James Cagney Movies-His Best & Worst-with Box Office results from 1931-1981.
75James Cagney in 1931's The Public Enemy....the role that made him a star.
A couple of months ago, fellow hubber Robwrite, suggested James Cagney as a subject for one of my hubs. Here are the few things I knew about Cagney before starting the research for this hub..(1) he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy (2) he was in a ton of gangster movies (3) his last movie was 1981's Ragtime and (4) he was great as Captain Morton in 1955's Mister Roberts.
The Top Ten Things I Learned About James Cagney:
1. His role in 1931's The Public Enemy(only his 4th film), turned him into a star. The most famous scene in the movie is where Cagney's character smashes a grapefruit into the face of his co-star Mae Davis.
2. Cagney was one of the first stars to refuse to appear in movie scenes where live ammunition was used, experts would stand off camera and fire the guns near the actors.....sounds pretty safe to me.
3. Cagney was Warner Brothers most profitable actor in the 1930s....his movies returned an average of 42% return on investment. Of the 38 movies he made for Warner Brothers only two did not make money. 1935's A Midnight Summer's Dream and 1938's Boy Meets Girl. On the positive side....1934's The St. Louis Kid was produced for $80,000 and returned 1.8 million dollars at the box office. Not a bad return on investment.
4. Despite being Warner Brothers most profitable actor....he was one of their least paid stars....this resulted in Cagney walking out on Warner Brothers twice. ....In 1936/37 he successfully sued Warner Brothers.....and starting earning equal money to the other Warner Brother stars.
5. In 1933 Cagney helped establish the Screen Actors Guild(SAG). He served as the President of SAG for two years.
6. Cagney married dancer Frances Willard "Billie" Vernon in 1922, they were married 63 years before Cagney passed away in 1986....pretty impressive for any marriage much less a Hollywood marriage.
7. Cagney was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award three times......his first nomination was 1938's Angels With Dirty Faces, his second and only win was 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy and his final nomination was 1955's Love Me or Leave Me.
8. Cagney's line "Made it, Ma! Top of the world! from 1949's White Heat is number 18 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest movie quotes. ...speaking of famous quotes Cagney never said the line...."You dirty rat"....it is one of the greatest misquotes in movie history....the closest he came to saying that was "Mmm, that dirty, double-crossin' rat," in 1931's Blonde Crazy.
9. Cagney appeared in 62 movies in his career....another Warner Brothers star, Pat O Brien co-starred in 9 Cagney movies.....Cagney retired in 1961 after making One, Two, Three....he would make only one more movie....twenty years later ....in 1981's Ragtime.
10. Here are some of the more famous movie roles Cagney passed on.....Hyman Roth in The Godfather Part 2, The Adventures of Robin Hood(Flynn did pretty good in role), Harry and Tonto(Art Carney won Oscar for this role), Logan's Run, and My Fair Lady(as Audrey Hepburn's father).
Screen Legends...Cagney and Bogart in their last of three movies together, 1939's The Roaring Twenties.
After two months of research on James Cagney....here are the results.
I was able to find information on all his starring roles. Four movies did not make the list, but they were very small parts for Cagney and they were before he was a star.
There will be three tables of information in this hub.....the first table will list the Top 10 James Cagney movies by box office grosses.....the second table will list the Top 10 James Cagney movies by critic and audience scores.....and the final table will list all of James Cagney's 59 movies...ranked by Movie Score.
So what the heck are Movie Scores?
Essentially you take the reviews of the experts like Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin, the scores from Rotten Tomatoes, the public opinion votes from Yahoo Movies and IMDB, and the box office information from Box Office Guru and Box Office Mojo. Movie Score takes all of these options and creates a mathematical equation that generates a score from 1 to 100. The higher the score the better the movie.
Cagney's biggest box office hit...1955's Mister Roberts....Jack Lemmon won Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Ensign Pulvor.
James Cagney's Top Ten Box Office Hits...Ranked By 2011 Inflated Box Office Dollars.
