White Heat (1949)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screenplay) and
Ben Roberts (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1952 (Austria)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Film-Noir

Tagline:

James Cagney Is Red Hot In "White Heat"!

Plot:

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. Shortly after the plan takes place, events take a crazy turn

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Heist | Escape | Gangster | Undercover

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

James Cagney	...	Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett
Virginia Mayo	...	Verna Jarrett
Edmond O'Brien	...	Vic Pardo
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Jarrett
Steve Cochran	...	Big Ed Somers
John Archer	...	Philip Evans
Wally Cassell	...	'Cotton' Valletti
Fred Clark	...	Daniel Winston
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joel Allen	...	Operative (uncredited)
Claudia Barrett	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Ray Bennett	...	Guard (uncredited)
Marshall Bradford	...	Chief of Police (uncredited)
John Butler	...	Motorist at gas station (uncredited)
Robert Carson	...	Agent at Directional Map (uncredited)
Leo Cleary	...	Railroad fireman (uncredited)
Fred Coby	...	Happy Taylor (Jarrett gang) (uncredited)
Tom Coleman	...	Court Officer (uncredited)
G. Pat Collins	...	'Reader' Curtin (uncredited)
Garrett Craig	...	Ted Clark (uncredited)
Herschel Daugherty	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Fern Eggen	...	Margaret Baxter (uncredited)
Art Foster	...	Guard (uncredited)
Eddie Foster	...	Lefeld (uncredited)
Robert Foulk	...	Oil refinery payroll guard (uncredited)
Buddy Gorman	...	Vendor at drive-in (uncredited)
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Roy Parker (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Court clerk (uncredited)
Carl Harbaugh	...	Foreman (uncredited)
Perry Ivins	...	Dr. Simpson (uncredited)
Mickey Knox	...	Het Kohler (uncredited)
Harry Lauter	...	T-man with headphones in Radio Car A (uncredited)
DeForrest Lawrence	...	Jim Donovan (uncredited)
Nolan Leary	...	Russ (uncredited)
Murray Leonard	...	Engineer (uncredited)
Ian MacDonald	...	'Bo' Creel (uncredited)
Larry McGrath	...	Clocker (uncredited)
John McGuire	...	Psychiatrist #2 (uncredited)
Sid Melton	...	Russell Hughes (uncredited)
Art Miles	...	Guard (uncredited)
Ray Montgomery	...	Ernie (uncredited)
Robert Osterloh	...	Tommy Ryley (uncredited)
Terry O'Sullivan	...	Radio announcer (uncredited)
Milton Parsons	...	Willie Rolf (uncredited)
Jack Perrin	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Prison tower guard (uncredited)
Eddie Phillips	...	T-man (uncredited)
John Pickard	...	T-man driving Car C (uncredited)
Ford Rainey	...	Zuckie Hommell (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	T-man (uncredited)
Grandon Rhodes	...	Dr. Harris (uncredited)
George Spaulding	...	Judge (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Prison infirmary guard (uncredited)
George Taylor	...	Police surgeon at Tahoe morgue (uncredited)
Jim Thorpe	...	Big inmate (uncredited)
Jim Toney	...	Brakeman (uncredited)
Ralph Volkie	...	Jerry (uncredited)
Jack Worth	...	Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Raoul Walsh

Writing credits
Ivan Goff		(screenplay) and
Ben Roberts		(screenplay)
Virginia Kellogg		(story)

Produced by
Louis F. Edelman	....	producer

Original Music by
Max Steiner

Cinematography by
Sidney Hickox		(as Sid Hickox)

Film Editing by
Owen Marks

Art Direction by
Edward Carrere

Set Decoration by
Fred M. MacLean

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist
Edwin Allen	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Gertrude Wheeler	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Russell Saunders	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Leslie G. Hewitt	....	sound

Special Effects by
Roy Davidson	....	special effects director
Hans F. Koenekamp	....	special effects (as H.F. Koenekamp)

Stunts
Audrey Scott	....	stunt double: Virginia Mayo (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Bjeering	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Paul Burnett	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Mike Joyce	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Dudie Maschmeyer	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Leah Rhodes	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Murray Cutter	....	orchestrations

Other crew
Irva Mae Ross	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (as Warner Bros.-First National Pictures)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1953) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• atlas Film (1965) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• United Artists Television (1976) (USA) (all media)
• Turner Entertainment (1987) (USA) (TV) (colorized)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Turner Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Key Video (video)
• Living Colour Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | UK:15 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Sweden:15 (re-rating) (1962) | Sweden:(Banned) (original rating) (1949) | Canada:PG (video rating) | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1950) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) (2004) | USA:Approved (PCA #13852) | Australia:M (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Ranked #4 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Gangster" in June 2008.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the opening railroad heist, there is a shot of a man jumping down from an overpass onto the train. When he lands the mats used to break his fall can be clearly seen.

Quotes:

Hank Fallon: I've been promised a vacation. You remember?
Philip Evans: Sorry, Hank, that's out.
Hank Fallon: Phil, look at me. College degree, lovable personality, and I spend most of my time in prison. An undercover specialist. Eight sentences in five years. Dannemora, Sing Sing, Leavenworth. I joined the department to put criminals behind bars, and here I am stir crazy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Chimera (#5.6)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Five O'Clock Whistle

a boy's best friend is his mother

James Cagney lights up the screen in all respects in this violent and hard-driving film. There's nary a dull moment with Jimmy on hand, whether having his mother ease his migraine tantrums by rubbing his head or shooting a fellow gang member through the trunk of his car in order to give him a little air. Raoul Walsh vigorously directs this movie with remarkable gusto given that he was over sixty at the time and at at this point in his career had nothing to prove.

Cagney's character of Cody Jarrett is shown to be a madman at the start of the film. There's no need for his confederates to engage in a little is-he-or-isn't-he chitchat regarding his sanity a la The Caine Mutiny. They know he's mad. Even his mother knows he's mad. No matter. Cody continues on his crime spree, and his gang stays loyal to him, if only for the consequences of leaving him being to frightening to contemplate. He has a girl, who two-times him with another gang member. A federal agent who infiltrates the gang and becomes a surrogate mother by easing his headaches in the same manner, also betrays him, though it's his job to do so. Only Ma Jarrett, it seems, could be trusted.

One of the many charms of this film is its absolute refusal to make a statement, which wasn't Raoul Walsh's bag anyway; and screenwriters Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, though they delve into Freud a bit, don't get too heavy over Cagney's psychopathology. They just accept it, show us its various sides, and leave it at that. This movie is a far cry from other films made around the same time, was highly popular when first released, and remains so to this day. It is not quite film noir, being too bright and rational. Nor is it a study in perverse psychology, despite its main character. For all the location filming it is no semi-documentary in the manner of House On 92nd Street. It is basically a lively action picture whose makers, taking a cue from Hiroshima bomb, decided to end their movie with a bang, making their show a fine example of good, clean apocalyptic fun.