Great Guy

Last updated
Great Guy
Great Guy FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by John G. Blystone
Written by Henry Ruskin
(additional dialogue)
Screenplay by Henry McCarty
Henry Johnson
Story by James Edward Grant
("The Johnnie Cave Stories")
Produced by Douglas MacLean
Starring James Cagney
CinematographyJack MacKenzie
Edited byRussell F. Schoemgarth
Production
company
Zion Meyers Productions
Distributed by Grand National Pictures
Release date
  • December 1936 (1936-12)
Running time
66 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Great Guy is a 1936 American crime film noir directed by John G. Blystone and starring James Cagney. In the film, an honest inspector for the New York Department of Weights and Measures takes on corrupt merchants and politicians.

Contents

Plot

After the Chief Deputy of the Department of Weights and Measures is nearly killed in a car accident engineered by corrupt politician Marty Cavanaugh, he enlists ex-boxer Johnny Cave to take over his position. Johnny learns from Joe Green, the chief deputy, that there are men who are higher up in the organization than Marty. As the new leader, Johnny reiterates to his team the importance of their department and warns them that corruption is an ongoing hazard.

Johnny then goes out into the field with his naive partner, Patrick James "Aloysius" Haley, investigating merchants who are accused of using faulty measures and cheating the public. He ends up fining a market for adding lead weights to stewing chickens and fining a gas station for routinely shortchanging its customers. In each case, the merchants try to bribe Johnny in exchange for ignoring their corrupt practices, but he adamantly refuses. Meanwhile, Johnny's fiancee, Janet Henry, criticizes him for being constantly hardheaded in his indefatigable pursuit of fighting corruption.

Later on, Cavanaugh offers Johnny a cushy job with his organization in exchange for turning a blind eye to his citywide racket. After he refuses, Johnny is framed for both drunk driving and a robbery, but is then "exonerated" by an ornery Cavanaugh, implying that he can make or break him. Afterwards, the mayor, a puppet for Cavanaugh, offers Johnny a high paying job, but once again he refuses.

When Johnny learns that Janet's boss, Abel Canning, has been swindling a local orphanage by sending them half-shipments of food but charging them full-price, he declares that he's going to expose him for the criminal that he is. Once he realizes that Canning is in an alliance with both the mayor and Cavanaugh, Johnny releases the orphanage story to the newspapers, which angers his fiancee and eventually leads to her breaking their engagement.

As Johnny prepares for the case against Canning, Cavanaugh hires a thug, ex-wrestler Joe Burton, to attack and steal the evidence from him. However, instead of turning over the evidence to Canning, Burton decides to blackmail him for $5,000. While at a big cocktail party, Canning gives Burton a $5,000 check in exchange for a key to his apartment where the evidence is hid. After Johnny notices Canning at the party with a skeleton key, he spots Burton exiting a side room. Johnny goes over to Burton and punches him in the face, then removes what he thinks is the stolen evidence from his jacket pocket, but instead discovers a check written by Canning. He then realizes that Canning is on his way to retrieve the evidence in Burton's apartment.

Meanwhile, at the apartment, Canning and Cavanaugh locate the evidence hidden behind some wallpaper in a closet. They are about to burn the papers when Johnny arrives just in time, preventing them from destroying the evidence. Then, thanks to a tip by Janet, the police arrive moments later and arrest the two men. Later on, with Johnny and Janet's engagement back on, he presents her with a ring that he got on the "installment plan," even though he knows it's a racket.

Cast

Great Guy (1936)

Background

Great Guy was the first of two films James Cagney made for independent film company Grand National Pictures, after he successfully broke his contract with Warner Brothers. After completing his second film, the musical Something to Sing About (which was not a financial success), Cagney returned to Warners. [1]

The technical adviser for the film was Charles M. Fuller, who was the Los Angeles County Sealer of Weights and Measures. [2] The story was based on several written pieces that appeared in The Saturday Evening Post in 1933 and 1934, written by James Edward Grant. [3] Early press releases for Great Guy list Henry McCarty, Harry Ruskin and Horace McCoy as contributing writers for the film, but later on, McCoy was dropped from credits, and Henry Johnson was added as a co-writer. [4]

Reception

Writing for The Spectator in 1937, Graham Greene gave the film a good review, praising Cagney as an actor who "seldom disappoints", and whose performance in this film provides "more sophisticated humour than usual". According to Greene, "the scenes with the ward politicians, the Mayor, the philanthropist, crooks all, are pleasantly phosphorescent with corruption, and so is the admirable climax at the evening party". [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Cagney</span> American actor and dancer (1899–1986)

James Francis Cagney Jr. was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances.