Rank/Movie/Year
| 2011 Box Office Dollars(mil)
| Co-Stars
|
|---|---|---|
#1 Mister Roberts(1955)
| $286.20 million
| Henry Fonda/Jack Lemmon
|
#2 Yankee Doodle Dandy(1942)
| $284.60 million
| Walter Huston
|
#3 Blood on the Sun(1945)
| $174.90 million
| Sylvia Sidney
|
#4 Captain of the Clouds(1942)
| $144.70 million
| Dennis Morgan
|
#5 Johnny Come Lately(1943)
| $139.95 million
| Grace George
|
#6 Love Me or Leave Me(1955)
| $139.90 million
| Doris Day
|
#7 Footlight Parade(1933)
| $136.70 million
| Joan Blondell
|
#8 The Seven Little Foys(1955)
| $134.40 million
| Bob Hope
|
#9 The Public Enemy(1931)
| $133.60 million
| Jean Harlow
|
#10 Rue Madeleine(1947)
| $130.40 million
| Richard Conte
|
James Cagney in 1949's White Heat...."Made it, Ma! Top of the World!"...Cagney's highest rated movie according audiences and critics.
This table shows the highest scoring James Cagney movies based on critic consensus from Rotten Tomatoes and the public opinions from IMDB and Yahoo Movies.
Rank Movie Year
| Critics Audience Score
| Co-Star
|
|---|---|---|
#1 White Heat(1949)
| 91%
| Virginia Mayo
|
#2 Angels With Diry Faces(1938)
| 90%
| Humphrey Bogart
|
#3 The Roaring Twenties(1939)
| 89%
| Humphrey Bogart
|
#4 Footlight Parade(1933)
| 89%
| Joan Blondell
|
#5 The Public Enemy(1931)
| 89%
| Jean Harlow
|
#6 Mister Roberts(1955)
| 88%
| Henry Fonda/Jack Lemmon
|
#7 One, Two, Three(1961)
| 87%
| Pamela Tiffin
|
#8 Yankee Doodle Dandy(1942)
| 85%
| Walter Huston
|
#9 The St. Louis Kid(1934)
| 84%
| Patricia Ellis
|
#10 The Crowd Roar(1932)
| 82%
| Joan Blondell
|
James Cagney in 1942's Yankee Doodle Dandy....Cagney's highest rated movie according to Movie Score(92.58)
The following table ranks Cagney's 59 movies by Movie Score. Movie Score is the combination of box office grosses and critical/audience scoring.
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Tickets (Millions)
| Movie Score
| Critics Audience Score
| Nom / Win
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1
| Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
| 284.60
| 35.79
| 92.58
| 85%
| 08 / 03
|
#2
| Mister Roberts (1955)
| 286.20
| 36.00
| 75.84
| 88%
| 03 / 01
|
#3
| Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)
| 123.20
| 15.50
| 66.75
| 90%
| 03 / 00
|
#4
| Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
| 139.90
| 17.60
| 63.11
| 70%
| 06 / 01
|
#5
| The Public Enemy (1931)
| 133.60
| 16.79
| 58.47
| 89%
| 01 / 00
|
#6
| Footlight Parade (1933)
| 136.70
| 17.20
| 58.31
| 89%
| 00 / 00
|
#7
| A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
| 109.70
| 13.80
| 54.77
| 73%
| 04 / 02
|
#8
| Blood on the Sun (1945)
| 174.90
| 22.00
| 54.59
| 52%
| 01 / 01
|
#9
| 13 Rue Madeleine (1947)
| 130.40
| 16.39
| 52.68
| 76%
| 00 / 00
|
#10
| The Roaring Twenties (1939)
| 100.20
| 12.60
| 51.19
| 89%
| 00 / 00
|
#11
| Captain of the Clouds (1942)
| 144.70
| 18.20
| 51.13
| 60%
| 02 / 00
