The Public Enemy
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- This article is about the 1931 film. For other uses, see Public enemy (disambiguation)
The Public Enemy was the first worldwide box office hit for James Cagney. It forever cast him in the public eye as a "tough guy," an image he was unable to shed even despite numerous roles chosen especially to counter that image (including his Oscar-winning role in Yankee Doodle Dandy). A famous scene in which he smashes half of a grapefruit into his girlfriend's face (Mae Clarke) sparked controversy over the movie's allegedly misogynist theme.
Cast
- James Cagney as Tom Powers
- Jean Harlow as Gwen Allen
- Edward Woods as Matt Doyle
- Joan Blondell as Mamie
- Donald Cook as Michael Powers
Trivia
- The movie was adapted from the story Beer and Blood by John Bright. It was directed by William A. Wellman.
- It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story.
- The rocket-paced film was such a smash that it ran 24 hours a day at a theatre in Times Square during its initial release.
- Edward Woods was originally playing Cagney's role until the director switched them, which is why the children's appearances are reversed in the flashback sequences, since those scenes were shot before the switch. The studio promised Woods that they'd make it up to him, then dropped his contract when it expired.
- Mae Clarke's ex-husband had the [grapefruit scene] timed, and would buy a ticket just before that scene went onscreen, go enjoy the scene, leave, then come back during the next show just in time to see only that scene again. (Source: Cagney's autobiography.)
- The film has been deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
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