James Cagney

by Richard Schickel

The study of James Cagney's screen persona is far more than a profile of a great beloved star. It is a meditation on over a half-century of social history. From Cagney's early days to such successes as Yankee Doodle Dandy, Schickel follows the star's spectacular career. A great dancer who became a great actor, James Cagney could play George M. Cohan or Public Enemy No. 1 with equal ease and conviction. This book explains how. (Richard Schickel is chief cinema critic of Time Magazine.)

Genres: Biography

Hardcover

Published May 20, 1987

About the author

Richard Schickel is an important American film historian, journalist, author, filmmaker, screenwriter, documentarian, and film and literary critic.

Mr.Schickel is featured in For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism. In this 2009 documentary film he discusses early film critics in the 1960s, and how he and other young critics, rejected the moralizing opposition of Bosley Crowther of The New York Times who had railed against violent movies such as Bonnie and Clyde.
In addition to film, Schickel has also critiqued and documented cartoons, particularly Peanuts.

Schickel was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964. He has also lectured at Yale University and University of Southern California's School of Film and Television.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an absolutely fascinating read - it sets Cagney's career in the context of the Depression and the years afterwards, and looks at how he created and changed his image, as well as discussing each movie in depth. I don't always agree with Schickel, but I'm always stimulated by him.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure which bio of Cagney's I read many years ago, but as a teen I LOVED him!