|
#12
| The Seven Little Foys (1955)
| 134.40
| 16.89
| 49.52
| 63%
| 01 / 00
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Tickets (Millions)
| Movie Score
| Critics Audience Score
| Nom / Win
|
#13
| White Heat (1949)
| 77.10
| 9.69
| 47.87
| 91%
| 01 / 00
|
#14
| Johnny Come Lately (1943)
| 139.90
| 17.60
| 45.54
| 49%
| 01 / 00
|
#15
| The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
| 81.10
| 10.19
| 44.98
| 81%
| 01 / 00
|
#16
| Ragtime (1981)
| 62.80
| 7.90
| 44.52
| 81%
| 08 / 00
|
#17
| G-Men (1935)
| 78.70
| 9.89
| 42.69
| 77%
| 00 / 00
|
#18
| One Two Three (1961)
| 58.80
| 7.40
| 42.65
| 87%
| 00 / 00
|
#19
| The Fighting 69th (1940)
| 93.80
| 11.80
| 42.38
| 68%
| 00 / 00
|
#20
| The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)
| 94.60
| 11.89
| 42.02
| 66%
| 00 / 00
|
#21
| The St. Louis Kid (1934)
| 62.00
| 7.80
| 41.61
| 84%
| 00 / 00
|
#22
| Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
| 74.70
| 9.39
| 41.25
| 74%
| 01 / 00
|
#23
| Each Dawn I Die (1939)
| 68.40
| 8.60
| 39.05
| 73%
| 00 / 00
|
#24
| Blonde Crazy (1931)
| 66.00
| 8.30
| 38.75
| 73%
| 00 / 00
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Tickets (Millions)
| Movie Score
| Critics Audience Score
| Nom / Win
|
#25
| Here Comes the Navy (1934)
| 71.60
| 9.00
| 38.66
| 61%
| 00 / 00
|
#26
| Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)
| 62.00
| 7.80
| 37.59
| 72%
| 00 / 00
|
#27
| City for Conquest (1940)
| 53.30
| 6.69
| 37.44
| 77%
| 00 / 00
|
#28
| Jimmy The Gent (1934)
| 59.60
| 7.50
| 37.29
| 73%
| 00 / 00
|
#29
| The Crowd Roar (1932)
| 42.90
| 5.40
| 37.09
| 82%
| 00 / 00
|
#30
| The Oklahoma Kid (1939)
| 81.10
| 10.19
| 36.51
| 58%
| 00 / 00
|
#31
| Taxi (1932)
| 47.70
| 6.00
| 35.25
| 74%
| 00 / 00
|
#32
| The West Point Story (1950)
| 65.20
| 8.19
| 35.11
| 61%
| 01 / 00
|
#33
| Run For Cover (1955)
| 57.20
| 7.19
| 33.84
| 64%
| 00 / 00
|
#34
| Lady Killer (1933)
| 51.70
| 6.50
| 33.62
| 67%
| 00 / 00
|
#35
| The Time of Your Life (1948)
| 70.00
| 8.80
| 33.41
| 56%
| 00 / 00
|
#36
| Come Fill the Cup (1951)
| 66.80
| 8.39
| 32.68
| 54%
| 01 / 00
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Tickets (Millions)
| Movie Score
| Critics Audience Score
| Nom / Win
|
#37
| What Price Glory (1952)
| 63.60
| 8.00
| 32.49
| 57%
| 00 / 00
|
#38
| Picture Snatcher (1933)
| 38.20
| 4.80
| 32.13
| 70%
| 00 / 00
|
#39
| Gun Fury (1953)
| 43.70
| 5.50
| 32.02
| 67%
| 00 / 00
|
#40
| Devil Dogs in the Air (1935)
| 46.10
| 5.80
| 31.79
| 65%
| 00 / 00
|
#41
| Torrid Zone (1940)
| 46.90
| 5.90
| 31.59
| 64%
| 00 / 00
|
#42
| The Gallant Hours (1960)
| 32.60
| 4.09
| 30.50
| 69%
| 00 / 00
|
#43
| Ceiling Zero (1936)
| 46.90
| 5.90
| 29.33
| 57%
| 00 / 00
|
#44
| Mayor of Hell (1933)
| 23.10
| 2.90
| 29.11
| 70%
| 00 / 00
|
#45
| Winner Takes All (1933)
| 35.80
| 4.50
| 28.86
| 62%
| 00 / 00
|
#46
| Shake Hands with The Devil (1959)
| 28.60
