Gentleman Jim

In the span of just a few years, Errol Flynn went from a complete unknown hailing from Australia to one of the biggest box-office draws in Hollywood. But after playing the swashbuckler who knows how many times, he wanted to show his audiences there was more to him.

One of the results was Raoul Walsh's Gentleman Jim where Flynn plays boxer James J. Corbett. Yes, he has the same amount of charisma he had for his collaborations with Olivia de Havilland but there's something more to Flynn's work here. (Could it actually be acting?)

Of course with this being a film about boxing, Gentleman Jim requires a lot of physicality from its leading man. And since he wanted realism, Flynn did his own stunts. Such exertion from him caused concern from leading lady Alexis Smith -- who was fully aware of Flynn's nights of debauchery -- but Flynn said thusly: "I'm only interested in this half. I don't care for the future." (Worth mentioning that Flynn had a minor heart attack during production.)

But as shown the previous year with They Died With Their Boots On, Walsh utilizes the talent within Flynn, something Michael Curtiz seldom tried to do with the leading man. It's no surprise that Flynn much preferred working with Walsh over Curtiz.

Gentleman Jim is a showcase for Flynn's talent, proving there was more to him than as the dashing leading man. It's almost a shame that Hollywood didn't give him more opportunities. But as least he got those few fleeting moments as a serious actor.

My Rating: ****

They Died With Their Boots On

Raoul Walsh's They Died With Their Boots On is somewhat more focused that Michael Curtiz's films starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. While Curtiz focused more on spectacle, Walsh was more interested in grit. But even amid the brutish nature of some of his other films, Walsh was capable of depicting poignant moments just as well.

In regards with They Died With Their Boots On, these moments are the ones between George Armstrong Custer (Flynn) and Elizabeth Bacon (de Havilland). As with their previous films, Flynn and de Havilland have a strong rapport, the kind only found in a select few screen pairings. Oh, if only they did one more film together...

Flynn was in other Walsh-directed films following They Died With Their Boots On but it's this one that added further depths to his career. As he proved two years prior with The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, he certainly had potential as more than the swashbuckling leading man. (A shame moviegoers had to wait until The Sun Also Rises sixteen years later to see Flynn be an actor again.)

With this being their final film together, They Died With Their Boots On almost has Flynn and de Havilland knowing that fact. Did they know while filming their final scenes they were to parted forever on screen? Regardless, it makes several scenes of theirs (the balcony scene in particular) all the more moving.

They Died With Their Boots On has the rare effective combination of action and romance thanks to Flynn and de Havilland. And from Walsh's direction, they prove their' viability as actors. (At least Hollywood soon took notice with de Havilland.)

My Rating: ****1/2

The Strawberry Blonde

When one watches Raoul Walsh's The Strawberry Blonde, it could be a shock to those familiar with his other collaborations with James Cagney like The Roaring Twenties or White Heat. (Or for that matter, any of Cagney's other gangster pictures.) After all, this is a lighthearted affair, a far cry from the guns a-blazin' found in both men's more famous productions.

So what is The Strawberry Blonde about? Set towards the end of the 19th century, the film follows Biff Grimes (Cagney) as he and his friend Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson) try to romance Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth), the titular strawberry blonde. But there's more to the film than that.

Of course the opening sequence shows that Biff eventually settles down with Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland) but again, that's not the whole point of The Strawberry Blonde. The point of the film is that when you find that one person in your life, everything just seems to click afterwards.

And as is the case with any good film, the cast of The Strawberry Blonde is great. All four of the main actors were either coming off of or about to do the most prolific film of their careers (Cagney Yankee Doodle Dandy, Carson Mildred Pierce, Hayworth Gilda, de Havilland Gone with the Wind). That may be the reason for why The Strawberry Blonde has gotten lost in the shuffle of the many films of the 1940s.

The Strawberry Blonde is an utter delight. It's one of those films that'll bring a smile to your face throughout. (And Cagney would do it again the following year with Yankee Doodle Dandy.) It's just something you need to see for yourself.

My Rating: *****

The Roaring Twenties

The two most notable names for "old school tough guys" are James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. You mess with them, there's no guarantee you're coming out unscathed.

Upon returning home from serving in World War I, Eddie Bartlett (Cagney) struggles to find a job. Soon he finds one where the money just pours in: bootlegging. Along with war pals George Hally (Bogart) and Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn), Eddie rises to the top of the criminal underworld.

Like I said, you don't mess with Cagney or Bogart. That is clearly shown in The Roaring Twenties. It's one of those movies that managed to define an entire genre. It also managed to stand the test of time. Hey, if you don't believe me, watch it yourself.

My Rating: *****

White Heat

I think I'm going to be on a James Cagney kick for a while. Well, what do you expect from a gal who's a sucker for gangster flicks?

Cody Jarrett (Cagney) is a criminal who goes by his own twisted rules. After landing in prison, the police use Vic Pardo (Edmond O'Brien) as a means to find out the location of the money Jarrett and his gang stole from a train.

In The Public Enemy, Cagney is someone who's intimidating; in White Heat, he's someone who is downright sinister. His freak out in prison honestly freaked me out (as well as most of the extras in that scene). Much like what I said for The Public Enemy, White Heat is a fitting introduction to early gangster movies.

My Rating: *****