# The Jimmy Cagney Appreciation Thread and Marching Society **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 5, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579 "2004-07-05T01:31:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/1 "2004-07-05T01:31:39Z")
I’m watching _Yankee Doodle Dandy_ in an effort to recover from _Mulholland Drive_. And remembering that [James Cagney](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000010/) is one of my favorite performers ever: equally terrific in noir gangster films (_Public Enemy, White Heat_), drama (_Blood on the Sun, The Time of Your Life_), comedy (_Strawberry Blonde, Mister Roberts_), musicals (_Footlight Parade, Yankee Doodle Dandy_), even Shakespeare (_A Midsummer Night’s Dream_). Plus, he had–in this lady’s opinion, anyway–“It.” Offer me Clark Gable or Errol Flynn, and I’d head out for a night on the town with Jimmy Cagney. Nice guy, I’ve heard, too, and married to the same lady for more than 50 years. Any other Cagneyites out there? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/2 "2004-07-05T01:45:05Z")
Y’know, I just saw _The Time of Your Life_ (1948) on TCM last week, and I found it hard to believe that the same guy in the fine suit and hornrim specs, sitting there in that San Francisco bar, sipping champagne and helping his fellow humans realize their true potential (thanks to Clifford Odets), would, the next year, be standing on top of an oil refinery screaming “TOP O’ THE WORLD, MAAAAAAAA…!” And he was a damn fine Bottom in that _Midsummer Night’s Dream_, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/3 "2004-07-05T02:02:07Z")
…and, speaking of Cagney, has anyone else noticed what a spectactularly _bad_ year [Mae Clarke](http://imdb.com/name/nm0164883/) had in 1931? First Jimmy used her puss for a grapefruit juicer in _The Public Enemy_, and then Boris Karloff does…something…really awful to her in _Frankenstein_. I hate to think that the Monster really, ahem, _nailed_ her…but she does look awfully _ravished_ when Colin Clive and John Boles come busting through that door. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/4 "2004-07-05T02:02:50Z")
You can say what you will about his other roles. But Cagney made the tough guy role his own. And those are the roles he is remembered by. When you think of Cagney, what scene comes to mind first? It’s not a song and dance from **Yankee Doodle Dandy**. It’s him shoving a grapefruit into Mae Clarks face in **The Public Enemy**. ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/5 "2004-07-05T02:05:39Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > You can say what you will about his other roles. But Cagney made the tough guy role his own. And those are the roles he is remembered by. > > When you think of Cagney, what scene comes to mind first? It’s not a song and dance from **Yankee Doodle Dandy**. It’s him shoving a grapefruit into Mae Clarks face in **The Public Enemy**. Actually, a song and dance number from _Yankee Doodle Dandy_ is the first thing that comes to my mind, but _The Public Enemy_ is one of my favorite movies. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/6 "2004-07-05T02:42:15Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > …and, speaking of Cagney, has anyone else noticed what a spectactularly _bad_ year [Mae Clarke](http://imdb.com/name/nm0164883/) had in 1931? Plus, she jumps out a window in _The Front Page_ and gets hit by a German bomb in _Waterloo Bridge_ . . . You think the studio bosses had it in for poor Mae? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/7 "2004-07-06T01:02:13Z")
Bump. I CANNOT believe that no one else here likes Jimmy Cagney. Or that no one else likes to watch Mae Clarke get abused. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/8 "2004-07-06T01:17:38Z")
I like Jimmy Cagney just fine – I just don’t have a lot to say about him. My main image of him is that weird herky-jerky-marionette tap style of his, so vividly on display in _Yankee Doodle Dandy_. It’s very distinctive. Nope, that’s all I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/9 "2004-07-06T01:24:49Z")
One of my favorites is _One, Two, Three_. A Cold War comedy that satirizes both Communism and Capitalism, with Cagney delivering rapid-fire lines with perfect timing. My favorite line: “I wish I was in Hell with my back broken!” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/10 "2004-07-06T01:27:03Z")