| 3.59
| 28.46
| 65%
| 00 / 00
|
#47
| Smart Money (1931)
| 39.80
| 5.00
| 28.33
| 57%
| 01 / 00
|
#48
| Tribute to a Bad Man (1956)
| 38.20
| 4.80
| 28.10
| 59%
| 00 / 00
|
Rank
| Movie Year
| 2011 Inflated Box Office (Millions)
| Tickets (Millions)
| Movie Score
| Critics Audience Score
| Nom / Win
|
#49
| Sinner's Holiday (1930)
| 26.20
| 3.29
| 27.28
| 63%
| 00 / 00
|
#50
| A Lion is in the Streets (1953)
| 23.10
| 2.90
| 26.50
| 63%
| 00 / 00
|
#51
| Never Steal Anything Small (1959)
| 27.00
| 3.40
| 26.04
| 59%
| 00 / 00
|
#52
| He Was Her Man (1934)
| 55.60
| 7.00
| 25.98
| 43%
| 00 / 00
|
#53
| The Irish In Us (1935)
| 37.40
| 4.69
| 25.50
| 52%
| 00 / 00
|
#54
| Something To Sing About (1937)
| 35.00
| 4.40
| 25.27
| 51%
| 01 / 00
|
#55
| Frisco Kid (1935)
| 29.40
| 3.70
| 25.13
| 55%
| 00 / 00
|
#56
| These Wilder Years (1956)
| 28.60
| 3.59
| 24.96
| 55%
| 00 / 00
|
#57
| Hard To Handle (1933)
| 19.10
| 2.40
| 22.89
| 55%
| 00 / 00
|
#58
| Great Guy (1936)
| 20.70
| 2.59
| 22.34
| 52%
| 00 / 00
|
#59
| Boy Meets Girl (1938)
| 23.80
| 3.00
| 21.38
| 48%
| 00 / 00
|
James Cagney's Oscar winning performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy comes in at #23 on Best Movie Performances Ever table.
James Cagney is currently ranked 25th on my Greatest Actor/Actresses movie star table...he is right behind Morgan Freeman (24th) and ahead of Adam Sandler(26th).....I wonder how many times Adam Sandler and James Cagney have been in the same sentence.
Alphabetical Index: Classic Actors/Actresses
Humphrey Bogart; Marlon Brando; James Cagney; Bing Crosby; Clark Gable; Cary Grant;Katharine Hepburn; Charlton Heston; Rock Hudson; Burt Lancaster; Myrna Loy; Steve McQueen; Marilyn Monroe; Paul Newman; Gregory Peck; James Stewart;John Wayne; Richard Widmark;
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CommentsLoading...
WoW! I wouldn't want a gun shot next to me!
Hey Fay.....well....a huge part of my Movie Score system....or at least 40 -45 % is actual box office results....Adam Sandler movies make mad money at the box office...no matter how bad they are.....that being said...I am working on a list that only looks at each actor's top ten movies....preliminary results show Sandler 3rd worst on that list.....the other factor would be the time frame Cagney made movies...back then they could start a movie today, be finished in two weeks, and then two weeks later they would be going to the premire..in two weeks the movie was done making money..and then they start the whole process would start over again....I am glad you like my bad boy hub...thanks for reading
Hey Scotty...in one of the books I read....after he refused to do the scenes with live ammunition....the studio labeled him..."difficult to work with"...thanks for commenting
Cagney! One of my favorites. I liked him with Bogart. They complemented each other in their acting. One of the best!
Voted up.
