The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Jerry Wald (screen play), Richard Macaulay (screen play)

Stars:

James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Priscilla Lane

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Cagney	...	Eddie Bartlett
Priscilla Lane	...	Jean Sherman
Humphrey Bogart	...	George Hally
Gladys George	...	Panama Smith
Jeffrey Lynn	...	Lloyd Hart
Frank McHugh	...	Danny Green
Paul Kelly	...	Nick Brown
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Sherman (as Elizabeth Risdon)
Edward Keane	...	Henderson (as Ed Keane)
Joe Sawyer	...	The Sergeant - Pete Jones
Joseph Crehan	...	Michaels
George Meeker	...	Masters
John Hamilton	...	Judge
Robert Elliott	...	First Detective
Eddy Chandler	...	Second Detective (as Eddie Chandler)

Storyline

After the WWI Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere.

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Plot Keywords:

prohibition | love triangle | war veteran | new york city | stock market crash | 

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Taglines:

Wild! Lawless! Fantastic! Action? No picture ever had more! (Trade Paper ad)

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 October 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

The World Moves On

Filming Locations:

Stage 19, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This marked the end of James Cagney's cycle of gangster films for Warner Bros. Cagney wanted to diversify his roles and would not play a gangster again until White Heat (1949), ten years later.

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Goofs

Eddie's arms change position when he falls on the church steps.

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Quotes

Eddie Bartlett: One thing, Lloyd. They tell me your boss is building a case against our old friend, George.
Lloyd Hart: The case is already built, Eddie.
Eddie Bartlett: Yeah, well, you remember what he said would happen if you ever told what you knew about him?
Lloyd Hart: I remember.
Eddie Bartlett: So does he.

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Connections

Edited from The Public Enemy (1931)

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Soundtracks

It Had to Be You
(1924) (uncredited)
Music by Isham Jones
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Sung by Priscilla Lane at the club
Also played when Eddie and Jean are listening to the radio on the headphones

User Reviews

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