Posted on 08/17/2025 5:36:52 PM PDT by simpson96
Immediately following World War II, ex-Nazi Franz Kindler is living under a false identity as a teacher in a small Connecticut town, and even married the headmaster's daughter as part of his cover. Then one of Kindler's old associates arrives unexpectedly in town, bringing in his wake a sly federal investigator, and Kindler resorts to desperate measures to preserve his secret.
The following films ( not including the one in this thread, nor THE TEN COMMANDMENTS and SOYLENT GREEN ) wherein he plays completely different types of roles are: 1) THE RED HOUSE 2)OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES 3) DE. ERLICH'S MAGIC BULLET 4) THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW; all really good films!
Totally agree on Robinson, great actor. In “Double Indemnity” he makes actuarial tables sound interesting.
I don't want to spoil it, even after 85 years, but that was the point of my post! It was a transformative performance. Out with the old, in with the new.
-PJ
So we’re at least two others films of his: LARCENY, INC. and A SLIGHT CASE OF Murder!
Then there are THESEAWolf, FLESH AND FANTASY, ALL MY SONS, and even more where he doesn’t play a gangster ever!
Brother Orchid was from 1940. Yankee Doodle Dandy was released two years later. The truth was that Cagney was a dancer as a youth and got a role as a punk gangster that launched his career. It took him at least a decade to break out of the stereotype and let him play different genre roles, just like Robinson.
-PJ
I'm with you on that one. Two other great movies I recommend from that era are "Kings Row" and "Green Dolphin Street". I think Kings Row is one of the greatest movies ever made.
Prior to Yankee Doodle Dandy ( 1942 ), James Cagney made MANY movies in which he was neither a gangster nor just a petty criminal. Because there are SO many of these, I shall only list a few years and films to prove you incorrect.
1930/'31: OTHER MEN'S WOMEN ( released a second time in '31 with this title change )
1931:THE MILLIONAIRE
1932: WINNER TAKE ALL, THE CROWD ROARS, FOOTLIGHT PARADE ( in which he sings and dances with Ruby Keeler! )
1933: PICTURE SNATCHER,
1934 THE SAINT LOUIS KID, HERE COMES THE NAVY,JIMMY THE GENT
1935: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, G MEN, DEVIL DOGS OF THE AIR, THE IRISH IN US
AND SO ON AND SO ON, AND SO ON...ALL MADE PRIOR TO 1942! Go look the rest of the years up, I'm NOT typing out all of the rest of them from '36 through the one he made in '42, prior to Yankee Doodle Dandy!
I'm sure you're right, but those sound like the movies that were made during the transition from silent to talkies, and pre-code.
I'm talking about breakout movies. Now, if you want to talk about the movies he made with his best friend Pat O'Brien...
Here Comes The Navy stands out for its on-site location filming in 1934 on the deck of the USS Arizona, giving viewers a look at the iconic battleship just seven years before its destruction at Pearl Harbor.
For that alone, it's worth watching.
-PJ
The "transition" between Silents and Talkies began in 1929 with THE JAZZ SINGER and by 1930-'31...were completely TRANSITIONED! And FYI...THE HAYS ACT, followed by the HAYES CODE of 1934, did NOT completely "clean up" ALL films; that really took close to 10 years to solidify.
And just WHAT do you consider to be a "BREAKOUT" movie? FOOTLIGHT PARADE was a HUGE hit and Cagney singing and dancing ( he was a Broadway actor/singer and especially dancer ) prior to being in films! ) was a BIG DEAL!
If memory serves, before and after Yankee Doodle Dandy, he only sang and danced in: TAXI, FOOTLIGHT PARADE, AND THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS. I may have missed one, but that's what I've seen him do so in.
And I'd hardly call HERE COMES THE NAVY all THAT much of a "big deal", battleship or not, that was bombed in the attack of Pearl Harbor!
You're just trying to wiggle out of the gaff you made, by changing the subject...but it's NOT working!
Look, we both enjoy old movies; however, I'm a stickler for facts and so I corrected what you posted. Lets just leave it at that. :-)
I meant break out of the stereotype.
-PJ
Litmus test: Did manned Apollo ships land on the moon?
A "BREAKOUT" role for an actor or actress is one where they are no longer an "EXTRA" or have a minor role and has either a a top of the kine supporting role or one of the leads and EVERYONE is awed and amazed by just how great a job he or she has done.
TYPECASTING is a problem for some; however, there is no such thing as a "breakout", nor even "TRANSITION", re acting on stage,screen, and/or on T.V.!
And as far as James Cagney and yes, Edward G. Robinson go, both played MANY different kinds of roles almost from the very start of their film careers!
You are very interested in and enjoy movies, but PLEASE don't post your own opinions as "FACT" and should someone else who KNOWS the facts, takes the time to post them, learn from that and stop trying to prove your point.
Excellent movie.
The Third Man is good also.
All good picks. The long opening tracking shot in the beginning of Touch of Evil is awesome.
Watch Detour. Shot as a cheap B movie and it is one of the best noirs ever.
I grew up watching old B&W movies as they played late night and my Dad was a niteowl and let us stay up late on the weekends. This was before cable and all the channels you get now.
> This was before cable and all the channels you get now. <
I remember those days. We got three regular channels plus one PBS channel. And plenty of quality programming.
Now there are dozens of channels, and very little quality programming.
Odd, huh?
I loved him in A Slight Case of Murder, where he played a comic version of his gangster persona.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Slight_Case_of_Murder
There were some really bad films late at night. The Late Late movie came on a 1:00 AM Saturday and was usually a really bad sci fi movie, but you watched it anyway because there was no other channels still on the air.
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