Hey montecristo...I read that they never really became friends during the making of their three movies together....but they had a mutual respect for each other....Cagney got to kill Bogart in all three films they appeared in together...thanks for reading
Made it ma! Top of the world! This is more like it... one of my top favourites from Hollywoods Golden Age.
Let's see... I have... 28 Cagney films in my collection on various formats. He was famous for his tough guy roles but I have to admit my favourite film of his is the classic musical, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Cagney deserved his Oscar playing George M. Cohan, a mesmerising performance. I've watched that film countless times.
Other favourites include Angels With Dirty Faces, Roaring Twenties, Each Dawn I Die and of course White Heat.
I didn't know he was up for the role of Hyman Roth, thanks for the info Cogerson and for another super hub.
Voted up and fascinating. :)
Hey Steve....I have one thousand movies in the house.....but I only have one James Cagney movie.....Mister Roberts. About a year ago I was watching all the Best Actor Oscar winners....I had to get Yankee Doodle Dandy from a local library...they had it in storage in a basement and it was a VHS tape....not exactly the best quality way to watch an old movie....I will have to watch White Heat....a classic that I have not seen....thanks for reading
Cogerson, I have nearly a thousand films dating from 1914 to 1949! People tell me I have too many films here. I've been collecting since 1979. And I'm running out of room. :)
Mister Roberts is a great film but Cagney isn't exactly likable in it. Cagney and Henry Fonda didn't get along with John Ford and during one heated arguement Ford punched Fonda, Mervyn Leroy finished directing the film. One of the biggest hits of that year.
Great hub. I really enjoyed your ten things you learned. It is very amusing that they were shooting live rounds at the actors. My favorite Cagney movies are the three Bogart movies he made.....with The Oklahoma Kid being my top one. Thanks for posting a great hub. It was worth the wait.
I love the two cagney movies with doris day, nice stuff you write about
Wow Steve....that is a huge collection for older movies...as for Mister Roberts.....if you look at Cagney as the good guy.....and Lemmon and Fonda as the bad guys....then you will see Cagney was only trying to keep his men and ship safe....while being the best supply ship in the fleet......while Fonda and Lemmon were just troublemakers who even threw away the prized palm tree the entire ship worked so hard to win....lol
Hey Yankees Rule....it is amazing how they used to make the older movies....even more amazing the only deaths I have heard about with guns on movie sets...have been in the modern era....with Brandon Lee and others who managed to kill themselves with blanks...thanks for commenting
hey barnes.....lots of people consider Love Me or Leave Me a classic....not many people talk about The West Point Story...which was one of Doris Day's first movies
Thanks for doing this, cogerson. I love Jimmy Cagney. He was great! Most people remember him as just a gangster actor but there was so much more to him than that. He was a singer, dancer and he was good at comedy (How hilarious was he in "Mr. Roberts"?)
My favorite Cagney role was as Cody Jarrod in "White Heat" (Who can forget his 'Top of the World' line?) but I've liked him in everything I've seen him in. (Although I have to say I'm glad he didn't get the Robin Hood role. No one could have played that role like Errol Flynn.)
A bit of Trivia: Cagney was cast in a supporting role in "The Public Enemy" but he was so dynamic and charismatic that he blew the star of the film off the screen, so the director switched the roles and gave Cagney the starring part, and a screen legend was born.
He had a long career, and he helped start the screen actor's guild. It's too bad he's mostly remembered for a quote he never said.
(I can't believe he's 25th!)
Great hub.
Peace,
Rob
Cagney was one of the best and most versatile actors. I could have sworn that he said "You dirty rat" somewhere along the line!
Cagney is surely one of the greatest actors of all time. Great hub.,
Yet another amazing actor in an awesome hub. Thank you for your research and dedication to true talent! No other way to vote but UP! :)
Hey Robwrite......thanks for the suggestion....I do believe that is 3 of the 7 you suggested...and I think Eddie Murphy is coming soon.....that being said my knowledge of Cagney has greatly increased over the last couple of months...before the hub I had seen only three Cagney movies....over the last couple of months that number is now 7....but I have yet to see White Heat.....but I currently have it reserved at my local library....I agree I do not think his Robin Hood would have been as good as Flynn's Hood.
