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Jimmy the Gent (film)
Encyclopedia
Jimmy the Gent is a 1934
American
comedy
-drama film
directed by Michael Curtiz
and starring James Cagney
and Bette Davis
. The screenplay
by Bertram Millhauser
was based on The Heir Chaser by Ray Nazarro
and Laird Doyle.
Prior to its release, the film was titled Blondes and Bonds and then Heir Chaser. It was the first pairing of Cagney and Davis, who would reunite for The Bride Came C.O.D.
seven years later.
plot of the Warner Bros.
release focuses on the unscrupulous Jimmy Corrigan (Cagney), who runs an agency that searches for heirs
of those who have died without leaving a will
and often provides phony claimants in order to collect his fee. When his former girlfriend Joan Martin (Davis), who left him to due his lack of ethics, accepts a position at the allegedly legitimate firm owned by Charles Wallingham (Alan Dinehart
), Corrigan investigates Wallingham's background and discovers his rival is even more duplicitous than he is. He exposes him for the phony he is and promises to go straight if Joan will come back to him.
Variety
said, "Jimmy the Gent . . . [is] expert, thorough-going, typically Cagney . . . and good for plenty of laughs."
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
-drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
and starring James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
and Bette Davis
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
. The screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
by Bertram Millhauser
Bertram Millhauser
Bertram Millhauser was an American screenwriter. He wrote for 61 films between 1911 and 1960.He was born in New York, New York and died in Hollywood, California from a heart attack.-Selected filmography:...
was based on The Heir Chaser by Ray Nazarro
Ray Nazarro
Ray Nazarro was an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter-Biography:Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Nazarro entered the movie business during the silent era, and began directing short films in 1929 with In and Out...
and Laird Doyle.
Prior to its release, the film was titled Blondes and Bonds and then Heir Chaser. It was the first pairing of Cagney and Davis, who would reunite for The Bride Came C.O.D.
The Bride Came C.O.D.
The Bride Came C.O.D. is a 1941 Warner Bros. screwball romantic comedy starring James Cagney as a pilot and Bette Davis as a runaway heiress. Although the film was publicized as the first movie pairing of Warner Bros.' two biggest stars, they had actually made Jimmy the Gent together in 1934.The...
seven years later.
Plot
The farcicalFarce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
plot of the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
release focuses on the unscrupulous Jimmy Corrigan (Cagney), who runs an agency that searches for heirs
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
of those who have died without leaving a will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
and often provides phony claimants in order to collect his fee. When his former girlfriend Joan Martin (Davis), who left him to due his lack of ethics, accepts a position at the allegedly legitimate firm owned by Charles Wallingham (Alan Dinehart
Alan Dinehart
Alan Mason Dinehart was an American Broadway actor, director, writer, stage manager and later, a Character actor and supporting player featured in at least 88 films between 1931 and 1944...
), Corrigan investigates Wallingham's background and discovers his rival is even more duplicitous than he is. He exposes him for the phony he is and promises to go straight if Joan will come back to him.
Cast
- James CagneyJames CagneyJames Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
as Jimmy Corrigan - Bette DavisBette DavisRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
as Joan Martin - Allen JenkinsAllen JenkinsAllen Jenkins was an American character actor of stage, screen and television.-Early life:He was born David Allen Curtis Jenkins in Staten Island, New York on April 9, 1900.-Career:...
as Lou - Alan DinehartAlan DinehartAlan Mason Dinehart was an American Broadway actor, director, writer, stage manager and later, a Character actor and supporting player featured in at least 88 films between 1931 and 1944...
as Charles Wallingham - Alice White as Mabel
- Arthur HohlArthur HohlArthur Hohl was a stage and motion-picture character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began appearing in films in the early 1920s...
as Monty Barton - Hobart CavanaughHobart CavanaughHobart Cavanaugh was an American character actor in films and on stage.Born in Virginia City, Nevada, Cavanaugh made his film debut in San Francisco Nights...
as Fake Worthingham - Mayo MethotMayo MethotMayo Methot , also known as Mayo Methot Bogart, was an American film and theater actress.-Biography:Methot was born in Portland, Oregon. A petite brunette, she became a popular actress on Broadway during the 1920s where she was admired for both her acting and singing ability...
as Gladys Farrell
Critical reception
In his review in the New York Times, Mordaunt Hall described the film as "a brisk, slangy piece of work in which Mr. Cagney is as much of a pepper-pot as ever . . . [he] tackles the barbed argot of his lines with speed and force . . . Bette Davis is attractive and capable as Joan."Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said, "Jimmy the Gent . . . [is] expert, thorough-going, typically Cagney . . . and good for plenty of laughs."