''Great Guy'' is a 1936 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

directed by

John G. Blystone John G. Blystone (December 2, 1892 – August 6, 1938) was an American film director. He directed 100 films between 1915 and 1938. He was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack. His grave is lo ...

and starring

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...

. In the film, an honest inspector for the New York Department of Weights and Measures takes on corrupt merchants and politicians.

Plot

After the Chief Deputy of the Department of Weights and Measures is nearly killed in a car accident engineered by corrupt politician Marty Cavanaugh, he enlists ex-boxer Johnny Cave (Cagney) to take over his position. Johnny learns from Joe Green, the chief deputy, that there are men who are higher up in the organization than Marty. As the new leader, Johnny reiterates to his team the importance of their department and warns them that corruption is an ongoing hazard. Johnny then goes out into the field with his naive partner, Patrick James "Aloysius" Haley, investigating merchants who are accused of using faulty measures and cheating the public. He ends up fining a market for adding lead weights to stewing chickens and fining a gas station for routinely shortchanging its customers. In each case, the merchants try to bribe Johnny in exchange for ignoring their corrupt practices, but he adamantly refuses. Meanwhile, Johnny's fiancee, Janet Henry, criticizes him for being constantly hardheaded in his indefatigable pursuit of fighting corruption. Later on, Cavanaugh offers Johnny a cushy job with his organization in exchange for turning a blind eye to his citywide racket. After he refuses, Johnny is framed for both drunk driving and a robbery, but is then "exonerated" by an ornery Cavanaugh, implying that he can make or break him. Afterwards, the mayor, a puppet for Cavanaugh, offers Johnny a high paying job, but once again he refuses. When Johnny learns that Janet's boss, Abel Canning, has been swindling a local orphanage by sending them half-shipments of food but charging them full-price, he declares that he's going to expose him for the criminal that he is. Once he realizes that Canning is in an alliance with both the mayor and Cavanaugh, Johnny releases the orphanage story to the newspapers, which angers his fiancee and eventually leads to her breaking their engagement. As Johnny prepares for the case against Canning, Cavanaugh hires a thug, ex-wrestler Joe Burton, to attack and steal the evidence from him. However, instead of turning over the evidence to Canning, Burton decides to blackmail him for $5,000. While at a big cocktail party, Canning gives Burton a $5,000 check in exchange for a key to his apartment where the evidence is hid. After Johnny notices Canning at the party with a skeleton key, he spots Burton exiting a side room. Johnny goes over to Burton and punches him in the face, then removes what he thinks is the stolen evidence from his jacket pocket, but instead discovers a check written by Canning. He then realizes that Canning is on his way to retrieve the evidence in Burton's apartment. Meanwhile, at the apartment, Canning and Cavanaugh locate the evidence hidden behind some wallpaper in a closet. They are about to burn the papers when Johnny arrives just in time, preventing them from destroying the evidence. Then, thanks to a tip by Janet, the police arrive moments later and arrest the two men. Later on, with Johnny and Janet's engagement back on, he presents her with a ring that he got on the "installment plan," even though he knows it's a racket.

Cast

Background

''Great Guy'' was the first of two films James Cagney made for independent film company Grand National Pictures, after he successfully broke his contract with

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

. After completing his second film, the musical ''

Something to Sing About "Something to Sing About" (actual title: "This Land of Ours") is one of Canada's national songs, a patriotic song written by folk singer Oscar Brand that sings the praises of the many different regions of Canada. It has some similarities to "Sc ...

'' (which was not a financial success), Cagney returned to Warners. The technical adviser for the film was Charles M. Fuller, who was the Los Angeles County Sealer of Weights and Measures. The story was based on several written pieces that appeared in ''

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

'' in 1933 and 1934, written by James Edward Grant. Early press releases for ''Great Guy'' list Henry McCarty, Harry Ruskin and

Horace McCoy Horace Stanley McCoy (April 14, 1897 – December 15, 1955) was an American writer whose mostly hardboiled stories took place during the Great Depression. His best-known novel is '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' (1935), which was made into a ...

as contributing writers for the film, but later on, McCoy was dropped from credits, and Henry Johnson was added as a co-writer.

Reception

Writing for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' in 1937,

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

gave the film a good review, praising Cagney as an actor who "seldom disappoints", and whose performance in this film provides "more sophisticated humour than usual". According to Greene, "the scenes with the ward politicians, the Mayor, the philanthropist, crooks all, are pleasantly phosphorescent with corruption, and so is the admirable climax at the evening party". (reprinted in: )

References

External links