An already-established Warner Brothers stock company adds one new contract player in this very enjoyable feisty drama about, what else, an Irish American family and their struggles to find the American dream. The family includes loving mother Mary Gordon (complete with Scottish accent) and her three sons: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien and Frank McHugh. Gordon has her hands full with the three sons who still live at home so she'd like nothing more for one of them to get married sells a balance of men to women can be closer to even.
Along Comes Olivia de Havilland home Pat O'Brien is dating, but Cagney takes a fancy to her as well. With the help of brother McHugh, they work together to promote fighter Allen Jenkins, and this leads to exciting boxing sequences that are mixed with that feisty comedy that only Warner Brothers could get away with without upsetting the Hays code.
One of the highlights of the scenes is Jenkins preparing for a fight, suffering from a toothache and utilizing gin at McHugh's advice to relieve the pain. Of course he swallows it, and that puts Cagney into the ring. In the print I saw, when they look at the bottle of booze, the gin seems to have a yellow tint to it which if intentional is an interesting and subtle effect.
While her Scottish accent is distracting, Gordon is very good as the loving mother who seems to have a penchant for Cagney at the expense of the others and that creates a bit of a rivalry between him and O'Brien outside of their interest in the lovely De Havilland in her first year in pictures. Gordon may be sweet, but her character certainly knows how to get feisty with the best of them especially when she sees her son about to start the fight.
Well everybody gets a chance to be humorous, it's McHugh who gets the bulk of the laughs obviously especially when with Jenkins. Cagney & O'Brien get their share of feisty seems but the bulk of their stories focuses on the drama and the action. De Havilland hasn't yet picture astride here as a top dramatic star, but she certainly is Cinematic and unique among the usual lineup of Warner Brothers contract players. This has every element that makes for a successful picture, and it really stands the test of time as far as great entertainment goes.
Along Comes Olivia de Havilland home Pat O'Brien is dating, but Cagney takes a fancy to her as well. With the help of brother McHugh, they work together to promote fighter Allen Jenkins, and this leads to exciting boxing sequences that are mixed with that feisty comedy that only Warner Brothers could get away with without upsetting the Hays code.
One of the highlights of the scenes is Jenkins preparing for a fight, suffering from a toothache and utilizing gin at McHugh's advice to relieve the pain. Of course he swallows it, and that puts Cagney into the ring. In the print I saw, when they look at the bottle of booze, the gin seems to have a yellow tint to it which if intentional is an interesting and subtle effect.
While her Scottish accent is distracting, Gordon is very good as the loving mother who seems to have a penchant for Cagney at the expense of the others and that creates a bit of a rivalry between him and O'Brien outside of their interest in the lovely De Havilland in her first year in pictures. Gordon may be sweet, but her character certainly knows how to get feisty with the best of them especially when she sees her son about to start the fight.
Well everybody gets a chance to be humorous, it's McHugh who gets the bulk of the laughs obviously especially when with Jenkins. Cagney & O'Brien get their share of feisty seems but the bulk of their stories focuses on the drama and the action. De Havilland hasn't yet picture astride here as a top dramatic star, but she certainly is Cinematic and unique among the usual lineup of Warner Brothers contract players. This has every element that makes for a successful picture, and it really stands the test of time as far as great entertainment goes.