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White Heat (1949)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
1952 (Austria)
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Tagline:
James Cagney Is Red Hot In "White Heat"! more
Plot:
A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. Shortly after the plan takes place, events take a crazy turn full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
Another 1 win
&
1 nomination
more
NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
AFI's 100 Years ...100 Movie Quotes
(From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)
A Gangster's Demise: Jarrett vs. Rico vs. Dillinger
(From Rope Of Silicon. 3 July 2009, 4:53 PM, PDT)
(From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)
A Gangster's Demise: Jarrett vs. Rico vs. Dillinger
(From Rope Of Silicon. 3 July 2009, 4:53 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Who But Cagney Could Pull This Off?
more (109 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| James Cagney | ... | Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett | |
| Virginia Mayo | ... | Verna Jarrett | |
| Edmond O'Brien | ... | Vic Pardo | |
| Margaret Wycherly | ... | Ma Jarrett | |
| Steve Cochran | ... | Big Ed Somers | |
| John Archer | ... | Philip Evans | |
| Wally Cassell | ... | 'Cotton' Valletti | |
| Fred Clark | ... | Daniel Winston |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
114 min
Country:
Language:
Colour:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Iceland:12 |
UK:15 |
West Germany:16 (nf) |
Sweden:15 (re-rating) (1962) |
Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) (1949) |
Canada:PG (video rating) |
South Korea:15 |
Portugal:M/16 |
Australia:PG |
Finland:(Banned) (1950) |
Finland:K-15 (re-rating) (2004) |
USA:Approved (PCA #13852) |
Australia:M (DVD rating)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
All the locations and bearings radioed back and forth during the triangulation tracking of the gasoline truck, as it moves southwest across the Los Angeles basin, are accurate. They can all be found on a modern map of Los Angeles. Even the view of the Los Angeles City Hall shows up at the appropriate time.
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Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: In the opening railroad heist, there is a shot of a man jumping down from an overpass onto the train. When he lands the mats used to break his fall can be clearly seen.
more
Quotes:
Cody Jarrett:
You know something, Verna, if I turn my back long enough for Big Ed to put a hole in it, there'd be a hole in it.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "The Replacements: Hollywoodn't (#3.11)" (2008)
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Soundtrack:
Five O'Clock Whistle
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (109 total)
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If you like James Cagney and you like the film noirs of the late 1940s, well, it doesn't get much better than this.
Cagney, who was always great at playing wild gangsters, makes this film interesting all the way through its two hours. Despite being a half-century old, he was still not far from being at the top of his game. His character, Cody Jarrett, is one of the most famous of the many he portrayed on film, which is saying a lot.
Who could sit on his mother's lap and still look like a tough guy? Not many, but Cagney pulled it off here with his tough mama, played really well by Margaret Wycherly. This was a new type of role for Wycherly, who was used to doing Shakespeare. You wouldn't know it from this "Ma Jarrett" role!
The "hoods" in here are all realistic tough guys and gals. Cagney's two-faced wife is played well by Virginia Mayo, who plays the typical (for this genre) floozy blonde whom you can trust about as far as you can throw.
The final scene - "Top Of World, Ma!" - is one of the most famous in all of film history. It's nice to see a nice print of this out on DVD now and some of the features are very informative. Included is an interview with Mayo, who still looks pretty good for an old lady!