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IMDbPro

The Public Enemy

  • 19311931
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
22K
YOUR RATING
James Cagney and Jean Harlow in The Public Enemy (1931)
A young hoodlum rises up through the ranks of the Chicago underworld, even as a gangster's accidental death threatens to spark a bloody mob war.
Play trailer0:46
1 Video
70 Photos
CrimeDrama
An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
22K
YOUR RATING
    • William A. Wellman
    • Kubec Glasmon(by)
    • John Bright(by)
    • Harvey F. Thew(screen adaptation)
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Jean Harlow
    • Edward Woods
    • William A. Wellman
    • Kubec Glasmon(by)
    • John Bright(by)
    • Harvey F. Thew(screen adaptation)
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Jean Harlow
    • Edward Woods
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 163User reviews
    • 74Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 0:46
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos70

    James Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Donald Cook, Rita Flynn, and Beryl Mercer in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Joan Blondell, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney and Lee Phelps in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Donald Cook, and Beryl Mercer in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Robert Emmett O'Connor, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Jean Harlow, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Beryl Mercer, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Jean Harlow, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)
    James Cagney, Murray Kinnell, and Edward Woods in The Public Enemy (1931)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Cagney
    James Cagney
    • Tom Powers
    Jean Harlow
    Jean Harlow
    • Gwen Allen
    Edward Woods
    Edward Woods
    • Matt Doyle
    Joan Blondell
    Joan Blondell
    • Mamie
    Donald Cook
    Donald Cook
    • Mike Powers
    Leslie Fenton
    Leslie Fenton
    • Samuel 'Nails' Nathan
    Beryl Mercer
    Beryl Mercer
    • Ma Powers
    Robert Emmett O'Connor
    Robert Emmett O'Connor
    • Paddy Ryan
    • (as Robert O'Connor)
    Murray Kinnell
    Murray Kinnell
    • Putty Nose
    Lev Abramov
    • Goon
    • (uncredited)
    Clark Burroughs
    • Dutch
    • (uncredited)
    Mae Clarke
    Mae Clarke
    • Kitty
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Coghlan Jr.
    Frank Coghlan Jr.
    • Tom as a Boy
    • (uncredited)
    George Daly
    • Machine Gunner
    • (uncredited)
    Frankie Darro
    Frankie Darro
    • Matt as a Boy
    • (uncredited)
    Snitz Edwards
    Snitz Edwards
    • Miller
    • (uncredited)
    Rita Flynn
    Rita Flynn
    • Molly Doyle
    • (uncredited)
    Dorothy Gee
    • Nails' Girl
    • (uncredited)
      • William A. Wellman
      • Kubec Glasmon(by)
      • John Bright(by)
      • Harvey F. Thew(screen adaptation)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      On the set one day, James Cagney stared at Jean Harlow's cleavage and asked, likely in perfect innocence and good humor, "How do you keep those things up?" "I ice them," Harlow said, before trotting off to her dressing room to do just that.
    • Goofs
      The opening scenes of the movie supposedly take place in Chicago in 1909, yet there are many automobiles in the streets. At that time, a private car was a rare luxury, and most of the vehicles in the street would have been horse drawn wagons or carriages or electric trolleys.
    • Quotes

      Tom Powers: [Tom shuffles to the breakfast table in his pajamas. He's just finished a demanding call with Nails Nathan] Ain't you got a drink in the house?

      Kitty: Well, not before breakfast, dear.

      Tom Powers: [immediately annoyed] ... I didn't ask you for any lip. I asked you if you had a drink.

      Kitty: [sheepishly] I know Tom, but I, I wish that...

      Tom Powers: ...there you go with that wishin' stuff again. I wish you was a wishing well. So that I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya.

      Kitty: Well, maybe you've found someone you like better.

      [Tom is enraged and disgusted by her implication. He grimaces and shoves a grapefruit in her face as he leaves the table]

    • Crazy credits
      It is the ambition of the authors of "The Public Enemy" to honestly depict the environment that exists today in a certain strata of American life, rather than glorify the hoodlum or the criminal. While the story of "The Public Enemy" is essentially a true story, all names and characters appearing herein, are purely fictional.
    • Alternate versions
      For a 1941 re-release, three scenes in "The Public Enemy" were censored to comply with the Production Code. These censored segments (including an extended edit of the scene involving the gay tailor) were restored for the 2005 DVD release.
    • Connections
      Edited into Three on a Match (1932)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
      (1919) (uncredited)
      Music by James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent
      Played at various times throughout the film

    User reviews163

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Still riveting, over 70 years later!
    Most films made in the early 30s are entertaining only as period pieces that give us a glimpse into another era. Often they are so dated that they've become unintentionally funny.

    The Public Enemy is a totally different thing. It is such a well-crafted and honest film that it still has the power to shock us. The violence in this film is every bit as brutal as anything in a modern "gangsta" flick, even though some of it takes place off-camera.

    Based on the stills I had seen of the grapefruit scene, I thought it would be a light-hearted moment. In fact, it's anything but. In that encounter, Cagney's character exhibits a total disregard for others that is downright chilling.

    The final scene is extremely disturbing. You won't forget it.
    helpful•32
    6
    • free101girl
    • Apr 6, 2004

    FAQ2

    • Gun Cagney Uses---Did Bogart & Cliff Robertson Use Same Gun Later?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 15, 1931 (United States)
      • United States
      • Official site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 23 minutes
      • Black and White

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