_Mr. Roberts_, mister! Got it? And none of them looks from _you_, Ensign Pulver, if you know what’s good for you! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/11 "2004-07-06T02:07:09Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > One of my favorites is _One, Two, Three_. I saw that first run in the theaters. Tells you how old I am. Cagney was the ONLY redeeming reason to see the movie. I also am of the persuasion that the mention of “Cagnie” invokes “Yankee Doodle Dandy” more than his gangster rolls. Especially since this thread was _born on the Fourth of July._😃 But maybe that’s just for us oldsters. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/12 "2004-07-06T02:36:10Z")
I adore Jimmy Cagney. Yankee Doodle Dandy is in my top 10 Desert Island picks. I’ve seen nearly all his films ( ones released on video) and the one that is parodied in Johnny Dangerously at the end is brilliant. One of my goals in my young, idealistic life was to meet James Cagney one day. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerous_Nan_McGrew)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/13 "2004-07-06T04:48:04Z")
How did I miss this thread? I absolutely love Jimmy Cagney. LOVE. Eve’s right – he’s got “It”, and how! I’m always sure to catch whatever Cagney movies are playing on TCM. My favorites are his earlier films (_Footlight Parade, Picture Snatcher, Mayor of Hell_), but that’s probably because I’m a Pre-Code nut. Anyway, yeah, can’t get enough Cagney. I likes me them short tough guys. Rowr. By the way, I’m watching Monster House right now. Does the host Steve Watson remind anyone else of our boy Jimmy? I’ve mentioned this to other people and they just look at me weird. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/14 "2004-07-06T07:42:54Z")
Made it, Ma! Top of the Page! This will only make sense if you happen to look at this Thread during the minute or so that it remains at the top of the page. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/15 "2004-07-06T12:34:28Z")
[QUOTE=Ukulele Ike I hate to think that the Monster really, ahem, _nailed_ her…but she does look awfully _ravished_ when Colin Clive and John Boles come busting through that door.[/QUOTE] “Ahhhhhh…sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you…” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/16 "2004-07-06T12:36:41Z")
Too late. 🙂 There isn’t much to add about Cagney. He was great in a wide variety of roles. It’s hard to pick his best, but his performance in **White Heat** was particularly riveting. And though **Yankee Doodle Dandy** is quite good, for song and dance, I prefer **Footlight Parade** – better music (Harry Warren) and better choreography (Busby Berkeley). ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/17 "2004-07-06T12:54:00Z")
We showed YANKEE DOODLE DANDY last week at my mother’s assisted living establishment, and the 80 and 90 year olds loved it. As did we. OK, it’s mostly lies as a bio pic, but the songs are fantastic and Cagney is wonderful. Why isn’t FOOTLIGHT PARADE available on DVD??? When I think of Cagney, my first thought is of him jumping on the train and yelling “Hold it right there!” in the opening of WHITE HEAT. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/18 "2004-07-06T13:51:13Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > And though **Yankee Doodle Dandy** is quite good, for song and dance, I prefer **Footlight Parade** – better music (Harry Warren) and better choreography (Busby Berkeley). And you can’t beat Ruby Keeler trying ever so hard to look Chinese: “I pray to Buddha in the joss house, and Buddha he bring back my Bill . . .” ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-jimmy-cagney-appreciation-thread-and-marching-society/253579/19 "2004-07-06T15:07:59Z")
Every time I see a Cagney performance, I’m a little more impressed. His range is virtually unmatched: the meanest motherfucker in the history of cinema, and some of the warmest, most human characters of all time as well. I prefer \*Footlight Parade \* to _Yankee Doodle Dandy_, myself; the latter is just too camp for me. But _The Strawberry Blonde_; _One, Two, Three_; and any of his many collaborations with one of my favorite actresses, Joan Blondell; are among my all time favorite movies. His performance in _Love Me or Leave Me_ grounded Doris Day, I believe, and helped her turn in one of her best performances. (Don’t get me wrong: Doris is one of my main divas, but a great actress she was _not_.)