Rain Bow Academy

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Sunday, 1 December 2013

CMBA Blogathon: Film Passion 101: Starstruck by Cagney in The Public Enemy

Posted on 12:36 by Unknown
This is my contribution to the Classic Movie Blog Association Blogathon: Film Passion 101. Click here for the full roster of fabulous entries!

I must have been about 10 or 11. My parents were going out for the afternoon. I assume my older sister was enlisted to be home, as well, but it felt as though I was home alone. I’m pretty sure it was a Sunday. I had probably just finished watching the 3-hour Sunday morning show, Wonderama (WNEW Channel 5 New York), and do recall being intrigued enough by the upcoming teaser to stay put and watch the afternoon movie, The Public Enemy.
Charisma to burn!
I almost turned it off. It was so old! The sound was so scratchy! And then he appeared and my life was never the same. It was Cagney and I was in love*. Who was this man? Was he alive? Dead? Famous? Forgotten? My knowledge of old-time stars up to that point consisted of Abbot and Costello, the Three Stooges and Bette Davis, Olivia DeHavilland and Joseph Cotton (thanks to an accidental trip to the movies to see Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte that had a live appearance by Bette and Olivia, but that’s another story). I do recall seeing Alice Faye and Bing Crosby on a show called Hollywood Palace, but not in any movies that I was willing to sit through.
But back to Cagney. I was under his spell. I had to know more about him. When my mom got home I was full of questions. She answered as best she could, but it was hardly enough. Monday brought a trip to the library to look up anything and everything about the man. Weeks were spent examining each new TV Guide to see when a Cagney picture would be shown, as I wanted to see them all (by my count he starred in 61 feature films; I’ve seen 50 – most of them on WNEW, who seemed to have the rights to a lot of old Warner Brothers films). While I love the Internet, I have to admit that nothing beats that exciting feeling when you are digging through old books and magazines and come upon a treasured piece of information.

Harlow was horrible, but who cared?
So, I loved the Public Enemy because of Cagney. I later learned that my Dad had a big crush of Joan Blondell and that Jean Harlow was not the world’s worst actress (my Aunt Lois apparently loved Harlow as a kid, kept a scrapbook, called her only by her first name and informed me that Jean never wore underwear). Oh, and that ending (Oh the awful sound of that rain, and did the size of that curb and Jimmy being sent home to his Irish mother wrapped as a mummy) scared the beejezus out of me. Poor Jimmy!!!

My love of classic film is always anchored to the star. Cinematography, director, all that stuff never much interested me and still really doesn't, although I have learned to appreciate it much more. I was star struck by James Cagney in The Public Enemy and from there it was just a short trip to this down the rabbit hole.
James Cagney
                                                               ê

Bette Davis                               Ann Sheridan                          Joan Crawford
Ann Dvorak
Kay Francis                                            ê


                 CaryGrant
                                                                 ê


Katharine Hepburn                      Audrey Hepburn                Doris Day             
                                                                 ê
Spencer Tracy                              William Holden                James Garner
                                                                ê
                                                       Gloria Swanson
                                                                ê


                                                  Charlie Chaplin             
Edna Purviance                                   ê                               Buster Keaton
                                                              
              
                                                    Mary Pickford
                                                             ê             
                                                 Douglas Fairbanks

 and so on and so on and so on.........................

Of course, that was only the beginning.....

* Before my massive crush on Cagney, I did have a kid-crush on the host of Wonderama, Sonny Fox.
Who sorta looks like my #1 movie star love affair of all time, doesn't he?





Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to Facebook
Posted in CMBA Blogathon, James Cagney, The Public Enemy | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Remembering Natalie Wood: You Don't Know What You've Got 'Till It's Gone
    For no particular reason, I have been thinking of Natalie Wood a lot lately and missing her.  She was ever present in my life as a pre-teen,...
  • The Tattooed Police Horse: It's All About the Hair!
    This is my contribution to the Hoseathon hosted by " My Love of Old Hollywood . " Giddyup over here and check out the rest of the...
  • Giving Them The Slip: When Passion Meets Fashion
    This is my contribution to The Hollywood Revue's Fashion in Film Blogathon. Click HERE for more fashion, more fun and more fabulosity!...
  • Movie Books I Love: People Will Talk by John Kobal
    This is an occasional series featuring my favorite movie books. Before TCM and the internet, the only way to satisfy my passion to know more...
  • ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS... (movie-wise, that is)
    In the spirit of the season, here are some Christmas wishes for some movie-folks who might need a helping hand from Santa.   Santa, do your ...
  • Clara Bow and Gilbert Roland: Brief Romance, Lasting Tenderness
    I am hoping that someday a movie will be made about the life of Clara Bow. Not a trashy version based on scandals, but an insightful depicti...
  • What is it About Those Westerns?
    I never say that I am a fan of the Western film. Ask me what kind of movies I like, and they are generally anything but Westerns or war movi...
  • And The Oscar Goes To... Some Criminally Overlooked Categories
    My popcorn and Dom Perignon are at the ready and my tiara is on straight! As I settle in for a long night of red carpets, longer speeches, h...
  • The Norma Desmond Chronicles: Norma's Halloween Seance
    Hollywood's Busiest Medium: Madame Crackpotski Chapter 5 of the Norma Desmond Chronicles. Norma got off on a temporary insanity plea, di...
  • DON'T YOU JUST HATE IT WHEN.......
    Don't you just hate it when an artist's work is judged by the personal life of the artist? Doesn't it just irk you if someone de...

