Taxi! (1932)

Independent cab drivers struggling against a taxi company consortium find a leader in Matt Nolan.

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Kenyon Nicholson (based on the play by), Kubec Glasmon (adaptation),

Stars:

James Cagney, Loretta Young, George E. Stone

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Cagney	...	Matt Nolan
Loretta Young	...	Sue Riley Nolan
George E. Stone	...	Skeets
Guy Kibbee	...	Pop Riley
Leila Bennett	...	Ruby
Dorothy Burgess	...	Marie Costa
David Landau	...	Buck Gerard
Ray Cooke	...	Danny Nolan

Storyline

Amidst a backdrop of growing violence and intimidation, independent cab drivers struggling against a consolidated juggernaut rally around hot-tempered Matt Nolan. Nolan is determined to keep competition alive on the streets, even if it means losing the woman he loves.

---

Plot Keywords:

taxi | stabbed in the back | gun | coney island brooklyn new york city | reference to joe e brown | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

23 January 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taxi, Please

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Vitaphone Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

69 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Cagney had to be taught how to drive for the movie Taxi! Since he was a New Yorker without much need to drive in the 1930s, he had not learned to drive up until that point.

---

Quotes

Matt Nolan: Why, if I thought you meant that...

---

Connections

Referenced in Wind at My Back: Grace of Hollywood (1999)

---

Soundtracks

"The Darktown Strutters' Ball"
(1917) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Shelton Brooks
Played by the band for the final number in the dance contest
Danced by James Cagney, Loretta Young, George Raft and his unidentified partner

User Reviews

"I'd like to bury the hatchet, right in their thick skulls."

Matt Nolan (James Cagney) is a cab driver, but a group of new cabbies are trying to muscle into the area. They use intimidation and force when they feel it is necessary which tends to be sooner rather than later. Take Pop Riley (Guy Kibbee) for example. He'd been running the same route for years until the new gang came to town and decided they didn't want the competition. They totaled his car and got him sent to prison when he retaliated. His little girl Sue (Loretta Young) doesn't want to see anyone else suffer the same fate, so when she falls in love with Matt, she does her best to keep his temper under control. It isn't easy, especially when the opposing group starts harassing him.

Roy Del Ruth keeps the story exciting with the typical Warner Brother's format. Taxi! features a great cast, quick dialogue, fast action, and a short run time. Cagney is the true star of the movie; he can lay it on thick with the romantic scenes, pop out the cocky one-liners like no other, and even dance around like a pro. (We are treated to a preview of his talents; they would not be utilized in film until a few years later.) Young is absolutely beautiful, as she is in all of her pre-code movies, and her acting abilities hold up against Cagney's. Also notable are the sidekicks of the two leads: Leila Bennett and George E. Stone who play great backup.

This movie is definitely worth catching late night on TCM.