Something to Sing About (1937)

I just recently watched the 1937 James Cagney film Something to Sing About, and I didn't really like it. James Cagney was good as Terry Rooney, the New York bandleader who goes to Hollywood and becomes an overnight sensation, but takes off for the South Seas with his new bride after completing his first film, convinced he's a flop. I had a couple of nitpickings about this films, such as it was too sweet for my taste--sweeter than a Shirley Temple movie. I much prefer the comically cynical Footlight Parade to this movie. Furthermore, in his performance, Cagney sometimes acts like one of those annoying adults. Yet, despite my many nitpickings, there are a few scenes I kinda liked, such as the scene where Cagney dances with two guys on the ship during his honeymoon and the ending scene where Jimmy Cagney comes back to the nightclub where his band plays.
By 1936, James Cagney was one of the top ten moneymaking stars in Hollywood. He was also one of Warner Bros.' most versatile stars, equally effective in musicals, gangster films, and comedies. But he was unhappy with the studio's recent choice of material, and its demand that he make five films a year instead of the four his contract stipulated. So he took them to court, won, and walked out, shocking Hollywood by signing with Grand National, a newly formed independent company. His first Grand National film, Great Guy (1936) was well received. His second was Something to Sing About (1937), Cagney's first musical since Footlight Parade (1933).

Playing opposite Cagney was Evelyn Daw, a 20-year-old newcomer from South Dakota with a terrific soprano voice. Daw made only one more film before disappearing from the screen, although she continued to work in theater and opera. Standouts in the supporting cast are William Frawley (the future Fred Mertz for those of you who are I Love Lucy fans) as a publicist, and Gene Lockhart playing the studio boss, a conniving blowhard who cons Cagney's character into an unfair contract. Some Hollywood insiders noted the resemblance to Jack Warner. Sure I did enjoy the many satirizations of Hollywood but they weren't satirical enough to fit my tastes.

Critics were glad to see Cagney back in tap shoes, and playing a romantic lead for a change. Otis Ferguson of the New Republic gave Something to Sing About points for effort, saying "much can be done by good people who break away and bring the industry up short by independent accomplishment." But in spite of all the freshness and energy that Cagney and his colleagues brought to the film, they couldn't overcome the fact that the budget for Something to Sing About was skimpy (it was all the fledgling studio could afford), the music wasn't memorable, and the film didn't receive wide distribution. This film was no Singin' in the Rain or Anchors Aweigh since it didn't have any memorable scenes as well. (I always get Anchors Aweigh and On the Town mixed up: is the scene where Gene Kelly dances with the cartoon mouse in AA or OTT?) In an era of studio domination, an independent didn't have a chance (a proven point of the phrase "There's just no room for the little guy").

If Something to Sing About can be said to have any interest at all, other than as a curiosity in a great star's career, it is for the conscious analogies it permits one to draw between Terry Rooney's fictional movie career and Cagney's genuine one. Cagney walked out on Warner Bros. many times, like his character in this film did once, but he always came back and signed a new contract, just like his character in this film signs a seven-year contract (which also says that he has to be a bachelor in case his many female fans wanna sleep with him [sorry if that was a little off-color but it was implied] but that really has no connection with Cagney's film career). And if any of you have seen this movie, you'll know that Terry Rooney's real name is Thaddeus MacGillicudy and if ur also an I Love Lucy fan, u'll know that Lucy Ricardo's maiden name is MacGillicudy. So u can see that this movie has some connections with I Love Lucy, with the future Fred Mertz and the name MacGillicudy.

This movie also offers a glimpse of some of Cagney's comedic ability that we never really got to see. According to the book "Cagney" by John McCabe:

One of Cagney's key characteristics as a performer is too briefly and
tantalizingly touched on in Something to Sing About: his essential status as a
comedic actor. There is no performance in the first two thirds of his career
that is marked by comedy, even if sardonic and bitter. In the present film, as
he and his wife are walking down the street, he is explaining film comedy and
brilliantly illustrates five of its staples: a double take, a triple take, and a
triple take with a slow burn and one-eyed fadeaway, this last done in the style
of its great master, Jimmy Finlayson, Laurel and Hardy's prime stooge. Cagney
then caps these with veteran Keystone comic Charlie Murray's famous
mouth-ends-down grimace, which causes a lady passing by to scream in fright.
With regrettable brevity we glimpse Cagney the Clown, of whom, alas, we see
little in his career.

I would recommend this film to any James Cagney who likes seeing him in musicals. Happy commenting!! And have a wonderful holiday season!!

