Tag Archives: James Cagney

James Cagney Appreciation Day

Posted on November 18, 2005 by sheila

I have to agree with Bogdonavich below – that the prison mess hall scene in White Heat when Cagney freaks out – is one of those moments in movie history that you never forget – a high water mark for … Continue reading →

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James Cagney Appreciation Day

Posted on November 18, 2005 by sheila

That picture, by the way, is from the unbelievable last scene of Roaring Twenties – the “big shot” moment. I thought it would be appropriate to post the excerpt that mentions how beautifully Cagney always did death scenes. Bogdonavich – … Continue reading →

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James Cagney Appreciation Day

Posted on November 18, 2005 by sheila

From Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors: He was different from most of the great stars of the golden age in that he often played villains — even late in his career — comically in Mister … Continue reading →

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James Cagney Appreciation Day

Posted on November 18, 2005 by sheila

From Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors: Of course, he was like no other dancer: his straight-legged, cocky, constantly surprising way of hoofing — which is how he started in show business — was seen only … Continue reading →

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James Cagney Appreciation Day

Posted on November 18, 2005 by sheila

From Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors: One critic wrote of White Heat that only a hard-boiled director like Raoul Walsh could get away with having Cagney — during a terrible migraine attack — sit on … Continue reading →

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James Cagney Appreciation Day

Posted on November 18, 2005 by sheila

From Peter Bogdanovich’s marvelous book, Who the Hell’s in It: Conversations with Hollywood’s Legendary Actors: The year before I had run for Orson Welles a 16mm print of Raoul Walsh’s devastating gangster film starring Cagney, White Heat (1949); Welles had … Continue reading →

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James Cagney’s Tip to Michael Caine

Posted on March 23, 2005 by sheila

Excerpt from Michael Caine’s awesome book Michael Caine – Acting in Film: An Actor’s Take on Movie Making. One important piece of technical advice about movement: don’t rush it. Give the camera operator a chance. James Cagney gvae me this … Continue reading →

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“I ain’t so tough”

Posted on March 8, 2005 by sheila

So said by legendary tough-guy James Cagney as Tom Powers in The Public Enemy. Lileks has a post up right now with a ton of great stills from The Public Enemy (including the improvised grapefruit-in-face scene) and here’s some of … Continue reading →

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Sidney Lumet: On Dialogue

Posted on December 17, 2004 by sheila

Excerpt from Making Movies: Lumet’s movies always have a lot of talking in them. One of the greatest examples is “Network”. Sidney Lumet, unlike many other directors, does not shy away from a lot of dialogue. Here he explains why: … Continue reading →

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The Entrance of the Star

Posted on June 17, 2004 by sheila

White Heat starts with no fanfare. A car shrieks along a curvy road. And then suddenly there’s James Cagney – big close-up. I like a movie that tosses us into the action, I like a movie that is centered on … Continue reading →

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