"CELLAR-DOOR CAGNEY"

Cagney believed in hard work, later stating, "It was good for me. I feel sorry for the kid who has too cushy a time of it. Suddenly he has to come face-to-face with the realities of life without any mama or papa to do his thinking for him."

In the last week, I found myself watching a few James Cagney (1899-1986) movies, starting with White Heat (1949), the movie with the famous ending of "Look, Ma!  I'm on top o' the world!" before Cagney's character, Cody Jarrett,  is blown to smithereens.

Cagney was a favorite in our house since our parents grew up in his days.  

I learned only this morning that prizefighter great, Floyd Patterson and Russian ballet dancer, Mikhail Baryshnikov, were pallbearers at his funeral.  

Then there's the 1950 Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, another terrific film starring Barbara Payton and Ward Bond  

His 1943 movie, Johnny Come Lately had some interesting scenes and dialogue, but the plot was predictable and lacked novelty.  

Besides Angels with Dirty Faces and White Heat, Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) is probably Cagney's most memorable film, particularly the scene where he dances down the staircase.  It's the only film for which he won an Academy Award.  

As Cagney's character, Cohan, reached the foot o the stairs and makes his way to the door, a butler, played by Clinton Rosemond, presents his coat to him before he exits.  I initially thought that the two butlers were the Nicholas Brothers, but they were too popular, too in-demand, for this film.  Writers and editors at Wikipedia must be social justice warriors, for they prefer to lament that 

Rosemond was frequently relegated to playing demeaning parts, such as a stereotypical "scared Negro." 

I don't know.  Does Rosemond look scared or unhappy or less than in this scene with a money-making star, like James Cagney?  No.  Besides, Wikipedia states that "Rosemond was frequently relegated," meaning that he had work and lots of it.  Meaning he was making money as an actor.  Most actors would love such roles.  Wikipedia's editors are pathetic SJWs.

And of course, there is this classic dance scene from the 1955, The Seven Little Foys, co-starring Bob Hope.  

Cagney's skills are chosen for a cameo in this compilation on dancing put to the music by The Killer's song, "All These Things That I've Done," (2004).