All About Cagney

Interesting things about James Cagney that you should know. I copied the text below from my PowerPoint Presentation about the guy. Unfortunately, I won't be able to share the presentation with you guys.

Started his showbiz career in vaudeville and then moved on to Broadway.
— Had one of the longest marriages in Hollywood.
— Grew up in the same neighborhood that the Marx Brothers grew up in, though at different times, just by one decade.
— Had freckles and red hair. His fair complexion was covered by heavy makeup to adapt to heavy lighting.
— Was a modest, shy man in private life.
— Had all sorts of talents, so he was useful in all film genres as well as gangster pictures.
— Was adverse to being typecast as a gangster, but unfortunately, the image stuck with him even after he died. So we all know him as a tough guy character.
— Was one of the first actors to rebel against the authoritarian studio system of Hollywood during the 1930s and ‘40s.
— Was President of the Screen Actors’ Guild twice.
— At 5’6, he was short but taller than me. Women were attracted to him, although he wasn’t as hot and sexy as Brad Pitt. (Clark Gable was really the Brad Pitt of the ’30s.)

— Always described himself as a song-and-dance man. There is often a hint of his talented dancing in his gait in some of his films, especially in Angels with Dirty Faces.
— Was quite charming and cute, despite being unhandsome (yes, there’s a difference).
— Had a little-boy quality in him that made you wanna take care of him, despite being abused. (Thank you, Kevin Spacey.)
— Wasn’t as childish as the Marx Brothers (he was almost ten to eight years younger than most of them while being two years older than Zeppo).
— Was quite athletic and muscular, so there’s a reason he has a few sports movies.
— Had a farm in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., which he visited often. Even though he was a city boy, Cagney preferred country life to city life. He also had a farm in upstate New York, which is the farm he died on.
— Was born in the same year as Humphrey Bogart, Charles Boyer, Fred Astaire, etc.
— Cagney did go to Columbia College but withdrew after a semester to help support his family.
— Was the first actor to win the AFI Achievement Award (no wait, that was John Ford).
Born in New York City on July 17, 1899
— Was a Cancer just like me!
— His name started with the letter J just like my name
— He is a July baby like me
— His middle name was Francis
— Was of Irish-Norwegian descent.