<i>Lady for a Day</i> 1933 film by Frank Capra

Lady for a Day is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra. The screenplay by Robert Riskin is based on the 1929 short story "Madame La Gimp" by Damon Runyon. It was the first film for which Capra received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director and the first Columbia Pictures release to be nominated for Best Picture. Capra also directed its 1961 remake, Pocketful of Miracles.

<i>Angels with Dirty Faces</i> 1938 American gangster film

Angels with Dirty Faces is a 1938 American crime drama film directed by Michael Curtiz for Warner Brothers. It stars James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, The Dead End Kids, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, and George Bancroft. The screenplay was written by John Wexley and Warren Duff based on the story by Rowland Brown. The film chronicles the relationship of the notorious gangster William "Rocky" Sullivan with his childhood friend and now-priest Father Jerry Connolly. After spending three years in prison for armed robbery, Rocky intends to collect $100,000 from his co-conspirator Jim Frazier, a mob lawyer. All the while, Father Connolly tries to prevent a group of youths from falling under Rocky's influence.

<i>Marked Woman</i> 1937 film directed by Lloyd Bacon

Marked Woman is a 1937 American dramatic crime film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, with featured performances by Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Jane Bryan, Eduardo Ciannelli and Allen Jenkins. Set in the underworld of Manhattan, Marked Woman tells the story of a woman who dares to stand up to one of the city's most powerful gangsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Raft</span> American actor (1895–1980)

George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembered for his gangster roles in Quick Millions (1931) with Spencer Tracy, Scarface (1932) with Paul Muni, Each Dawn I Die (1939) with James Cagney, Invisible Stripes (1939) with Humphrey Bogart, and Billy Wilder's comedy Some Like It Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon; and as a dancer in Bolero (1934) with Carole Lombard and a truck driver in They Drive by Night (1940) with Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino and Bogart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allen Jenkins</span> American actor (1900–1974)

Allen Curtis Jenkins was an American character actor, voice actor and singer who worked on stage, film, and television. He may be best known to baby-boomer audiences as the voice of Officer Charlie Dibble in the Hanna-Barbera TV cartoon series Top Cat (1961–62).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rampart scandal</span> Police corruption scandal that happened in Los Angeles, California, US

The Rampart scandal was a police corruption scandal which unfolded in Los Angeles, California, United States, during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The scandal concerned widespread criminal activity within the Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH) anti-gang unit of the Los Angeles Police Department's Rampart Division. More than 70 police officers were initially implicated in various forms of misconduct, including unprovoked shootings and beatings, planting of false evidence, stealing and dealing narcotics, bank robbery, perjury and cover-ups thereof.

<i>Frankie and Johnny</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Garry Marshall

Frankie and Johnny is a 1991 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in their first film together since Scarface (1983). Héctor Elizondo, Nathan Lane, and Kate Nelligan appear in supporting roles. The original score was composed by Marvin Hamlisch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat O'Brien (actor)</span> American actor (1899–1983)

William Joseph Patrick O'Brien was an American film actor with more than 100 screen credits. Of Irish descent, he often played Irish and Irish-American characters and was referred to as "Hollywood's Irishman in Residence" in the press. One of the best-known screen actors of the 1930s and 1940s, he played priests, cops, military figures, pilots, and reporters. He is especially well-remembered for his roles in Knute Rockne, All American (1940), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), and Some Like It Hot (1959). He was frequently paired onscreen with Hollywood star James Cagney. O'Brien also appeared on stage and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Carson</span> Canadian-American actor (1910–1963)

John Elmer Carson, known as Jack Carson, was a Canadian-born American film actor. Carson often played the role of comedic friend in films of the 1940s and 1950s, including The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) with Cary Grant. He appeared in such dramas as Mildred Pierce (1945), A Star is Born (1954), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). He worked for RKO and MGM, but most of his notable work was for Warner Bros.