(Next blog: Great Guy [1936])

Clips from Something to Sing About:

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

I just recently watched the 1942 James Cagney movie Yankee Doodle Dandy, and it was quite fun. James Cagney was bravura as George M. Cohan, the famous patriotic song-and-dance man who gave us such songs as "Yankee Doodle Boy" and "You're a Grand Old Flag." Cagney won his only Oscar™ for Best Actor for this role (and I'm proud of him). One of my favorite songs in this film is "Harrigan" but only because of the way Cagney sings it—with an Irish brogue. I love it when he uses an Irish accent!
Although he now seems the only logical choice, Cagney would have missed out on his big chance if a deal between Cohan and MGM to make a film to be called The Four Cohans hadn't fizzled out. Covering the years when Cohan had toured with his father, mother and sister, the movie would have starred Mickey Rooney as the young Cohan. The deal collapsed after studio head Louis B. Mayer refused to allow Cohan the right to final cut on the proposed film. The next movie mogul to show an interest in the project was Samuel Goldwyn, who had a commitment to make a film starring Fred Astaire. When Astaire refused the role of Cohan as not right for him, the rights were picked up by Warner Bros., who cast resident star Cagney in the role with Cohan's blessings. (And it's a good thing too! Can u imagine Mickey Rooney or Fred Astaire playing George M. Cohan?) Cagney, in particular, was eager to play Cohan because he was, at the time, suspected of being a communist sympathizer due to his union activities (he was president of the Screen Actors' Guild) and because of his open support of the New Deal. He wanted to show his patriotism on screen, and the George M. Cohan story was the perfect vehicle to do this.












Yankee Doodle Dandy, with its many flag-waving musical numbers, proved just the ticket for World War II-era audiences and became the top-grossing movie of its year, as well as Warners' top-grossing movie to that time. It was nominated for Academy Awards in eight categories, including Best Picture and Director (Curtiz), and won three Oscars, including one for Cagney as Best Actor. I also find it amazing that Joan Leslie, who played Cohan's wife Mary, was younger than me when she made this film (she was 17).



The problem with biopics is that they are often fictionalized for dramatic effect (Hollywood is very notorious for these sorts of things), and this one is no exception! I could hardly tell what was fact and what was fiction when watching this movie. Let that be a lesson: Never attribute anything you've learned to a Hollywood movie or TV show. (I think I'm being a bit hypocritical when I say that because I usually attribute everything I've learned to The Simpsons or Family Guy, which are not the most reliable sources for information .)











One of Curtiz' keys to success was the decision to allow Cagney free rein in his scenes, permitting the actor to improvise as the cameras were rolling. A prime example, and reportedly Cagney's favorite moment in the film, is when he suddenly breaks into a tap-dance as he comes down the stairs in a scene at the White House where Cohan has met with President Franklin Roosevelt. The ordinarily hard-boiled Curtiz was so moved by the scene in which Cohan bids farewell to his dying father (Walter Huston) that he reportedly ruined a take with his loud sobs. (I didn't really cry at that scene, which surprised me, but I've cried at scenes that were more emotionally powerful, like one scene in a Shirley Temple film.)
Walter Huston was especially great in this film; he would later be in the Humphrey Bogart film Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), which was directed by his son, John Huston. (Little trivia question: Who is Walter Huston's granddaughter?) He earlier appeared in an uncredited role in another Bogart film The Maltese Falcon (1941), which was also directed by his son.







Makeup effects play a big role in the film, especially in the simulated aging of the actors who play the Cohans (sorry, I can't think of a better way to say it) to show the effects of the ravages of time. Despite being an avid James Cagney fan, this film is not my most favorite of his films—as much as I like seeing Cagney dance. Being a world traveler, who is not very cosmopolitan but has international interests, I find the vulgar flag-waving in this film too much for my tastes. (And I almost forgot to add that I enjoyed the "Little Johnny Jones" musical number.)

Anyway, this film is a must for any James Cagney fan, no matter how universal their interests are! Happy commenting! (Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that James Cagney's sister Jeanne Cagney is in this film. You can totally see the resemblance between them. She's almost like a female version of him. So it's pretty cute that they're always "together" in the scenes of the Cohans' dancing numbers.)

(Next blog: He Was Her Man [1934])

Clips from this film (sans the rendition of "Yankee Doodle Boy" by Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland in the first video):

What Makes James Cagney So Great?

I'm taking a break between James Cagney film reviews to do what seems to be another James Cagney blog. Now I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, what makes James Francis Cagney, Jr. so great? Well, for one thing, it's his amazing ability to do a wide variety of roles; another thing is his amazing charisma and the fact that he could spark up the the screen with his personality and his lightning energy (does that make sense?) Orson Welles once said that "watching James Cagney acting was like watching a bunch of firecrackers going off." James Cagney probably could do every genre possible: drama, war, gangster, musical, crime, comedy, adventure, Western, biopic, epic, film noir, etc. And somehow his proficiency (did I spell that right?) as an actor ranged as far as Shakespeare, which he had no experience in, but conquered (not so well) in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935). (And let me tell that that movie is the only thing do with Shakespeare that I would ever touch.) And it seems ironic that even though we know Jimmy Cagney as a tough guy, he won his only Oscar™ for his portrayal of song-and-dance man George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy. So, tell me, folks; what do you think makes James Cagney so great. Please comment w/ your input. Thanx.

