The Roaring Twenties (1939)

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:

Wed. Dec. 9

9:30 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)
Bill Elliott	...	Bootlegger (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:

Glenda Farrell was originally cast as Panama Smith. Both Ann Sheridan and Lee Patrick were also slotted for the role that was eventually perfectly played by Gladys George.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Eddie goes to the garage to ask for his old job back, he addresses the boss as "Mr. Fletcher". But on the closing cast list, the character (played by Joseph Crehan) is credited as "Michaels".

Quotes:

Narrator: [Opening lines - various clips of 1930's news footages are shown] Today, while the earth shakes beneath the heels of marching troops, while a great portion of the world trembles before the threats of acquisitive power-mad men, we of America have little time to remember an astounding era in our own recent history. An era which will grow more and more incredible with each passing generation until someday people will say it never could have happened at all...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Crossing Criminal Cultures (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Sweet Georgia Brown

He Used To Be A Big Shot

It is not as centrally dynamic as THE PUBLIC ENEMY nor as Freudian as WHITE HEAT, but THE ROARING TWENTIES is a leading gangster film for Jimmy Cagney as it details the rise and fall of a gangster Eddie Bartlett. The product of World War I and Prohibition, Eddie rises to great power as the head of a gang, always trying to return to legitimate society, and then to fall again due to the Wall Street Crash and the machinations of his right-hand man George Hally (Humphrey Bogart).

Both men's characters are far more subtle as studies of success in criminal enterprise than the normal crime bosses of the 1930s. Eddie painstakingly builds up a taxicab corporation to gain legitimacy, as well as his stock acquisitions. Bogart, a bit more realistic on what types of businesses he understands, does not get involved in the stock market. But he enjoys the trappings of the upper class. Witness the scene when he is talking with his underling (Abner Biberman) and he is practicing his putting in his office. At the conclusion, Bogart is living in a townhouse (a sign of his financial success).

There is a tradition in the films of the depression that some gangsters are not as bad as others. This is not to be taken seriously in real life, but the idea is that certain people are driven to crime by economic circumstances (Cagney returning to no job at the end of World War I) and some are driven by pure evil (the sadistic side of Bogart's nature). Cagney, on his rise, gains the friendship of people like Gladys George (actually the unrequited love of Ms George) and tries to find room in his organization for people like Frank McHugh, a nice guy who really never fit in properly as a criminal - and dies as a result. Bogart gains the support of like villains (Bibberman, who shares Bogie's fate at the end), and keeps showing a contempt for human life in most of the film (witness how he kills a cop on one of the rum runners he and Cagney are on, because the cop was once his sergeant in the army who punished him for breaking the rules when he did). But Cagney turns out to have more guts in him than Bogie. At the end of the film the latter, facing his own demise, turns into a total coward.

The film has many touches to set the tone of the 21 years it covers (1918 - 1939). At the start newsreel footage takes the audience back to the end of World War I, showing Presidents and events up to Wilson (who, curiously enough, is shown by an actor playing the President, not as part of an old film). It has been noted that Gladys George's Panama is based on Texas Guinan, the speakeasy hostess. The death of Cagney on the steps of a church is based on the death of Hymie Weiss, a Chicago gangster rival of Capone who was killed that way in 1927. It was too good a death to not use in a gangster film, as it seems more symbolic than it was in real life (it does remind us of how Cagney, for all his good intentions, came up short due to his profession in violence).

I have not commented on the love triangles involving Cagney, Jeffrey Lynn, and Priscilla Lane (and Cagney, Lane, and Gladys George). The irony that Cagney never sees that George is more than just a good friend is rather poignant, for both of them. And it is George who cradles his dead body in the end and gives his epitaph. Perhaps today a director would allow Cagney to wise up and get away with George. But that would spoil the full effect of the film's conclusion.