The best reason to see "Jimmy the Gent" is for the attractive young Bette Davis. Jimmy Cagney's loud persona of the tough guy from the streets was in full mode by the time of this film, and he would carry that most of his career. It worked for the shoot-em-up gangster films for which he was best known. But it doesn't go over very well in comedies. Which is probably why he wasn't cast in more than a couple such films.
Cagney mellowed by the time of his last few films in the 1960s and thereafter. So, he was very good as Bull Halsey in "The Gallant Hours." And, in the Soviet satire, "One, Two, Three," he was good with his frantic movements without the overboard shouting and street tough guy.
On the other hand, Bette Davis was fast building her star status in many films in these first years of her career. She showed her talent and versatility in a variety of roles and films - including comedy. Her Joan Martin comes across as a lively, sharp, and interesting young woman capable of handling the likes of Jimmy.
While the plot may not be hot for this film, the story and screenplay are worse. The idea was okay, but this film just didn't have all the right stuff to make it work - starting with a sharp script. What little comedy it has is mostly flattened by the overly boisterous Cagney character, Jimmy Corrigan.
The rest of the cast are so-so, but Allen Jenkins deserves credit for playing Louie and having to bear the brunt of Jimmy's outbursts and temper tantrums.
It's too bad that Cagney was so sold on his tough guy image, because he had considerable talent as a song and dance man and actor. Audiences got a couple of glimpses of what he could do in "The West Point Story" of 1950 and "Come Fill the Cup" of 1951,
Unless one is a particular fan of Davis or Cagney, this film probably won't be very entertaining.
Cagney mellowed by the time of his last few films in the 1960s and thereafter. So, he was very good as Bull Halsey in "The Gallant Hours." And, in the Soviet satire, "One, Two, Three," he was good with his frantic movements without the overboard shouting and street tough guy.
On the other hand, Bette Davis was fast building her star status in many films in these first years of her career. She showed her talent and versatility in a variety of roles and films - including comedy. Her Joan Martin comes across as a lively, sharp, and interesting young woman capable of handling the likes of Jimmy.
While the plot may not be hot for this film, the story and screenplay are worse. The idea was okay, but this film just didn't have all the right stuff to make it work - starting with a sharp script. What little comedy it has is mostly flattened by the overly boisterous Cagney character, Jimmy Corrigan.
The rest of the cast are so-so, but Allen Jenkins deserves credit for playing Louie and having to bear the brunt of Jimmy's outbursts and temper tantrums.
It's too bad that Cagney was so sold on his tough guy image, because he had considerable talent as a song and dance man and actor. Audiences got a couple of glimpses of what he could do in "The West Point Story" of 1950 and "Come Fill the Cup" of 1951,
Unless one is a particular fan of Davis or Cagney, this film probably won't be very entertaining.