AllMovie

This hour-long documentary pays tribute to Jimmy Cagney (1899-1986), who carved a niche for himself in Hollywood's pantheon of the 1930s and '40s with tough-guy gangster roles in movies such as The Public Enemy (1931) and The Roaring Twenties (1939). However, as this program shows, he had some range as an actor, and won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Broadway's George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942). Born James Francis Cagney Jr., the actor started in vaudeville, then graduated to Broadway and Hollywood. Despite his gangster screen image, in real life he was involved in philanthropy. Highlights of the program include clips from his various films.