James Cagney plays an incorruptible investigator for the New York City Department of Weights and Measures in the Grand National release "Great Guy" where he wages a perpetual war against unscrupulous merchants who swindle the public out of dollars and cents on their purchases. Although it ran 76 minutes during its initial theatrical release, director John G. Blystone's thriller about government corruption has been whittled down over the years to 66 minutes for the current public domain version. As some have pointed out, Cagney bailed out of Warner Brothers because the Burbank studio typecast him as a pugnacious but personable runt. Cagney is neither a conventional policeman nor a gangster, but he hasn't lost the urge to throw a good punch. This snappy little melodrama qualifies as a potboiler with little to recommend it aside from its above-average cast. Blystone surrounds Cagney with a solid supporting cast, many of whom appeared in his Warner Brother pictures, including James Burke, Edward Brophy, Joe Sawyer, Henry Kolker, and Mae Clarke. As the action unfolds, our hero is summoned to the hospital by his boss, Joel Green (Wallis Clark of "Gone with the Wind"), to notify him that he is the new chief deputy until his physician will release him.
It seems that Green has been doing his job far too efficiently and a notorious alderman Marty Cavanaugh (Robert Gleckler) arranged a car wreck. At Fifth and Main Streets, Green's car stalls on the trolley tracks and a street car collides with his vehicle and flips it. Green warns his protégé, "Now, remember Johnny, don't let the fist drift against anybody's chin." Naturally, the truculent Johnny Cave forgets to restrain himself and eventually gives the conniving Cavanaugh his due. Johnny takes a newbie, Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley (James Burke), under his wing and they catch a grocer and a gas station attendant overcharging customers with merchandise. When Cavanaugh tries to corrupt Johnny with an offer of a better charge, our hero refuses to play ball, so Cavanaugh gives him another chance to change his mind. Cavanaugh sends his hoods to coerce him. This is probably the most interesting part of "Great Guy" because Cavanaugh doesn't get rid of Johnny. Instead, he makes an example of his power. Cavanaugh's torpedoes set Johnny up to take the rap for an armed robbery with their boss as the man who complains to the police. When Cavanaugh arrives at the police station, he behaves in a surprised manner and exonerates Johnny. Johnny refuses to take the hint and Cavanaugh prompts the crooked mayor to promote our hero to a higher paying job so he will be out of their hair. Predictably, Johnny refuses to play ball.
Meantime, he discovers that some higher-ups are short-changing an orphanage and they want to fire the woman, Mrs. Ogilvie (Mary Gordon of the "Sherlock Holmes" movies), who is interfering with their plans. Johnny writes up the guys who deliver and take charge of the supplies and then he goes after the pillar of society, Abel Canning (Henry Kolker), who has the authority to fire Mrs. Ogilvie. Matters don't improve a bit when Johnny learns that Mr. Canning is his girlfriend's boss, and they split momentarily over the issue of Canning's corrupt nature. Johnny obtains evidence of Canning's corruptible business practices, but a strong-arm thug Joe Burton (Joe Sawyer) beats him up and steals it. Burton blackmails Canning for five thousand dollars to get the evidence back. Reluctantly, an angry Canning writes Burton a five thousand dollar check for cash. The finale has our protagonist recovering the evidence and giving Cavanaugh a good beating. All along Johnny and his girlfriend have been planning their forthcoming marriage.
Blystone never lets the pace slacken and he gets good performances out of a seasoned cast of veterans. Basically, this is a good versus evil melodrama with slimy villains and a slightly smudged hero. Some questions arise at the end about Johnny's sudden decision to endorse an installment plan. Nothing is ever said about the check that Johnny took from Burton. Of course, "Great Guy" doesn't wear out its welcome. The scene in the grocery store when Aloysius tries to recover a chicken that the clerk overcharged him for is hilarious. Mae Clarke plays his girlfriend Janet; film buffs will remember her as the gal that Cagney shoved a grapefruit in her face. Mind you, "Great Guy" is still a potboiler that benefits from Cagney's dynamic energy. Eventually, Cagney and Warner Brothers settled their business feud and he went back to making classics at the Burbank studio.
It seems that Green has been doing his job far too efficiently and a notorious alderman Marty Cavanaugh (Robert Gleckler) arranged a car wreck. At Fifth and Main Streets, Green's car stalls on the trolley tracks and a street car collides with his vehicle and flips it. Green warns his protégé, "Now, remember Johnny, don't let the fist drift against anybody's chin." Naturally, the truculent Johnny Cave forgets to restrain himself and eventually gives the conniving Cavanaugh his due. Johnny takes a newbie, Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley (James Burke), under his wing and they catch a grocer and a gas station attendant overcharging customers with merchandise. When Cavanaugh tries to corrupt Johnny with an offer of a better charge, our hero refuses to play ball, so Cavanaugh gives him another chance to change his mind. Cavanaugh sends his hoods to coerce him. This is probably the most interesting part of "Great Guy" because Cavanaugh doesn't get rid of Johnny. Instead, he makes an example of his power. Cavanaugh's torpedoes set Johnny up to take the rap for an armed robbery with their boss as the man who complains to the police. When Cavanaugh arrives at the police station, he behaves in a surprised manner and exonerates Johnny. Johnny refuses to take the hint and Cavanaugh prompts the crooked mayor to promote our hero to a higher paying job so he will be out of their hair. Predictably, Johnny refuses to play ball.
Meantime, he discovers that some higher-ups are short-changing an orphanage and they want to fire the woman, Mrs. Ogilvie (Mary Gordon of the "Sherlock Holmes" movies), who is interfering with their plans. Johnny writes up the guys who deliver and take charge of the supplies and then he goes after the pillar of society, Abel Canning (Henry Kolker), who has the authority to fire Mrs. Ogilvie. Matters don't improve a bit when Johnny learns that Mr. Canning is his girlfriend's boss, and they split momentarily over the issue of Canning's corrupt nature. Johnny obtains evidence of Canning's corruptible business practices, but a strong-arm thug Joe Burton (Joe Sawyer) beats him up and steals it. Burton blackmails Canning for five thousand dollars to get the evidence back. Reluctantly, an angry Canning writes Burton a five thousand dollar check for cash. The finale has our protagonist recovering the evidence and giving Cavanaugh a good beating. All along Johnny and his girlfriend have been planning their forthcoming marriage.
Blystone never lets the pace slacken and he gets good performances out of a seasoned cast of veterans. Basically, this is a good versus evil melodrama with slimy villains and a slightly smudged hero. Some questions arise at the end about Johnny's sudden decision to endorse an installment plan. Nothing is ever said about the check that Johnny took from Burton. Of course, "Great Guy" doesn't wear out its welcome. The scene in the grocery store when Aloysius tries to recover a chicken that the clerk overcharged him for is hilarious. Mae Clarke plays his girlfriend Janet; film buffs will remember her as the gal that Cagney shoved a grapefruit in her face. Mind you, "Great Guy" is still a potboiler that benefits from Cagney's dynamic energy. Eventually, Cagney and Warner Brothers settled their business feud and he went back to making classics at the Burbank studio.