July 17 James Cagney

Happy Birthday to James Cagney and Donald Sutherland.

To celebrate James Cagney’s birthday I watched Picture Snatcher. It is very fitting for the current times. James Cagney played an ex-con getting out of jail. He goes back to his gang where he tells them he is going legitimate and work for a newspaper. The newspaper is a rag where anything to get a story is ok. Ralph Bellamy works on the paper and originally wrote to Cagney in jail offering a job. Bellamy didn’t really mean it. When an assignment comes up that no one else can do, Cagney agrees to get a picture. He goes into a burned out apartment where the fireman could not save his wife from a fire and turns out she was not alone. Cagney poses as an insurance inspector to get a picture.

Cagney falls in love with a police captains daughter. The man who shot him that landed him in jail originally. A woman is being executed and Cagney, whose paper is not invited, steals an invitation and goes to the ceremony. No cameras allowed. The reactions of the newspaper men are varied: one gets sick, one states you see one you’ve seen them all. Most have a slight reaction to the switch being thrown, but Cagney is more worried about getting the picture and doesn’t react to the death at all. Once outside the camera attached to his ankle is reveled. The other newspaper men tell the police and the police state they are not going to get any further details or allowed back in for other stories. The reporters chase after Cagney, but he gets away and gets the picture to the paper.

The police captain was responsible for the reporters. He is demoted and his daughter breaks up with Cagney. Cagney falls apart. Cagney’s former gangs new leader is accused of killing a police officer and a large manhunt is underway. Cagney goes to his old girlfriend who is the girlfriend to the gang leader. He uses her to get the location of the man. He goes to him to talk to him and possibly get him to the police station. The police surround the building and start shooting. The man’s wife and children are in another room. He had planned to use them as a shield. Cagney tries to save them. While Cagney tries to talk to the man to get the family to safely the other man is shot.

As a kid I always liked Yankee Doodle Dandy. I avoided the ganger movies for a long time, but they are really good.
The intensity that Cagney brings to the role make you root for the man even when he is the bad guy. On William Bendix’s birthday I watched Time of Your Life. Cagney was the star and he is on screen most of the time, but he doesn’t move around much. He captures your intention the whole time.