Hey William F. Torpey.....I agree he was a very a versatile actors...as for "you dirty rat" it was like Cary Grant's "Judy Judy Judy" misquote .....millions of people did impressions of them....using lines that were close to what they said in the movies.....and as time went by....people thought they were the actual lines in a movie...thanks for reading and commenting
Thanks for stopping by vijayanths....he was indeed a great actor....too bad younger people do not even know he existed....thanks for commenting
Thank you Sunshine625 for the awesome compliment, the older actors take a considerable more time than the newer actors...but when it is finished....I think the information is unique to the internet...which makes it worth the effort.....thanks for reading
My favorite Cagney movie is Mister Roberts, I do not think I have seen a single one of his gangster movies. I found the live ammunition very interesting. Kudos for his long career and long marriage. Great work cogerson
In re-reading the comments, so where is this list of actors by their top 10 movies, I looked on the links you have on the Cagney hub, but I can not find them. Just curious.
Hey hinton...thanks for stopping by....the other actor list has yet to make it to a hub.....it is almost ready...sorry for the confusion....thanks for reading and commenting
Thank you so much for writing a hub on James Cagney, I love that guy! Top o the world Ma!!!
You are welcome Anthea...he was a classic actor...hard to believe his prime was 70 years ago...thanks for reading
Cogerson, James Cagney was a very good actor - Yankee Doodle Dandy was a great film. Wonderful dancing for Cagney. Love Me Or Leave Me was a very good film with Doris Day - have seen that quite a few times. I believe that I have that movie. He played a good role in Mr. Roberts - hatefuly charactor but great acting as a skunk... LOVE YOUR HUBS...
Hey Bern1960...I agree his dancing was underrated....one of the things I read ....near the end of his life....they asked him which movie he would like to watch again....he picked his 1937 musical Something To Sing About....which was one of his few box office disappointments....but he loved it because he felt it was his best dancing.....thanks for the compliments....I still think his Captain in Mister Roberts was just misunderstood....lol
Nice hub, I really learned some interesting stuff. I will have to check one or two of his movies. It sounds like White Heat or Mister Roberts would be interesting. I saw Mister Roberts on tv along time ago, but it did not have Jack Lemmon in it. Nice work.
Nice detailed list, I like the format of your hubs.
Putting James Cagney and Adam Sandler in the same sentence 'is' a criminal offense. I loved James Cagney movies and he played the part to perfection. I read his autobiography a couple of years ago and it was a very interesting book. He acted tough on screen, but he was tough off it too. He learnt the hard way on the streets of Brooklyn.
He used to be a dancer that's why he did so well in the musical Yankee Doodle Dandy, a great film. He didn't thing much of Humphrey Bogart who was a bit of a pussy in his eyes. He was a big part of my early years, one of my top five favourite actors. cheers I loved the care you took in putting this together.
Thanks for stopping by attemptedhumour. I read that near the end of his life, he told numerous people the think he was most proud of was the dancing and singing that he managed to get on the screen. After writting this hub I have started watching more Cagney movies....I just watched White Heat for the first time....pretty good....he played a great bad guy. Sorry I put Cagney and Sandler in the same sentence. Thanks for the compliment.
My favorite scene in White Heat was when Cagney put a man in the trunk of his car. The man said he couldn't breath so Cagney fired several shot into the trunk. It was hilarious. I wonder if thats where they got the idea in Goodfellows with the guy in the trunk.
Hey ruffridyer....that scene is classic....I just watched White Heat for the first time about a month ago....and even though I had seen that clip numerous times ....it was still awesome when I finally saw it while watching the movie....Cody Jarrett was a sick puppy with a funny sense of humor...thanks for reading my Cagney hub
Hey ruffridyer....that scene is classic....I just watched White Heat for the first time about a month ago....and even though I had seen that clip numerous times ....it was still awesome when I finally saw it while watching the movie....Cody Jarrett was a sick puppy with a funny sense of humor...thanks for reading my Cagney hub
I'm slowing going through all of your hubs on classic era movie actors as well as some actors alive today but have acted for several decades already.
