ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

“Yankee Doodle Dandy” is a Musical Biographical Drama, Screenplay by Robert Buckner, Edmund Joseph, Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein Original Story by Robert Buckner, Music by George M. Cohan and Directed by Michael Curtiz.

It’s a biographical film about George M. Cohan (James Cagney) who produced, directed, wrote and starred in his own musical shows for which he composed his famous songs.

The film begins with his early days as a child-star in his family's vaudeville show, all the way through to the time of his comeback at which he received a medal from the president for his special contributions to the country.

Joan Leslie is delightful as his wife Mary, Walter Huston plays his father, Richard Whorf is his partner Sam Harris, Irene Manning shines as Fay Templeton, while the fine and varied supporting cast is completed by George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp, Jeanne Cagney, Frances Langford, George Barbier, S.Z. Sakall, Walter Catlett, Douglas Croft and Eddie Foy Jr.

 

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE (1941)

“The Strawberry Blonde” is a Musical Romantic Comedy, Screenplay by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, from the Play by James Hagan and Directed by Raoul Walsh.

It’s the story of pugnacious but likable young Dentist, Biff Grimes (James Cagney), around the turn-of-the-century, who lives with his ne'er-do-well father (Alan Hale), and they are both are noted for their scrappy personalities and quick tempers.

However, like every other young man in town, Biff has a crush on gorgeous and flirtatious 'strawberry blonde' Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth), who gets catcalls every time she walks down the street, but he’s joined in his admiration by his friends, Nick Pappalis (George Tobias), an immigrant Greek barber, and Hugo Barnsfeld (Jack Carson), an unscrupulously ambitious young man who doesn't let anything stand in the way of what he wants, including Virginia.

Meanwhile Virginia’s friend Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland) sets her cap at Biff.

The Strawberry Blonde is a Charming and entertaining turn-of-the-century romantic comedy and a great film to watch on a rainy afternoon, it will brighten your day.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)

 

“Once Upon a Time in America” is a Crime Drama, Screenplay by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini and Sergio Leone from the Novel by Harry Grey and Directed by Sergio Leone.

The film chronicles the lives of best friends David “Noodles” Aaronson (Robert De Niro) and Maximilian “Max” Bercovicz (James Woods) as they lead a group of Jewish ghetto youths from being petty criminals to being prominent Jewish gangsters in New York City's world of organized crime on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

The film explores themes of childhood friendships, love, lust, greed, betrayal, loss and broken relationships.

The film benefits from a fine and varied supporting cast including, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams, Tuesday Weld, Burt Young, Joe Pesci, William Forsythe and Danny Aiello.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE COTTON CLUB (1984)

 

“The Cotton Club” is a Crime Drama, Screenplay by Mario Puzo, William Kennedy and Francis Ford Coppola and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

The movie is centred around The Cotton Club in the late 1920s and early 30s Harlem, it’s a premium night club owned by Owney Madden (Bob Hoskins) and Frenchy Demange (Fred Gwynne),

Featuring the very best jazz musicians, singers and dancers and is frequented by the great and the good and the very not so good of the underworld.

A musician named Dixie Dwyer (Richard Gere) begins working with mobsters to advance his career but falls in love with Vera Cicero (Diane Lane) the girlfriend of gangland kingpin Dutch Schultz (James Remar).

The film benefits from a fine and varied supporting cast including, Gregory Hines, Lonette McKee, Nicolas Cage, Allen Garfield, Laurence Fishburne and Maurice Hines.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)

 

“The Untouchables” is a Crime Drama, Written by David Mamet, suggested by a book by Oscar Fraley and Eliot Ness and Directed by Brian De Palma.

The story is set during the era of Prohibition in the United States, when legendary crime boss Al Capone (Robert De Niro) rules Chicago with an iron fist after building an empire with bootleg alcohol.

Prohibition Agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) attempts to take Capone down, but due to widespread corruption within the Windy City's police force even his best efforts fail.

