25 years without Jimmy Cagney

On March 30, 1986 (25 years ago yesterday), cocky film star Jimmy Cagney died at his Dutchess County farm in upstate New York. He was 86.

Cagney set the standard for gangster roles in The Public Enemy and won an Academy Award for his portrayal of George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy.

James Francis Cagney Jr. was born July 17, 1899, on Manhattan's Lower East Side and grew up there and in the Yorkville section. His father was of Irish descent, a bartender and, briefly, a saloon owner who died in a flu epidemic in 1918. His mother, the former Carolyn Nelson, who was of Norwegian stock, was the mainstay of the family of five children.

A number of cartoons spoofed his movie roles. Many of these were from Warner Bros., with which he had a long-term contract:


I've Got To Sing A Torch Song(Merrie Melodies; Warner Bros., 1933)
"The Radio" stars in this series of blackout gags and music, including the title song. The first of the post-Ising Merrie Melodies, this caricatures such Hollywood figures as Cagney).

Malibu Beach Party (Merrie Melodies; Warner Bros., 1940)
Cagney is one of the many star guests.

Hollywood Steps Out (Merrie Melodies; Warner Bros., 1941)
Cagney and George Raft flank Humphrey Bogart in pitching pennies.

Porky's Pastry Pirates(Merrie Melodies; Warner Bros., 1942)
Welcome to Porky's bakery, the "Sanitary Pastry Shop." Outside, a fly is drooling over the cakes. A "Cagney" bee comes along and invites the fly to watch how he gets along. Threatening Porky with his stinger, the bee eats whatever he wants. The bee helps the fly disguise himself as a bee, with a metal nail for a stinger. Naturally, Porky is a little timid when the fly comes in to feast. The fly dives into a cake, swimming in its icing. Porky spots the fly and attacks him. When the bee returns, the fly has a surprise for him: the injured fly, now on crutches, swats him.

What's Cookin' Doc?(Merrie Melodies; Warner Bros., 1944)
Bugs attends the Academy Awards ceremony. Following his impressions of Edward G. Robinson, Jerry Colonna, Bing Crosby and Frankenstein's monster, he can't believe it when he loses to Cagney, so he campaigns in an effort to change voters' minds.

Royal Rodent (Snagglepuss; Hanna-Barbera Studios, 1961)
Snagglepuss is the King's favorite court jester. But his antics are constantly interrupted by Big Ben, a Jimmy Cagney sound-alike mouse who keeps stealing the King's cheese. The King orders Snagglepuss to either kill the mouse or get beheaded!

The Ballad Of Smokey The Bear (Rankin Bass Productions, 1966)
No spoof this time... Jimmy was actually in this one! He voiced Big Bear (the narrator). His interest in wildlife preservation was one reason that his vocal talent was obtained by Rankin/Bass. The producers secured a letter from President Lyndon Johnson asking Cagney to voice the cartoon.


The 1963 UCLA Animation Workshop short Claude had Jimmy Cagney's sister Jeanne (an actress in her own right) in the voice cast.


"You walk in, plant yourself squarely on both feet, look the other fella in the eye, and tell the truth." -- Acting advice from James Cagney

One episode of "Goober And The Ghost Chasers" had Danny Partridge "imitating" Cagney by saying, "You dirty rat." Truth is, Cagney never even said it.

"Courageous Cat And Minute Mouse," Trans Artists/Sam Singer Productions, 1960. The villain Big Shot talked in a Jimmy Cagney voice.