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

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.