The Nicest Gangster Ever
James Cagney is a bootlegger. This is the story of his rise and fall. Warner Brothers had been producing gangster yarns since the early 30s, many featuring Cagney. But late ’30s filmmaking had become better and more watchable, with studio stalwarts like Cagney, Bogart and Frank McHugh now pros at the genre. Add in the wonderful and underrated Gladys George, and you’ve got yourself a movie! Raoul Walsh, whose career went back to silents, and who would later direct Cagney in “White Heat,” directed. “The Roaring Twenties” is part social commentary, crime movie and melodrama. And it’s one of the most entertaining movies of this genre.
Listen to this episode (1 hour, 15 minutes)
Show Notes
Old Movies, New Things: discs, books and other physical objects
- Blu-ray: Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema III (Kino Lorber), Deanna Durbin Collection i (Kino Lorber), Western Classics 1 (Kino Lorber) *Book Recommendations: Black Film History: A Reading List
Sightings: what’s coming on TCM, streaming services, and the festival circuit
- Kino Lorber Presents: Pioneers of Queer Cinema
The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film
- The Roaring Twenties (1939) trailer
- Available to stream, rent or buy digitally
- On disc: DVD, as part of The James Cagney Collection
- Basic stats: Released by Warner Brothers, directed by Raoul Walsh, starring James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George, Jeffrey Lynn, Frank McHugh,
* Next time, we’ll watch Roman Holiday (1953) available to stream via subscription, purchase or rental. *
