White Heat (1949)

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. Shortly after the plan takes place, events take a crazy turn

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Ivan Goff (screen play), Ben Roberts (screen play),

Stars:

James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Cagney	...	Cody Jarrett
Virginia Mayo	...	Verna Jarrett
Edmond O'Brien	...	Hank Fallon / Vic Pardo
Margaret Wycherly	...	Ma Jarrett
Steve Cochran	...	Big Ed Somers
John Archer	...	Philip Evans
Wally Cassell	...	Cotton Valletti
Fred Clark	...	Trader Winston

Storyline

Cody Jarrett is the sadistic leader of a ruthless gang of thieves. Afflicted by terrible headaches and fiercely devoted to his 'Ma,' Cody is a volatile, violent, and eccentric leader. Cody's top henchman wants to lead the gang and attempts to have an 'accident' happen to Cody, while he is running the gang from in jail. But Cody is saved by an undercover cop, who thereby befriends him and infiltrates the gang. Finally, the stage is set for Cody's ultimate betrayal and downfall, during a big heist at a chemical plant.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | heist | undercover | killer | escape | 

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Taglines:

James Cagney Is Red Hot In "White Heat"!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fúria Sanguinária

Filming Locations:

2720 Winona Avenue, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jim Thorpe:  the sports legend is one of the cons in the "telephone game".

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Goofs

When the gang is leaving the hideout on the way to rob the refinery, the shadow of a camera can be seen on the side of the gas tanker as it pulls onto the road.

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Quotes

Cody Jarrett: We got enough food for a week, what'd she have to go to the market for?
Verna Jarrett: You like strawberries, don't you? She just HAD to get some for her boy.
[Cody kicks the footstool out from under her]

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Connections

Referenced in The Bitch Is Back (1995)

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Soundtracks

"Five O'Clock Whistle"
(1940) (uncredited)
Music by Josef Myrow, Kim Gannon & Gene Irwin
Played on a radio

User Reviews

Who But Cagney Could Pull This Off?

If you like James Cagney and you like the film noirs of the late 1940s, well, it doesn't get much better than this.

Cagney, who was always great at playing wild gangsters, makes this film interesting all the way through its two hours. Despite being a half-century old, he was still not far from being at the top of his game. His character, Cody Jarrett, is one of the most famous of the many he portrayed on film, which is saying a lot.

Who could sit on his mother's lap and still look like a tough guy? Not many, but Cagney pulled it off here with his tough mama, played really well by Margaret Wycherly. This was a new type of role for Wycherly, who was used to doing Shakespeare. You wouldn't know it from this "Ma Jarrett" role!

The "hoods" in here are all realistic tough guys and gals. Cagney's two-faced wife is played well by Virginia Mayo, who plays the typical (for this genre) floozy blonde whom you can trust about as far as you can throw.

The final scene - "Top Of World, Ma!" - is one of the most famous in all of film history. It's nice to see a nice print of this out on DVD now and some of the features are very informative. Included is an interview with Mayo, who still looks pretty good for an old lady!