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The Strawberry Blonde was the second and best version of this film and gives James Cagney one of his best screen roles. This version was sandwiched in between a 1933 version and a 1948 musical version under its original title of One Sunday Afternoon.Most people think of James Cagney as the sharp, know it all from the city streets. He's certainly played that part often enough especially in his early days at Warner Brothers. But there was a softer, more nostalgic side to Cagney and it comes out in films like this one, Johnny Come Lately, and The Time of Your Life. And of course his most famous piece of turn of the last century nostalgia, Yankee Doodle Dandy. Part of Strawberry Blonde's charm is the nice musical background of turn of the last century popular music. Makes you feel that you really are back in the New York City of Tammany Hall. In fact some aside references to Tammany are in the script.The plot is simple, Cagney and Jack Carson are after the same woman, the glamorous Strawberry Blonde played by Rita Hayworth. She's of course got a plain jane girlfriend in Olivia DeHavilland. One unusual twist for Cagney is that normally he's the con man in films. Here he's the butt for all of Jack Carson's cons. Some of them have tragic results for Cagney. The ending is sweet however for both Cagney and DeHavilland. Lots of truth in that old adage about being careful what you wish for.
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