Categories

  • "Love Affair." Irene Dunne
  • 2011 CiMBA Nominations
  • 2014 calendar
  • 7 x 7 Award
  • A Song in the Dark
  • A Touch of Class
  • Abbott and Costello
  • Academy Awards
  • Actors in Drag
  • Aging Stars
  • Amazon.com
  • Ann Dvorak
  • Ann Sheridan
  • Anna Karenina
  • Auction
  • Audrey Hepburn
  • Barbara Stanwyck
  • Barbra Streisand
  • Basil Rathbone
  • Baz Luhrmann
  • Ben Model
  • Bette Davis
  • Big Night
  • Billie Dove
  • Billy Wilder
  • Bing Crosby
  • Bitches and Blaggards
  • Blazing Saddles
  • Blue Jasmine
  • Bob Hope
  • Burt Lancaster
  • Buster Keaton
  • Carey Mulligan
  • Carole Lombard
  • Cary Grant
  • Castle on the Hudson
  • Cate Blanchett
  • Chaplin the Musical
  • Charles Boyer
  • Charlie Chaplin
  • Cher
  • Chicago
  • Christina Rice
  • Christmas
  • City for Conquest
  • Clara Bow
  • Clark Gable
  • Classic Film Six Degrees of Separation
  • Classic Film Stars
  • Classic Films
  • Clifton Webb
  • CMBA Blogathon
  • Colleen Moore
  • Constance Talmadge
  • Contrance Talmadge
  • Dana Andrews
  • Dark Ladies of Warners
  • Debbie Reynolds
  • Doris Day
  • Dorothy Lamour
  • Double Indemnity
  • Douglas Fairbanks
  • Dueling Divas Blogothon
  • Edna Purviance
  • Elizabeth Taylor
  • Elvia Presley
  • Erich Von Stroheim
  • Errol Flynn
  • Eva Marie Saint
  • Exotic Actors
  • Exotic Actresses
  • favorite movie scenes
  • Film Fashion
  • Food
  • Frank Sinatra
  • From Scarface to Scarlett
  • Gail Patrick
  • Gals with guns
  • Gary Cooper
  • Gaslight
  • Gene Kelly
  • Gene Tierney
  • George Sanders
  • Georges Melies
  • Ghosts
  • Gilbert Roland
  • Glenn Close
  • Gloria Swanson
  • Gossip
  • Grace Kelly
  • Greta Garbo
  • Guilty Pleasures
  • Haiku
  • Halloween
  • Hayley Mills
  • Helen Morgan
  • Her Sister From Paris
  • Holiday (1930)
  • How To Steal a Million
  • Hugo
  • Humphrey Bogart
  • Ingrid Bergman
  • Irene Dunne
  • Isn't it Romantic?
  • Jack Palance
  • James Cagney
  • James Mason
  • James Stewart
  • Jane Greer
  • Jane Russell
  • Jean Hagen
  • Jean Harlow
  • Jeanette MacDonald
  • Jeanne Eagles
  • Joan Blondell
  • Joan Crawford
  • Joan Fontaine
  • John Barrymore
  • John Garfield
  • John Gilbert
  • John Kobal
  • Journalism
  • Jude Law
  • Judith Anderson
  • Judy Garland
  • July 4th
  • Katharine Hepburn
  • Kay Francis
  • Keira Knightley
  • Kendra Bean
  • Kiki
  • Kim Novak
  • Lana Turner
  • Laurence Olivier
  • Leave Her to Heaven
  • Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Liebster Award
  • Lina Lamont
  • Lita Grey
  • Lizabeth Scott
  • Loretta Young
  • Louise Brooks
  • Love Me Tonight
  • Mabel Normand
  • Mae Murray
  • Mae West
  • Maggie Smith
  • Manhattan
  • Marilyn Miller
  • Marilyn Monroe
  • Marjorie Morningstar
  • Marlene Dietrich
  • Marlon Brando
  • Martin Scorsese
  • Mary Astor
  • Mary Miles Minter
  • Mary Pickford
  • Maurice Chevalier
  • Mediums
  • men who smoke
  • Michael Douglas
  • Michael G. Ankerich
  • Miriam Cooper
  • Miriam Hopkins
  • Movie Book I Love
  • Movie Books I Love
  • Movie Crushes
  • Movie Musicals
  • Movie Snob
  • movie star mad libs
  • My Favorite Movie Books
  • My Movie Dream Book
  • Myrna Loy
  • Nancy Carroll
  • Natalie Wood
  • New Years 2013
  • New York City
  • Norma Desmond
  • Norma Talmadge
  • Obsessions
  • Olive Thomas
  • On the Waterfront
  • Orson Welles
  • Pamela Franklin
  • Paramount
  • Paris
  • Paulette Goddard
  • Peter O'Toole
  • Photoplay Magazine
  • Picture Snatcher
  • Platinum Blonde
  • Pola Negri
  • Portrait Photographers
  • Pre-Code Films
  • Psychics
  • Queen Kelly
  • Rear Window
  • recycled Hollywood costumes
  • Richard Widmark
  • Rita Hayworth
  • Robert Preston
  • Robert Redford
  • Roberto Rossellini
  • Robin Hood
  • Ronald Colman
  • Roscoe Arbuckle
  • Rudolph Valentino
  • Scandal
  • Sex and the City
  • Sexy Stars
  • Shirley Jones
  • Silent Films
  • Singing in the Rain
  • Spirits
  • Stars portraying stars
  • Stars who died young
  • Strong Women in film
  • Sunset Boulevard
  • Susan Hayward
  • Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise
  • Sweet Blogger
  • Take Her For a Ride
  • TCM Tour
  • Thaksgiving
  • The Apartment
  • The Artist
  • The Godfather
  • The Great Gatsby
  • The Kid
  • The New York Hat
  • The Norma Desmond Chronicles
  • The Philadelphia Story
  • The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
  • The Producers
  • The Public Enemy
  • The Roaring Twenties
  • The Tattooed Police Horse
  • The Wizard of Oz
  • Theda Bara
  • These Amazing Shadows
  • Three on a Match
  • Tony Randall
  • Twentieth Century
  • Valentines Day
  • Vertigo
  • Vivien Leigh
  • Walt Disney
  • Warren William
  • westerns
  • William Desmond Taylor
  • William Holden
  • William Wyler
  • Woody Allen
  • Ziegfeld

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (41)
    • ▼  December (2)
      • Clara Bow and Gilbert Roland: Brief Romance, Lasti...
      • CMBA Blogathon: Film Passion 101: Starstruck by Ca...
    • ►  November (3)
    • ►  October (3)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (3)
    • ►  June (4)
    • ►  May (4)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (4)
    • ►  February (3)
    • ►  January (2)
  • ►  2012 (56)
    • ►  December (3)
    • ►  November (5)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (4)
    • ►  August (4)
    • ►  July (5)
    • ►  June (3)
    • ►  May (5)
    • ►  April (5)
    • ►  March (7)
    • ►  February (5)
    • ►  January (5)
  • ►  2011 (90)
    • ►  December (7)
    • ►  November (7)
    • ►  October (9)
    • ►  September (7)
    • ►  August (9)
    • ►  July (6)
    • ►  June (7)
    • ►  May (10)
    • ►  April (11)
    • ►  March (7)
    • ►  February (4)
    • ►  January (6)
  • ►  2010 (23)
    • ►  December (5)
    • ►  November (4)
    • ►  October (5)
    • ►  September (5)
    • ►  August (4)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile