Warner Hone Video announced last week the latest release in their Signature Collection series: James Cagney, due in stores April 24th. Most of Cagney's best films have either been released. Yankee Doodle Dandy is available in a 2 disc special edition, which includes a very good doc on Cagney's life. Angels with Dirty Faces, The Public Enemy, The Roaring Twenties and White Heat, are included in The Warner Bros. Pictures Gangster Collection. "G" Men, Each Dawn I Die and the excellent if lesser-known City for Conquest can be found in The Warner Bros. Pictures Tough Guys Collection. All of these films are also available individually.The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941, Michael Curtiz), a romantic comedy co-starring...Bette Davis? Yup. An even bigger surprise is that it's pretty darn funny. Davis is an heiress, Cagney is an out-of-work pilot. They don't like each other at first, but then... oh, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. The supporting cast includes several first-rate character actors from Warner's fine stable of contract players: Jack Carson, Eugene Pallette (essentially reprising his role from My Man Godfrey), George Tobias and Harry Davenport. Cagney and Davis were previously directed by Curtiz in 1934's Jimmy the Gent.
I haven't seen the other four in the set, so I can't vouch for quality. But the Signature Collections tend to be pretty reliable for blind buying, especially since the films average out to about $8 each.
Captains of the Clouds (1941, Curtiz) co-stars Dennis Morgan and Brenda Marshall.
The Fighting 69th (1940, William Keighley) has Pat O'Brien playing a priest, just like in Angels with Dirty Faces.
Torrid Zone (1940, Keighley) reunites Cagney with Ann Sheridan (City for Conquest) and O'Brien.
The West Point Story (1950, Roy Del Ruth) has White Heat's Virginia Mayo and Love Me or Leave Me's Doris Day, presumable vying for Cagney's affections.
Happy shopping!
1 comment:
Great work.
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