Word: cagney
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...Hearst, an estimated $750-$1,000 a week, she has been in a position to do nicely on the side, with Hearst getting one-third of the take. Radio used to bring her as high as $2,500 a week until the Screen Actors' Guild, thanks to James Cagney, made it impossible for stars to appear on Louella's programs with no reward other than Louella's love and unflagging loyalty-or her equally unflagging enmity if they said no. She got $50,000 from Warners for her appearance in Hollywood Hotel. For getting stars to pose...
...there were just too many displays of awkward amateurishness in "Johnny Come Lately" to make it anything but a sub-par picture. Most glaring weakness was the dialogue, with the plot and some of the acting fighting hard to make it a photofinish. Cagney did his best, and, by working like a dog, made most of his scenes tolerable--many even enjoyable...
...plot included one tramp (Cagney) who turns out to have plenty on the ball, one lovable old lady who wins said tramp's friendship and aid in one balzing journalistic crusade against the forces of Evil in the town as personified by a crooked (-onely-don't-worrry-dear-reader-he-reforms-in-the-end-) politician, and his even crackeder cronies, one triangle (eternal), one father-and-son squabble, numerous fights (gun, fist, and umbrella), and, to add that necessary punch line, a gala torchlight parade to the local hoosegow...
...natural for Cagney, and he romps and fights to his, and our, heart's content. Bit when matters are turned over to the tender mercies of Grace George, the afere-mentioned lovable old lady, her sweetness soon turns into a sticky goo which moved the spirit to feel like moving toward the nearest exit...
...that as it may, we have hopes of better things from Mr. Cagney. His public deserves...