The Roaring Twenties

### “He used to be a big shot." James Cagney was getting tired of making gangster films for Warner Bros. by the time he starred in Raoul Walsh’s 1939 film “The Roaring Twenties. After all, he really loved comedy and the song-and-dance too. But he clearly was great as a gangster. Look at him in “The Public Enemy” or “White Heat.” He carried a dark energy that really came across in those films as well as this one. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our series on films from 1939 with Walsh’s “The Roaring Twenties.” We talk about our general impressions of this film, one which we both watched for the first time, and how it was enjoyable but fairly middle-of-the-road. We chat about the talent involved on screen — Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George, Priscilla Lane, Frank McHugh, Jeffrey Lynn, and Paul Kelly, to name a few — and how we felt about each of them. We get into the gangster genre and what really made these gangster films from the 30s work, comparing this one with “Little Caesar” and more to figure out if this one is better or worse than some of those that are considered more classic. And we talk about how well this film and its news reel-esque approach to the decade really give us a great perspective on what was going on then and how it created this environment for criminal behavior. It’s a good film, maybe not something we’d rewatch day in and day out but one worth watching at least once, and we have a great time talking about it on this week’s show. Tune in! ## Film Sundries - [Script Transcript](http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=the-roaring-twenties) - [Original theatrical trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zrSKQg1mhU) - [Flickchart](http://www.flickchart.com/movie/735CC0FAFB) ## Trailers of the Week - Andy’s Trailer: [Into the Badlands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH40EowbTz8) — “Okay, so it’s a trailer for a TV show, but DAMN. Looks like a pretty kick-ass TV show to me. Post apocalyptic. Martial arts. A new feudal society. A mysterious kid in a box. I don’t really know what the show’s about, but damn if I don’t want to start watching it right now.” - Pete’s Trailer: [Suicide Squad](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3hecGO_04) — “I like David Ayer. I think he’s a pretty darned good action director and now that I’ve seen the trailer for this film and the characters they’re introducing, I think they might just be onto something. This might just turn into a cool DC Universe after all." * * * Hey! You know what would be awesome? If you would drop us a positive rating on iTunes! If you like what we’re doing here on TNR, it really is the best way to make sure that this show appears when others search for it, plus, it’s just a nice thing to do. Thanks!! - [The Next Reel on iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-reel/id478159328?mt=2) - [The Next Reel on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/TheNextReel) - [The Next Reel on Twitter](http://twitter.com/thenextreel) - [The Next Reel on Flickchart](http://www.flickchart.com/thenextreel) - [The Next Reel on Letterboxd](http://letterboxd.com/thenextreel/) - [Guess the Movie with The Next Reel on Instagram](http://instagram.com/thenextreel) - [Check out the Posters with The Next Reel on Pinterest](http://pinterest.com/thenextreel) And for anyone interested in our fine bouquet of show hosts: - [Follow Andy Nelson on Twitter](http://twitter.com/sodacreekfilm) - [Follow Pete Wright on Twitter](http://twitter.com/petewright) - [Follow Steve Sarmento on Twitter](https://twitter.com/mr_steve23) - [Check out Tom Metz on IMDB](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1224453/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1) - [Justin "JJ" Jaeger](http://thenextreel.com/justin-jaeger/) - [Chadd Stoops](http://thenextreel.com/chadd-stoops) - [Follow Steven Smart on Letterboxd](http://letterboxd.com/steamrobot/)