Taxi! (1932)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Kenyon Nicholson (play)
Kubec Glasmon (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

23 January 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Taxi Driver | Beautiful Woman | Murder | Gangster | Dance Contest

US Showtimes:

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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

Also Known As:

Taxi, Please (USA) (working title)
The Blind Spot (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #2281-R, 14 May 1936 for re-release)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This movie is the source of James Cagney's most famous misquoted line, "You dirty rat!" In the film, Cagney actually says, "Come out and take it, you dirty, yellow-bellied rat, or I'll give it to you through the door!"

Quotes:

Skeets: [Reading movie poster] Coming: John Barrymore, The Mad Genius. I wonder what he's mad about.
Ruby: You know what I think? I think he's copying Fredric March more and more every day. Don't you think so? He's my favorite though, except Joe E. Brown.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Wind at My Back: Grace of Hollywood (#3.10)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Georgia on My Mind

'30s-themed Warners programmer

"Taxi!" is a 1932 film starring James Cagney and Loretta Young, made after Cagney's big success in "Public Enemy." The '30s were a time when much of what was seen in theater and film reflected the plight of the blue-collar worker. Sophisticated drawing room comedies and rich folk were replaced by "Waiting for Lefty," "Golden Boy," "Awake and Sing" and the like.

The theme of taxi companies fighting the independent cabbies was used other films, "Born Reckless" in 1937 and "Big City" in 1937 being two. In "Taxi!" Sue (Loretta Young) sees her father (Guy Kibbee) go to prison for killing a driver sent by a thug named Gerard who deliberately smashes his taxi. He dies in prison; later on, Gerard stabs the younger brother of Matt (Cagney) and kills him. Matt and Sue fall in love, despite being on opposite sides of the fence - she's against violence, he's all for it - and get married. Matt can't let go of wanting revenge against Gerard.

The film is dated not only because of its theme but also the depiction of acceptable spousal abuse. However, it's notable for evoking a New York atmosphere and for the fact that Cagney speaks Yiddish at the beginning of the film. This was added to the movie when it was found out that Cagney knew Yiddish. Young is incredibly beautiful but maybe a little too classy, and Cagney does what will be a familiar role for him well. One poster here thought that Leila Bennett as Ruby was hilarious; to me she was totally annoying. Four years later, she made her last film.

"Taxi!" is interesting for the cast, but you'll be turned off when Matt let's Sue have it. Look for George Raft as a competitor in a dance contest.