<i>The Mayor of Hell</i> 1933 film

The Mayor of Hell is a 1933 American pre-Code Warner Brothers film starring James Cagney. The film was remade in 1938 as Crime School with Humphrey Bogart taking over James Cagney's role and Hell's Kitchen with Ronald Reagan in 1939.

<i>Copkiller</i> 1983 Italian crime thriller film by Roberto Faenza

Copkiller (Italian: Copkiller (L'assassino dei poliziotti)), also released as Corrupt, Corrupt Lieutenant, and The Order of Death, is a 1983 Italian crime thriller film directed by Roberto Faenza and starring Harvey Keitel and John Lydon, the lead singer for the bands Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. It is based on Hugh Fleetwood's 1977 novel The Order of Death, with a screenplay by Fleetwood, Faenza and Ennio de Concini. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone. The plot follows a psychological cat-and-mouse game between a corrupt police officer (Keitel) and a disturbed young man (Lydon) against the backdrop of murders committed by a serial killer who is targeting police officers.

<i>The Angels Wash Their Faces</i> 1939 film by Ray Enright

The Angels Wash Their Faces is a 1939 Warner Bros. film directed by Ray Enright and starring Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and the Dead End Kids.

<i>Something to Sing About</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Victor Schertzinger

Something to Sing About (1937), re-released in 1947 as Battling Hoofer, is the second and final film James Cagney made for Grand National Pictures – the first being Great Guy – before mending relations with and returning to Warner Bros. It is one of the few films besides Footlight Parade and Yankee Doodle Dandy to showcase Cagney's singing and dancing talents. It was directed by Victor Schertzinger, who also wrote the music and lyrics of the original songs, as well as the story that Austin Parker's screenplay is based on. Cagney's co-stars are Evelyn Daw and William Frawley, and the film features performances by Gene Lockhart and Mona Barrie.

<i>Lady Killer</i> (1933 film) 1933 film by Roy Del Ruth

Lady Killer is a 1933 American pre-Code crime drama film starring James Cagney, Mae Clarke, and Margaret Lindsay, based on the story "The Finger Man" by Rosalind Keating Shaffer. The picture was directed by Roy Del Ruth.

<i>Big City</i> (1937 film) 1937 film by Frank Borzage, George B. Seitz

Big City is a 1937 American drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Luise Rainer and Spencer Tracy. The film was also released as Skyscraper Wilderness.

<i>Behind Green Lights</i> 1946 film by Otto Brower

Behind Green Lights is a 1946 American crime film directed by Otto Brower and starring Carole Landis, William Gargan and Mary Anderson. It was produced and distributed by Twentieth Century Fox.

<i>Johnny Come Lately</i> 1943 film by William K. Howard

Johnny Come Lately is a 1943 drama film directed by William K. Howard starring James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main and Hattie McDaniel. It was the first film produced by Cagney's brother, William Cagney.

<i>The Great Plane Robbery</i> (1940 film) 1940 American film

The Great Plane Robbery is a 1940 crime-adventure B film directed by Lewis D. Collins. Collins was more often associated with directing serials for Universal and Columbia Pictures. It stars Jack Holt, Stanley Fields and Noel Madison. Though typical of the melodramas that Holt made after transitioning from silent screen epics, western and adventure films were his forte. Reviewer Hal Erickson found it ironic that Holt, who in real life had a fear of flying, starred in so many aviation-oriented films. It was written by Albert DeMond from a story by Harold Greene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Bush (actor)</span> American actor (1907–1987)

James Bush was an American actor from the 1930s until the early 1950s. He appeared in more than 100 television shows and films, more than 80 of them being feature films.

References

  1. Balio, Tino (1995). Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930-1939. University of California Press. p. 323. ISBN   9780520203341 . Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  2. Report of the Thirty-Eighth National Conference on Weights and Measures. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1953.
  3. "Great Guy (1937) - Screenplay Info - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
  4. Wilt, David E. (1991). Hardboiled in Hollywood. Popular Press. p. 17. ISBN   9780879725259 . Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  5. Greene, Graham (19 March 1937). "Pluck of the Irish/The Sequel to Second Bureau/Thunder in the City/Head Over Heels". The Spectator . (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. Oxford University Press. pp. 137–138. ISBN   0192812866.)