaper heap!! The editor, JR (Ralph Bellamy) takes a shine to Danny,but unfortunately has a drinking problem. Another person who takes a shine to Danny is flirty Alison (Alice White) - she throws herself at Danny at every opportunity - and he throws himself at her as well. She is probably the recipient of more thrown punches than anyone else in this movie. The scenes between them are exactly what I think a sexy pre-coder should be. In one scene when Danny is hiding out, Alison comes home and immediately starts changing into something more comfortable. There is no false modesty about her, no discreetly closed doors and Danny's reaction says it all.Cagney's expressions throughout are priceless - at one point he goes through a whole scene (wanting to be alone with his girl) with just his facial expressions. The girl, the right girl, is Pat - Patricia Ellis was very sweet but to me she just looked awfully young (she was only 16).
Back to the story, Danny is relegated to being a picture snatcher as he has no experience at reporting and finds that his pugnacious personality can get him into situations were other more wary news hounds fear to tread. His first assignment has him accosting a fireman, mad with grief that his wife (and her lover) have been killed in a house fire. Danny covers his tracks by posing as a fire assessor. His next job is trickier and if he pulls it off he and the paper will be made - he has to try and get a picture of the execution of a condemned woman. This ghoulish assignment was based on real events. In 1927 Ruth Snyder was sentenced to the electric chair for the murder of her husband (it was the inspiration for "Double Indemnity"), a photographer from the Chicago Tribune took a photo with the aid of a miniature camera strapped to his ankle and the picture made headlines around the world. Danny gets the scoop but finds that his old sparring partner Officer Nolan has been demoted. Pat is his daughter and he has put his reputation on the line by vouching for Danny. Danny redeems himself by being on the spot when "Jerry the Mug" (Ralf Harolde) is gunned down and giving all the kudos to Nolan!!!
The last scene is a doozy!! Alison (who is really much better suited to Danny than insipid Pat) uses her whiles on Danny once too often, Danny puts her in a coma in the back seat, JR drives off, not knowing Alison is there, she awakes, clangs JR on the head, he drives into a pole and the last shot is of Alison screaming her head off!!! Definitely a movie not to be missed. I was surprised to see Ralph Bellamy as Cagney's side kick, as actors they were poles apart (but apparently great pals in real life) but their characters blended so well, Bellamy playing with his usual laid back understatedness.
Highly Recommended.
Like Robinson, Cagney loved to kid his "tough guy" persona. Here he plays Danny Kean, a tough crook who promises himself he does not want to go back "inside" again so decides to go straight and follow his child- hood dream of being a reporter. He is given a "letter of introduction" to the editor of the Graphic News - a dirty rag at the bottom of the newspaper heap!! The editor, JR (Ralph Bellamy) takes a shine to Danny,but unfortunately has a drinking problem. Another person who takes a shine to Danny is flirty Alison (Alice White) - she throws herself at Danny at every opportunity - and he throws himself at her as well. She is probably the recipient of more thrown punches than anyone else in this movie. The scenes between them are exactly what I think a sexy pre-coder should be. In one scene when Danny is hiding out, Alison comes home and immediately starts changing into something more comfortable. There is no false modesty about her, no discreetly closed doors and Danny's reaction says it all.Cagney's expressions throughout are priceless - at one point he goes through a whole scene (wanting to be alone with his girl) with just his facial expressions. The girl, the right girl, is Pat - Patricia Ellis was very sweet but to me she just looked awfully young (she was only 16).
Back to the story, Danny is relegated to being a picture snatcher as he has no experience at reporting and finds that his pugnacious personality can get him into situations were other more wary news hounds fear to tread. His first assignment has him accosting a fireman, mad with grief that his wife (and her lover) have been killed in a house fire. Danny covers his tracks by posing as a fire assessor. His next job is trickier and if he pulls it off he and the paper will be made - he has to try and get a picture of the execution of a condemned woman. This ghoulish assignment was based on real events. In 1927 Ruth Snyder was sentenced to the electric chair for the murder of her husband (it was the inspiration for "Double Indemnity"), a photographer from the Chicago Tribune took a photo with the aid of a miniature camera strapped to his ankle and the picture made headlines around the world. Danny gets the scoop but finds that his old sparring partner Officer Nolan has been demoted. Pat is his daughter and he has put his reputation on the line by vouching for Danny. Danny redeems himself by being on the spot when "Jerry the Mug" (Ralf Harolde) is gunned down and giving all the kudos to Nolan!!!
The last scene is a doozy!! Alison (who is really much better suited to Danny than insipid Pat) uses her whiles on Danny once too often, Danny puts her in a coma in the back seat, JR drives off, not knowing Alison is there, she awakes, clangs JR on the head, he drives into a pole and the last shot is of Alison screaming her head off!!! Definitely a movie not to be missed. I was surprised to see Ralph Bellamy as Cagney's side kick, as actors they were poles apart (but apparently great pals in real life) but their characters blended so well, Bellamy playing with his usual laid back understatedness.
Highly Recommended.