So because of the rampant corruption, he assembles an elite group of lawmen, a small hand-picked team who won't be swayed by bribes or fear, to help him, including Irish-American cop Jimmy Malone (Sean Connery), George Stone (Andy Garcia) and Oscar Wallace (Charles Martin Smith) and with his team in place Ness renewed his determination to bring Capone to justice.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931)

 

“The Public Enemy” is a Crime Drama, Written by Kubec Glasmon, John Bright and Harvey F. Thew and Directed by William A. Wellman.

The movie is the story of best friends and fellow gangsters, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle (James Cagney and Edward Woods).

However, their lives are frowned upon by Tom's straight-laced brother, Mike (Donald Cook), and Matt's straight laced sister, Molly (Rita Flynn).

Nonetheless the hoodlums rise up through the ranks of the Chicago underworld, from their teen-aged years into young adulthood, and have an increasingly lucrative life, bootlegging during the Prohibition era.

Tom in particular becomes more and more brazen in what he is willing to do and becomes more violent against those who stand in his way, disagree with him or cross him, until a gangster's accidental death threatens to spark a bloody mob war.

Also in the line-up are Robert Emmett O'Connor as Paddy Ryan and Joan Blondell as Mamie.

The most famous scene is of course, Cagney smashing a grapefruit into the face Mae Clarke (Jean Harlow), but there is a lot more to this film than that.

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939)

 

“The Roaring Twenties” is a Crime Drama, screenplay by Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay and Robert Rossen, from a Story by Mark Hellinger and Directed by Raoul Walsh.

The story begins in the dying moments of World War I and after the Armistice Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn) goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally (Humphrey Bogart) turns to bootlegging, and Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney) becomes a cab driver.

Through delivering bootleg liquor Eddie manages to build a fleet of cabs and hires Lloyd as his lawyer and George and Eddie become partners in the flourishing rackets, but love, loyalty and rivalry will ultimately bring everything crashing down.

Priscilla Lane, Gladys George, Frank McHugh and Paul Kelly complete the line up in this absolute classic

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – EACH DAWN I DIE (1939)

“Each Dawn I Die” is a Crime Drama, screenplay by Norman Reilly and Raine Warren Duff, from a Novel by Jerome Odlum and Directed by William Keighley.

In this prison classic, a top-notch newspaper reporter Frank Ross (James Cagney) angers a corrupt District Attorney with political ambitions, and with Ross’s news stories implicating him in criminal activity he decides to frame Ross for manslaughter in order to silence him.

Although innocent, he is found guilty and is sent to jail but while his friends at the newspaper try to find out who framed him, Frank gets hardened by prison life and his optimism turns to bitterness and then he meets fellow-

ALL-TIME CLASSIC MOVIE FAVOURITES – ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938)

 

“Angels with Dirty Faces” is a Crime Drama, screenplay by John Wexley and Warren Duff, from a story by Rowland Brown and Directed by Michael Curtiz.

It’s the story of two boyhood friends, Rocky Sullivan (James Cagney) and Jerry Connolly (Pat O'Brien) who were running from the police one night when Rocky was caught.

After he was arrested, he went into the prison system and became a lifelong criminal, while Jerry went straight and became a Catholic Priest and ministered to people in the same neighbourhood where he and Rocky grew up.

When Rocky is released from prison after his latest term, he resumes his criminal lifestyle and is hero worshipped by many of the local kids.

Jerry is worried that the kids will follow Rocky down the wrong path into the criminal world and works hard to keep them on the straight and narrow.

But no matter what he says he can’t get through to them, even after Rocky is convicted of murder and sentenced to the electric chair, so Jerry visits him on death row and asks him for one last favour.

A classic of the genre, with extraordinary acting by James Cagney, ably complimented by Pat O'Brien as his friend, Humphrey Bogart who is the perfect actor as the arch villain, and the radiant Ann Sheridan adds a feminine touch.