One of Hollywood's all-time greats, James Cagney was a force of nature. He came to prominence in 1931 playing ruthless killer Tom Powers in "Public Enemy." The film featured the famous grapefruit scene where Cagney smashes a grapefruit into co-star Mae Clark's face. (Cagney claimed he was offered grapefruits in restaurants for the next 20 years.) Cagney went on to star in numerous 30's gangster films. In those days, film gunplay involved live ammunition. In the 1932 film "Taxi," Cagney was nearly shot. He refused to work with live bullets again. In 1935, Cagney sued Warner Brothers for breach of contract and became the first actor to win a lawsuit against a Hollywood studio. (Jack Warner dubbed him "The Professional Againster.") Cagney's screen lines became legendary ("What do you hear, what do you say") but he never uttered the line he was most known for: "You dirty rat!" The 1949 film "White Heat" is largely considered the greatest gangster film ever made. Cagney plays psychotic gangster Cody Jarrett prone to headaches and violent outbursts. The prison scene where Cagney goes berserk and fights an army of guards shows Cagney at the peak of his powers. The film ends with Cagney atop a gas storage tank yelling "Made it ma! Top of the world" just before the tank goes up in a massive explosion. Cagney retired from acting in 1961 even turning down a role in "The Godfather, Part II." In 1981, he played a small role in "Ragtime" despite ongoing battles with diabetes and sciatica. He remained married to his wife Frances for 64 years until his death by heart attack in 1986. Ronald Reagan delivered the eulogy at his funeral. (5" x 7", black ink print)Monday, February 27, 2012
Cagney
One of Hollywood's all-time greats, James Cagney was a force of nature. He came to prominence in 1931 playing ruthless killer Tom Powers in "Public Enemy." The film featured the famous grapefruit scene where Cagney smashes a grapefruit into co-star Mae Clark's face. (Cagney claimed he was offered grapefruits in restaurants for the next 20 years.) Cagney went on to star in numerous 30's gangster films. In those days, film gunplay involved live ammunition. In the 1932 film "Taxi," Cagney was nearly shot. He refused to work with live bullets again. In 1935, Cagney sued Warner Brothers for breach of contract and became the first actor to win a lawsuit against a Hollywood studio. (Jack Warner dubbed him "The Professional Againster.") Cagney's screen lines became legendary ("What do you hear, what do you say") but he never uttered the line he was most known for: "You dirty rat!" The 1949 film "White Heat" is largely considered the greatest gangster film ever made. Cagney plays psychotic gangster Cody Jarrett prone to headaches and violent outbursts. The prison scene where Cagney goes berserk and fights an army of guards shows Cagney at the peak of his powers. The film ends with Cagney atop a gas storage tank yelling "Made it ma! Top of the world" just before the tank goes up in a massive explosion. Cagney retired from acting in 1961 even turning down a role in "The Godfather, Part II." In 1981, he played a small role in "Ragtime" despite ongoing battles with diabetes and sciatica. He remained married to his wife Frances for 64 years until his death by heart attack in 1986. Ronald Reagan delivered the eulogy at his funeral. (5" x 7", black ink print)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Really enjoy the deep character etched into the face, he was a brilliant actor and his rich personality comes through in this work. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the invitation to visit your blog. Your creations are impressive.
ReplyDeleteI adore James Cagney...am currently reading his autobiography. (Just checked it out from the library today, so I'm not far yet.) I truly believe he is one of the greatest actors who has ever lived!