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IMDbPro

The Roaring Twenties

  • 19391939
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
14K
YOUR RATING
Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Trailer for this film about an era
Play trailer3:29
1 Video
41 Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Film-Noir
Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
14K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Raoul Walsh
  • Writers
    • Jerry Wald(screen play)
    • Richard Macaulay(screen play)
    • Robert Rossen(screen play)
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Humphrey Bogart
    • Priscilla Lane
Top credits
  • Director
    • Raoul Walsh
  • Writers
    • Jerry Wald(screen play)
    • Richard Macaulay(screen play)
    • Robert Rossen(screen play)
  • Stars
    • James Cagney
    • Humphrey Bogart
    • Priscilla Lane
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 105User reviews
    • 53Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    The Roaring Twenties
    Trailer 3:29
    The Roaring Twenties

    Photos41

    James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart in "The Roaring Twenties," 1939 Warner Bros.
    James Cagney "The Roaring Twenties"
    James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    James Cagney, Murray Alper, Frank McHugh, and Dick Wessel in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney in The Roaring Twenties (1939)
    James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)

    Top cast

    Edit
    James Cagney
    James Cagney
    • Eddie Bartlett
    Humphrey Bogart
    Humphrey Bogart
    • George Hally
    Priscilla Lane
    Priscilla Lane
    • Jean Sherman
    Gladys George
    Gladys George
    • Panama Smith
    Jeffrey Lynn
    Jeffrey Lynn
    • Lloyd Hart
    Frank McHugh
    Frank McHugh
    • Danny Green
    Paul Kelly
    Paul Kelly
    • Nick Brown
    Elisabeth Risdon
    Elisabeth Risdon
    • Mrs. Sherman
    • (as Elizabeth Risdon)
    Edward Keane
    Edward Keane
    • Henderson
    • (as Ed Keane)
    Joe Sawyer
    Joe Sawyer
    • The Sergeant - Pete Jones
    Joseph Crehan
    Joseph Crehan
    • Michaels
    George Meeker
    George Meeker
    • Masters
    John Hamilton
    John Hamilton
    • Judge
    Robert Elliott
    Robert Elliott
    • First Detective
    Eddy Chandler
    Eddy Chandler
    • Second Detective
    • (as Eddie Chandler)
    Abner Biberman
    Abner Biberman
    • Henchman - Lefty
    Vera Lewis
    Vera Lewis
    • Mrs. Gray
    John Deering
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    • Director
      • Raoul Walsh
    • Writers
      • Jerry Wald(screen play)
      • Richard Macaulay(screen play)
      • Robert Rossen(screen play)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This marked the end of James Cagney's cycle of gangster films for Warner Bros. Cagney wanted to diversify his roles: he would not play a gangster again until White Heat (1949), ten years later.
    • Goofs
      The film is full of classic songs from the 1920s, but the arrangements and vocal styles are those of 1939. No attempt is made to reproduce the actual sound of 1920s dance music.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Panama Smith: He's dead.

      Cop: Well, who is this guy?

      Panama Smith: This is Eddie Bartlett.

      Cop: Well, how're you hooked up with him?

      Panama Smith: I could never figure it out.

      Cop: What was his business?

      Panama Smith: He used to be a big shot.

    • Connections
      Edited from The Public Enemy (1931)
    • Soundtracks
      I'm Just Wild About Harry
      (1921) (uncredited)

      Music by Eubie Blake

      Lyrics by Noble Sissle

      Played during the opening and closing credits

      Also played during the 1922 montage

      Sung by Priscilla Lane at the club

    User reviews105

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    In this movie, Bogart proves to be the sneering, sadistic gangster
    After nearly a decade of concentrating on the gangster period of the twenties, it appeared that Warner Brothers had decided to make one, final glorified kiss-off to the genre in the spectacularly staged "The Roaring Twenties."

    Director Raoul Walch was an odd choice for what turned out to be a first-rate action film, for Walsh was not normally a crime-film director… The film contained every possible cliché connected with the era…

    Bogart's portrayal was interesting as we watched him coldly murder an ex-army sergeant who had given him a rough time in the service, and then set put to get rid of Jeffrey Lynn, now a successful lawyer working for the district attorney and intent on crushing Bogart's empire…

    Cagney, whose energy gave him a panerotic sexual magnetism, was evident with his two relationships which both tend to increase our valuation of Cagney as a person as are the two ladies involved: Priscilla Lane, the innocent whom Cagney helps and loves, and the experienced Gladys George who is evidently devoted to him but never expresses her feelings to him…

    This basic relationship between Cagney and the two female characters does not take away the great merit of "The Roaring Twenties"—much more it proves the skill of Raoul Walsh and the writers in deploying conventional elements in an effective and meaningful way
    helpful•45
    9
    • Nazi_Fighter_David
    • Apr 16, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 28, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The World Moves On
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 19, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Warner Bros.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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