Hollywood Rivals Cagney Vs. Bogart
Born in the same year Cagney and Bogart are forever identified with the gangster film and film noir. Although Jimmy Cagney initially fought typecasting, a former song-and-dance man, it was made clear that the public liked him better as a fast-talking bruiser.
Making his hard-man debut in The Public Enemy (1931) as a ruthless prohibition racketeer, the violent character he created shocked audiences. Brought up in New York’s Lower East Side he seemed a natural tough guy, despite making his name as a female impersonator, moving into Broadway and touring with his wife in vaudeville.
