- Actors: James Cagney, Grace George, Marjorie Main, Marjorie Lord, Hattie McDaniel
- Directors: William K. Howard
- Format: Black & White, Full Screen, Mono, PAL
- Language English
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Universal
- VHS Release Date: 11 May 1998
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- ASIN: B00004R69A
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 10,020 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Even the press can't stop the irrepressible Jimmy Cagney.,
By Spike Owen "John Rouse Merriott Chard" (Birmingham, England.) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: Johnny Come Lately aka Johnny Vagabond [VHS] [1943] (VHS Tape)
Tom Richards is an ex newspaper reporter who decided to quit the rat race and live life on the road in a vagabond existence. Breezing into town one day with only two dollars and a copy of his beloved Pickwick Papers to his name, Tom happens upon dear old newspaper owner Vinnie McLeod. Miss McLeod has a soft spot for tramps and urges Tom to get himself off the streets before he is arrested, but although he promises he will, he is soon rounded up and hauled before the court. Where Vinnie, upon learning of his reporting experience puts up the bond so Tom can keep out of jail and work for her at the Shield & Banner paper. It's here that Tom learns of corruption within the town and promptly sets about using the press medium to out the dirt and free the town of its bad elements.
When one hears the name James Cagney, it immediately conjures up images of gangsters and Yankee Doodle Dandy like ebullience. Yet as big a star as he was, Cagney still has films in his cannon that are not only unseen and forgotten, but also that showcase the other side of his acting coin. One such film is Johnny Come Lately. Adapted from the novel "McLeod's Folly" by the highly thought of Louis Bromfield (Winner of 1927 Pulitzer Prize for his novel, Early Autumn) the film sees Cagney relying on his reined in ability instead of blunderbuss histrionics. There are of course a couple of sequences where his character is called on to pack a punch {naturally when the piece is about corruption and less than stellar townsfolk} but by and large it's a sweet and affecting turn that really rewards those who have invested time with it. It's not just about Jimmy tho. Grace George as Vinne is the films emotional axis, her interplay with Cagney has a tenderness that really gives the story some added weight. Boosting proceedings is the always delightful Hattie McDaniel, whilst Wizard Of Oz fans will no doubt be chuckling away at Margaret Hamilton's performance here. Which when one knows Cagney calls her "the dragon lady next door", well one can guess what Margaret is doing with the character. But standing out amongst the strong female cast is Marjorie Main as Gashouse Mary McGovern, a delightful turn that harks to a sort of Mae West homage. When she slinkily turns to Tom and says "if only I was thirty years younger" you just know she would have eaten him for breakfast! The score from Leigh Harline is easy on the ears, and William K. Howard's direction is smooth and at one with the pace of the story. This really is one that needs to be rediscovered by more classic cinema fans, not only for catching Cagney acting against type, but also because it has a feel good factor that could brighten the day of many. 8/10
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a wonderful story!,
By rfernandez@hotmail.com - Published on Amazon.com
This movie has everything, what a great story! Cagney of course delivers another one of his best performance's. Alot of people don't realize that Cagney made alot of (otherthangangster) movies where he can make you laugh, cry and feel good all in one. This one is that type. I miss you MR. CAGNEY!
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
MILD CAGNEY,
By "scotsladdie" - Published on Amazon.com
The great stage actress Grace George (she looks like an elderly Billie Burke) is okay in her only film as Vinnie McLeod but one thinks she could have found a more suitable vehicle. As the itinerant journalist who's jailed for vagrancy, Cagney does as well as can be expected as Tom. Main steals the show as Gashouse Mary (her ex-husband was addicted to catsup!), and there is Margaret Hamilton and Hattie McDaniel (as Aida) in supporting roles. Marjorie Lord is pretty enough to look at yet strangely lacklustre and wooden. This rather feeble comedy-drama was produced by Cagney's brother William and although the period costumes are authentic, the script is lame. Based on the novel "McLeod's Folly" by Louis Bromfield, this film is pleasant enough, but it simply never catches fire.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Johnny Come Lately:Versatile Cagney at Work,
By Martin Asiner - Published on Amazon.com
It is not often in any James Cagney film that anyone else manages to steal more than a few scenes. Cagney did get top billing in JOHNNY COME LATELY, but he does not even make an entrance until way past the first reel. When the film begins, Grace George, who plays newspaper publisher Vinnie McLeod, is seen as the dramatic center. Her newspaper is going broke, mostly because of a local corrupt politician who is angry over the muckracking editorials of her paper. Along comes an erudite tramp Tom (Cagney), who promptly gets arrested for vagrancy but is saved from the chain gang by Miss McLeod who offers him a job as a reporter. At this point, I was not sure whether the film was headed for the land of romance (Marjorie Lord plays Miss McLeod's niece who breaks up with her boyfriend) or the gritty and sordid world of realpolitik journalism, sort of a pre-WW2 ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. Part of the problem that director William K. Howard failed to resolve is that he could not set a consistent tone with which the audience would feel comfortable. Further, Howard hints at a romance between Lord and Cagney that fizzles out, leaving Cagney without much to do except go after the town bad guy. Still, Cagney manages to infuse JOHNNY COME LATELY with the vitality that his fans had come to expect. There is even a badly choreographed fist fight between him and Lord's boyfriend that ought never have happened, but director Howard obviously felt the need for the two to duke it out. Since Cagney was limited to muckraking, he shared center stage with a bravura performance by Marjorie Main, who plays brothel owner Mary McGregor, who whoops it up and rouses the town against the evil politician. For those who have a sharp eye for second tier actors, keep an eye out for Arthur Hunnicut, who later starred with Miss Main in the Ma and Pa Kettle film series. There is also Hattie McDaniel, who as Aida the maid, is again the brusque Mammy from her GONE WITH THE WIND days. JOHNNY COME LATELY is far from Cagney's best, but it is a tribute to his talents that he can make a grade B film seem far more interesting than it would have been without him.
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