Johnny Eager (1942)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

James Edward Grant (story)
John Lee Mahin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

17 January 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir

Tagline:

I've heard all about you, Johnny Eager . . . but I still want you to kiss me !

Plot:

District Attorney's daughter falls in love with a gangster the D.A. is trying to put in jail.

Plot Keywords:

Gangster | District Attorney | Taxi Driver | Parole Officer | Dog

Awards:

Won Oscar.

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	John 'Johnny' Eager
Lana Turner	...	Lisbeth 'Liz' Bard
Edward Arnold	...	John Benson Farrell
Van Heflin	...	Jeff Hartnett
Robert Sterling	...	Jimmy Courtney
Patricia Dane	...	Garnet
Glenda Farrell	...	Mae Blythe Agridowski
Henry O'Neill	...	A.J. Verne
Diana Lewis	...	Judy Sanford
Barry Nelson	...	Lew Rankin
Charles Dingle	...	A. Frazier Marco
Paul Stewart	...	Julio
Cy Kendall	...	Bill Halligan
Don Costello	...	Billiken
Lou Lubin	...	Benjy

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:(Banned) (1943-1950) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7852)

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

In one of the bedrooms in Johnny's apartment at the track is a large painting, done in the art deco style, of a reclining blonde woman. Coincidentally, this same painting is featured briefly but prominently in Eyes in the Night (1942), released the same year and also starring Edward Arnold, referred to in that film by Marty as "a blonde tomato."

Quotes:

John Benson Farrell: You couldn't stop being a thief any more than a weasel could stop sucking chicken blood.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Melancholy

Van Heflin shines in this MGM gangster film

MGM produced this well-written, well-produced gangster saga, a type of film that was very unusual for the studio.

As the alcoholic, self-loathing, philosophizing buddy of Johnny Eager (Robert Taylor), Heflin steals the show. He plays his role with great intensity and complexity, making his performance one of the most deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscars in the history of the Academy Awards. His crying scenes are enough to choke a person up, and his possible suggestion of a homoerotic attraction to Eager is unique in a film of this era.

It's unfortunate that Heflin's subsequent roles and performances were generally dull. This actor needed roles that put him emotionally on the edge and exploited his intensity. But at least in Johnny Eager, Heflin set a standard for screen acting that remains a role model to this day.

Robert Taylor plays his scenes with Heflin with some dramatic tension and a hint of subtext, while still remaining comfortably within the confines of a handsome Hollywood leading man. Turner delivers her lines very artificially, coming across as insincere, and her face seems incapable of expressing emotion. Beautiful she is, but given the taut script, the director had the potential of eliciting less formulaic playing from her. Luckily, the rest of the cast is excellent -especially Edward Arnold and Robert Sterling.

Watch this one and you won't be disappointed. Heflin's performance is worth it all.