"Winner Take All" (1932) is Jimmy Cagney in the Pre-Code mode par excellence. He's a professional fighter who sees too many women, smokes, and drinks to excess. Too much of everything for the good of himself in the ring - or any concentration about such. He's sent off to what amounts to a sanitorium in New Mexico to calm down, concentrate, and get back into mental shape to be able to fight again. No women, no smoking, no drinking, no... But...he meets Marian Nixon, a widow with a small child (Dickie Moore). He falls for her, and she falls for him. Eventually, he needs to go back to New York and Madison Square Garden and get back into the ring. He does. Meanwhile, while he's on a huge winning streak, he meets Virginia Bruce. Now, Ginny Bruce in this 1932 drama/romance is about as alluring as I've ever seen her. She's stunningly beautiful, and she's a diamond hard, glistening piece of tease ice. Cagney falls for this high-class, wealthy, spoiled society Arctic winter, and she says that she's fallen for him, too. Only, to her, he's only a plaything. Cagney doesn't realize this. He comes from the earth; she's from somewhere in the ether. He discovers a little too late that he can't make the ethersphere his sphere. Meanwhile, Nixon's discovered his two-timing and is heart-broken. I won't mention the ending because I shouldn't. However, the way it ends makes this in toto the definition of Pre-Code. It may end on the right note, but getting there wouldn't have been allowed for a 1934 release after June...
Fun film, but Cagney's not the nicest guy here. But...what an actor! He just didn't make a bad one in those early days. Moves like there's steam coming out of the vents. Also has Guy Kibbee, Clarence Muse, Alan Mowbray, John Roche, and others. What's really fascinating is an insert scene from Texas Guinan's night club - a genuine scene - and guess who's conducting the night club orchestra? George Raft. He looks to be about twenty! Actually, this snippet is from another movie (!), Raft's first, and now a lost film, "Queen of the Night Clubs" (1929).
Fun film, but Cagney's not the nicest guy here. But...what an actor! He just didn't make a bad one in those early days. Moves like there's steam coming out of the vents. Also has Guy Kibbee, Clarence Muse, Alan Mowbray, John Roche, and others. What's really fascinating is an insert scene from Texas Guinan's night club - a genuine scene - and guess who's conducting the night club orchestra? George Raft. He looks to be about twenty! Actually, this snippet is from another movie (!), Raft's first, and now a lost film, "Queen of the Night Clubs" (1929).