Funny how actual lines delivered by actors in movies can be twisted into something different. Comedy impersonators, when mimicking actor James Cagney, always say his supposed signature line " You dirty rat, you killed my brother." Trouble is the actor never said that quote in any of his movies besides a hint of it in 1931's "Blonde Crazy." Notwithstanding that, the closest he came to say the phrase was in January 1932's "Taxi!" Towards the end of the film, Matt Nolan (Cagney) has one of his antagonists, Buck Gerard (David Landau), who had earlier killed Matt's brother Dan, cornered in a locked closet. With revolver in hand, Matt yells, "Come out and take it, you dirty yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!"
Cagney has been called cinema's first tough "street kid" movie star, and his fast-talking, wise-guy attitude made him popular with theater goers. Under the direction of Roy Del Ruth, one of Hollywood's highest paid directors in the 1930s, "Taxi!" centers on two competing taxi companies encroaching on each other's turf in New York City. A bloody rivalry between Matt and Buck's taxi companies leads to the death of cab driver Pop Riley (Guy Kibbee), who was defending his long-cherished taxi stand. His daughter, Sue (Loretta Young), finds herself attracted to Matt, but the rocky relationship has its powder keg moments whenever Matt loses his temper. During one episode, they are in a dancing contest competing with another couple, led by young actor George Raft. Both Cagney and Raft in real life came from professional dancing backgrounds and it shows on the floor. But Cagney erupts when he's called names, and explodes like a ticking time bomb.
Cagney had to learn how to drive for his role as a cab driver in "Taxi!" Living in New York City all his life, the actor didn't feel a need to handle a car before. He's also seen in the beginning of the film speaking fluent Yiddish to a customer he's picked up. He learned the language as a boy and is heard comfortably conversing with his Jewish customer. And there's a scene where, as practiced at the time, real bullets were sprayed by a firearms expert onto a nearby wall, barely missing Cagney. The bullets came so close, he vowed to never do a scene using real ammunition, a promise kept throughout his acting career.
The one actress who has more lines than Cagney and Young in "Taxi!" was Sue's friend Ruby (Leila Bennett). Her insistent talking contrasts with Loretta's more measured dialogue. Bennett was a recent arrival to Hollywood, appearing on the New York stage since 1919. In just her second role, she played the assistant maid to Marie Dressler in "Emma" before receiving the role in "Taxi." She voluntarily gave up film acting in 1936 soon after she married the manager of Palm Beach's Beach Club Restaurant and Casino, Francis Keough, where she divided her time between New York City and Florida.
Cagney has been called cinema's first tough "street kid" movie star, and his fast-talking, wise-guy attitude made him popular with theater goers. Under the direction of Roy Del Ruth, one of Hollywood's highest paid directors in the 1930s, "Taxi!" centers on two competing taxi companies encroaching on each other's turf in New York City. A bloody rivalry between Matt and Buck's taxi companies leads to the death of cab driver Pop Riley (Guy Kibbee), who was defending his long-cherished taxi stand. His daughter, Sue (Loretta Young), finds herself attracted to Matt, but the rocky relationship has its powder keg moments whenever Matt loses his temper. During one episode, they are in a dancing contest competing with another couple, led by young actor George Raft. Both Cagney and Raft in real life came from professional dancing backgrounds and it shows on the floor. But Cagney erupts when he's called names, and explodes like a ticking time bomb.
Cagney had to learn how to drive for his role as a cab driver in "Taxi!" Living in New York City all his life, the actor didn't feel a need to handle a car before. He's also seen in the beginning of the film speaking fluent Yiddish to a customer he's picked up. He learned the language as a boy and is heard comfortably conversing with his Jewish customer. And there's a scene where, as practiced at the time, real bullets were sprayed by a firearms expert onto a nearby wall, barely missing Cagney. The bullets came so close, he vowed to never do a scene using real ammunition, a promise kept throughout his acting career.
The one actress who has more lines than Cagney and Young in "Taxi!" was Sue's friend Ruby (Leila Bennett). Her insistent talking contrasts with Loretta's more measured dialogue. Bennett was a recent arrival to Hollywood, appearing on the New York stage since 1919. In just her second role, she played the assistant maid to Marie Dressler in "Emma" before receiving the role in "Taxi." She voluntarily gave up film acting in 1936 soon after she married the manager of Palm Beach's Beach Club Restaurant and Casino, Francis Keough, where she divided her time between New York City and Florida.