The Roaring Twenties (1939)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Jerry Wald (screenplay) &
Richard Macaulay (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 October 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The land of the free gone wild! The heyday of the hotcha! The shock-crammed days G-men took ten whole years to lick!

Plot:

After the WWI Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging...

Plot Keywords:

Prohibition | Lawyer | 1920s | WWI | Murder

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 16

8:00 PM

TCM

Cast

James Cagney	...	Eddie Bartlett
Priscilla Lane	...	Jean Sherman
Humphrey Bogart	...	George Hally
Gladys George	...	Panama Smith
Jeffrey Lynn	...	Lloyd Hart
Frank McHugh	...	Danny Green
Paul Kelly	...	Nick Brown
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Sherman (as Elizabeth Risdon)
Edward Keane	...	Henderson (as Ed Keane)
Joe Sawyer	...	The Sergeant
Joseph Crehan	...	Michaels
George Meeker	...	Masters
John Hamilton	...	Judge
Robert Elliott	...	First Detective
Eddy Chandler	...	Second Detective (as Eddie Chandler)
Abner Biberman	...	Henchman
Vera Lewis	...	Mrs. Gray
John Deering	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Cabdriver (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	Fletcher's Garage Mechanic (uncredited)
Robert Armstrong	...	Passerby with hat in front of Edddie's nightclub (uncredited)
Raymond Bailey	...	Second Ex-Con (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
James Blaine	...	Club Doorman (uncredited)
Wade Boteler	...	Policeman in Speakeasy (uncredited)
Harry C. Bradley	...	Restaurant customer (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Ship's Captain (uncredited)
Paul Bryar	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Nat Carr	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Glen Cavender	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Clay Clement	...	Bramfield, the broker (uncredited)
Ann Codee	...	Saleswoman (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Ray Cooke	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Charles Corrigan	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Maurice Costello	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Kernan Cripps	...	Cop (uncredited)
Alan Davis	...	Vermont Man in Speakeasy (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Joe Devlin	...	Order-taker (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Night Club Extra (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Creighton Hale	...	Customer (uncredited)
Bert Hanlon	...	Piano player (uncredited)
Carl Harbaugh	...	Street Cleaner (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Man in Club (uncredited)
John Harron	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Eddie Hart	...	Store Doorman (uncredited)
Lew Harvey	...	Third Ex-Con (uncredited)
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian	...	First Mate (uncredited)
Al Herman	...	Gorman Gin Taster (uncredited)
Herbert Heywood	...	Pop, Speakeasy Doorman (uncredited)
Al Hill	...	First Ex-Con (uncredited)
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Harry Hollingsworth	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Taxi Customer (uncredited)
George Humbert	...	Luigi, the proprietor (uncredited)
Lloyd Ingraham	...	Official in Montage (uncredited)
Jane Jones	...	Singing Trio Member (uncredited)
Mel Kalish	...	Singing Trio Member (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	Cabdriver (uncredited)
Don Thaddeus Kerr	...	Bobby Hart (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee	...	Cabdriver (uncredited)
Reid Kilpatrick	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Mike Lally	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Alfred Linder	...	Foreman (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Singing Trio Member (uncredited)
Arthur Loft	...	Proprietor of still (uncredited)
Charles Marsh	...	Timid Man (uncredited)
Frank Mayo	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Philip Morris	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Jack Mower	...	Guard (uncredited)
Benito Mussolini	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Wendell Niles	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Jack Norton	...	Drunk at Henderson Club (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Jailer (uncredited)
Oscar O'Shea	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
William Pawley	...	Cabdriver (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Paul Phillips	...	Mike (uncredited)
Jack Richardson	...	Sleeping Train Passenger (uncredited)
John Ridgely	...	Cabdriver at Grand Central (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Charlie, Clerk (uncredited)
Warren Rock	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Don Rowan	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Hector Sarno	...	Warehouse Boss (uncredited)
Cliff Saum	...	Train Conductor (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Order-taker (uncredited)
John St. Clair	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Freighter Crew Member (uncredited)
Elliott Sullivan	...	Eddie's Cellmate (uncredited)
Max Wagner	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Billy Wayne	...	Cabdriver at Grand Central (uncredited)
Ben Welden	...	Tavern Proprietor (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Fletcher's Garage Mechanic (uncredited)
Leo White	...	Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Cab Driver at Grand Central (uncredited)
Lottie Williams	...	Restaurant customer (uncredited)
Norman Willis	...	Bootlegger (uncredited)
Charles C. Wilson	...	Policeman (uncredited)

Directed by
Raoul Walsh

Writing credits
Jerry Wald		(screenplay) &
Richard Macaulay		(screenplay) and
Robert Rossen		(screenplay)
Mark Hellinger		(story "The World Moves On")

Produced by
Samuel Bischoff	....	associate producer
Hal B. Wallis	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ray Heindorf		(uncredited)
Heinz Roemheld		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Ernest Haller		(director of photography) (as Ernie Haller)

Film Editing by
Jack Killifer

Art Direction by
Max Parker

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jack L. Warner	....	in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Richard Maybery	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Everett A. Brown	....	sound (as E.A. Brown)

Special Effects by
Edwin B. DuPar	....	special effects (as Edwin Du Par)
Byron Haskin	....	special effects

Stunts
Fred Graham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Lally	....	stunts (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Milo Anderson	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Don Siegel	....	montage (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director
Ray Heindorf	....	orchestrator
Max Steiner	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Hugh Cummings	....	dialogue director
Virginia Moore	....	script girl (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox Home Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (1984) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (198?) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

The World Moves On (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #5576) | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This marked the end of James Cagney's cycle of gangster films for Warner Bros. Cagney wanted to diversify his roles and would not play a gangster again until White Heat (1949), ten years later.

Goofs:

Continuity: Orientation of the actors during the audition scene.

Quotes:

Panama Smith: Things have been pretty tough, haven't they?
Eddie Bartlett: They could be tougher. A guy in the cell with me was talkin' about bumpin' himself off. Until I get around to that, I'm doin' all right.

Movie Connections:

Edited from The Public Enemy (1931)

Soundtrack:

I'm Just Wild About Harry

My favorite thirties Gangster Film

Most of the famous gangster films were made in the early part of the decade, before the infamous Production Code took all the sex and violence out of the movies, and before they figured out how to make decent movies with sound. The landmark films of the genre like "Little Caesar" and "Public Enemy" are actually kind of poorly made, by modern standards.

Not so this entertaining film, it's full of life and energy and great fun to watch. James Cagney gives a wonderful performance as a dynamic and ambitious man who goes from a barely-eating taxi driver to a gang lord, and back again. Humphrey Bogart gives one of his best pre-Casablanca villain performances, and even generic leading lady Priscilla Land is fresh and likeable.

The only quibble I have with this film is it lacks the immediacy of the earlier "ripped from the headlines" films. It's made about days that had since gone by, and owes more to earlier films than the reality of the day (post-modernism in the thirties?). Still, it's great fun, do see it.