Cagney's tombstone reads "Song and Dance Man"
Cagney-he is the only actor to star in both genres of movies that I love to pieces-Musicals, and Mystery/Suspense-- in the sub-genre of gangster films. As such it is very difficult for me to pick a top list as they vary greatly, but I will try. I will need to list ten, and even that won't quite work. Of course, I will need to make this alphabetical:
Angels with Dirty Faces
Captain of the Clouds
Each Dawn I Die
Footlight Parade
G-Men
Love Me or Leave Me
The Public Enemy-by the way, he was originally meant to be the sidekick
Mr. Roberts
White Heat
Yankee Doodle Dandy-was on TCM tonight
Hey Flora...I appreciate you checking out my classic actors....if you have any suggestions, I will be happy to get them out there for you. I think this Cagney hub was the hub that I learned the most from....it took off and on about two months to find all the information I need for my Movie Score. I think before I did the hub...I had only seen three of his movies....since then I have reached double digits.
Looking at your top ten...it looks pretty close to my Movie Score Top Ten... I like when the top match people's likes....it looks like the only one of your movies not near my Top Ten was Each Day I Die(#23)...but even that one is in his upper third of his movies.
One of the movies I watched since this hub was Footlight Parade ....what an excellent movie and Cagney was awesome.
It occured to me that people might be confused by my saying that Cagney was the only actor who appeared in both musicals and mystery films when Dick Powell did too. The reason why I said this was that Cagney went back and forth. Powell essentially stopped making musicals when he started making mysteries. He is one of the actors who has potrayed Phillip Marlowe. Also, while I've seen a lot of his films, it is the genre that I've been watching, not the actor. Does that make sense? But that is what I meant.
Thanks for the clarification Flora. I understand the point you are making. I however not sure how many people remember Dick Powell.....he rarely gets much attention when people talk about the great classic actors....thanks for the comments.
@FloraBreenRobison...I remember Dick Powell and Dana Andrews, as they both did a number of detective movies. Andrews was great in "Laura". But Powell and Cagney did share that musicals and mystery genre connection. Cagney's monumental "Yankee Doodle Dandy" was his favorite role.
@Cogerson...I found Cagney! Ha! My favorite of his is "Blood on the Sun", and I was surprised to learn that "Mr. Roberts" was his biggest box office hit!
Thanks for more of the same -- great work!!!
Hey Barbsbitnpieces, Blood on the Sun was Cagney's 3rd biggest box office hit....and finished 8th on this chart....so I am thinking you have a pretty good favorite Cagney movie. When Mister Roberts came out originally it was listed as one of the biggest hits of all-time....11th or 12th depending on where you looked...it was the great William Powell's last movie role....he started having a seriously difficult time remembering his lines and had to retire after Mr. Roberts. Glad you found my Cagney hub.
James Cagney!! Yes! An all-time great, hands-down. A little guy with enormous talent. My parents were huge fans and we saw many of his movies together. My favorite as a kid? "Yankee Doodle Dandy," of course. I can still picture the song & dance scene. He packed everything he had into his roles....kinda of like what you do, Cogerson, with these awesome hubs of yours!! UP Up UP.
Hey fpher48...thanks for visiting my Cagney hub...since writing this hub I have seen many more Cagney movies...and his performances are always outstanding. Cagney was such a great dancer and singer it is a little sad that he is mostly remembered for his gangster roles. Thanks for the great compliments and for stopping by.
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Fay Paxton 13 months ago
Yes, yes, yes! Cogerson, I think I just like bad boys, because James Cagney is certainly one of my favorites. How he could rank behind Morgan Freeman or even be in the same company with Adam Sandler is a mystery to me.
Was he over-the-top...of course he was, but I loved it! Thanks for this. My catalog is growing nicely.
up/useful, awesome and bookmarked