Taxi! (1932)

I've recently watched the 1932 James Cagney movie Taxi! (about two or three weeks ago) and it made me jealous just watching it. Other than that, it was very interesting to watch. It's definitely one of those James Cagney movies that should be on DVD but is not and would be recommended for any fan of Cagney. One of the scenes worth watching is the scene where James Cagney has a Yiddish conversation with a Jewish man who wants to go to Ellis Island to meet his family after a futile attempt at conversation with a police officer (James Cagney could speak fluent Yiddish from living in the diverse New York City neighborhood of Yorkville during his childhood). The policeman then asks Cagney what part of Ireland his family came from and of course, James Cagney's answer is hilarious: "Delancy Street, thank you!" (He says it with a broad smile and in an Irish or Jewish accent or whatever.) It was hard to believe that Loretta Young, who played Cagney's girlfriend and later his wife, was my age when she made this movie (she was 19), and that's what made me jealous. She actually got a crush on James Cagney while making the movie, and personally, I'm not surprised; it's very easy to be attracted to someone like James Cagney. But what makes me really jealous is that she gets to kiss her crush. But near the end of the film, Cagney knocks Young down when she tries to stop him from going after a rival. Imagine getting knocked down by your crush! James Cagney was very good as Matt Nolan, the pugnacious taxi driver, and was really something! This was actually one of the first movies where James Cagney's dancing skill was revealed, for example, in the dancing contest scene. It must've been a real surprise to moviegoers at that time, since they didn't really know that James Cagney was a hoofer. (And it once again made me jealous of Loretta Young. It must've been a great feeling dancing with James Cagney.) This movie was one of Warner Brothers' top moneymakers of the year and was reissued in 1935. Again, please feel free to chime in with your comments on this film. (Note: in the scene where the Cagney and the cab drivers gather for a meeting, Young reminded me of Lisa Simpson when she rose up to protest the violence that the cab drivers proposed to do.)

The James Cagney Show #3, which shows some of the end of this film. The canned laughter in the background is meant to make fun not of James Cagney but of sitcoms (which I personally enjoy).(P.S. In the related videos section at the end of the video, check out the video "James Cagney's Inappropriate Cell Phone." It's totally anachronistic):