dir. Roy Del Ruth
writ. Kubec Glasmon & John Bright
feat. James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern, Noel Francis, Ray Milland, Guy Kibbee
This delightful pre-code romp splits Jimmy Cagney between his two common guises of song and dance man and conniving crook, the former yearning to be the latter with a beautifully snide Joan Blondell as his foil. Anne (Blondell) outmaneuvers Bert's (Cagney) initial bellhop advances, steering them into the makings of a con man duo ready to take the show on the road.
Given Anne's unwillingness to be wooed by Bert's clumsy attempts, he grows cagey, no longer seeing her as a viable object of affection, despite their playful, loving relationship. This sets into motion an unusual love story amidst the comedic set pieces, their relationship waffling between romance, cameraderie, and a mother-son dynamic. The film even seems to sincerely question if the relationship can work at all, nearing a perfect tragic peak with Bert reluctantly accepting that the two just won't survive as a couple. And though the picture steers toward a more acceptable Hollywood ending, the filmmakers deserve credit for even introducing such potential unsolvable conflict.
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