The Strawberry Blonde (1941)

I've recently been watching the 1941 James Cagney movie, The Strawberry Blonde and it is a very delightful romantic comedy. As well as James Cagney, it features other famous stars such as Olivia DeHavilland and Rita Hayworth. I really liked how the film had that turn-of-the-century look and how Rita Hayworth plays the love interest. I always knew that she was a sex queen like Marilyn Monroe—but not as iconic—and this must be the role that established that status. Olivia de Havilland returns as Cagney's girlfriend—she previously played a similar role in The Irish in Us (1935)—even though she doesn't start out that way because she is one of those woman suffragists who were common during the turn of the century and Cagney's character has old-fashioned values.

I found it kind of curious that Cagney was starring that takes place around the time during which he was born (he was born in 1899). What I also noticed about him in this film is that his voice is more high-pitched than normal and that he uses his body more (or maybe the speed of the film was faster than normal). When I first saw this film, I didn't really feel sorry for Cagney when he struggles to win Hayworth's love (even though I've had similar experiences, it's still very cruel of me); however, whenever I watch this film now, I feel sympathy for him, especially when he hears that Rita Hayworth eloped with his rival. (In that same scene, I find the giggling girl who's date of one of Cagney's friends very annoying and weird !)

No matter what, I still found James Cagney terrific as Biff Grimes, a New York corresponding dental student who loves Rita Hayworth but finds himself marrying Olivia de Havilland out of spite against his supposed friend, who he feels is walking over him. I also find it very funny that James Cagney takes his revenge on his rival near the end of the film by pulling out his painful tooth without gas! That could be a legitimate reason for being afraid of going to the dentist: You're paranoid that the dentist could take revenge against you—if he has any reason to. It was also in this film that I've realized how short James Cagney actually is; he seems so dimuinitive compared to his co-stars. (Of course, I'm short myself, so it's no big deal for me. James Cagney was actually taller than I am.)

I'm very sorry if this film review isn't as good as the other film reviews, but I don't know enough about this film, except that the screenplay was written by the Epstein brothers, the same guys who wrote the screenplay for Casablanca. As for the recommendations, I would recommend it for James Cagney fans who love to see the guy in romantic comedies and other versatile roles (as well as being a romantic comedy, this film is also a drama). Once again, comments & opinions on this film are encouraged!

Footlight Parade (1933)

I just decided I could write a blog about a James Cagney movie that I watched recently but not for the first time, so I decided to do a blog about the 1933 James Cagney movie Footlight Parade. Yes, yes, yes, I know I'm supposed to watch White Heat, but I'll get to that later. Anyway, Footlight Parade is one of the prime examples of James Cagney's musical talents, next to Yankee Doodle Dandy and one of Busby Berkeley's masterpieces. It is a backstage story like 42nd Street and has Pre-Code humor. It is probably the only Busby Berkeley film with a major, charismatic actor (James Cagney; Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler aren't really major actors). James Cagney is so fun to watch in this film as he deals with the recent divorce with his wife and working under pressure to come up with prologues for movie theaters (I'm not very familiar with movie theater prologues snce I'm from a much younger generation). In this film, Cagney showed audiences that he was a hoofer (yes, I'm surprised I know that word too) as well as a gangster, that he shouldn't be typecast as a gangster and that his versatility should be put to good use.

I really loved the humorously fast-paced (probably wouldn't be good for a Marx Brothers movie) backstage plot that precedes the famous Busby Berkeley musical numbers—my favorite number among them is "Shanghai Lil" because that's the one where you get to see Jimmy Cagney dance and hear him sing, and that's a real treat—especially the scene where Frank McHugh choreographs the dancers in the cat number while copying the moves of a real cat, literally. I also love the scene where Joan Blondell has a catfight with Cagney's love interest. By the way, Joan Blondell is just fabulous as James Cagney's secretary who loves him but he doesn't know it, especially when he falls for a old rival of hers. (I know how that feels. I've had that happened to me in my 19 years of life.) I was really amazed by the spectacular "By a Waterfall' water sequence the first time I saw the movie. I read somewhere that the sequence was done in a pool that took up an entire soundstage, with actual water slides on the side (the water was pumped by technicians during shooting) and was lined with glass on the sides and floor. Still, I see no reason watching the sequence whenever I watch the film because for one thing, there is no James Cagney, and for another thing, it's too long. I would recommend this movie for any James Cagney fan, especially one who loves to see him in musicals—yes, even James Cagney's 1937 non-Warner Bros. musical Something to Sing About, which would've been better had it not suffered from its studio's small budget (FYI, it was made by Grand National, a small, independent studio; a prime example of the saying, "There's just no room for the little guy"). This is one of my favorite Warner Brothers musicals—next to Yankee Doodle Dandy, which is just too patriotic for me—and one of the top Busby Berkeley musicals. By the way, I know you guys love reading my James Cagney film reviews, so don't worry; there are more coming! Once again, please feel free to comment on this blog with your own opinions on this film.
Clip from this movie (I did not make this video):