Great Guy (1936) User Reviews

Cagney on the Cheap

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 30 April 2004]

When James Cagney walked out of his contract with Warner Brothers in 1935 it was because of the roles he was getting. He objected to the type casting. So he signs with this B picture studio called Grand National and this is one of the two films he did for that studio.

He could have made the same picture at Warner Brothers. It sure isn't anything original for him. He makes it at Grand National and does his usual Cagney urban tough guy part and doesn't get the benefit of the production values of an A Studio.

It's a B picture and it shows. But it's not a bad film at all. I think that it was butchered in the editing, the picture seems to start in the middle of the story. But what remains is a good fast paced Cagney film (is there any other pace for him?). He gets good support from among others, Joe Sawyer, Edward Brophy and most of all from James Burke who in his role as Cagney's trainee sidekick almost steals the picture from him.

Ironically in 1937 he went back to Warner Brothers and what is the first film Cagney does? Angels With Dirty Faces. No new ground for him there, but he gets his first Oscar nomination. It's like he gave up on typecasting. But he certainly did expand his range and got a lot of good roles, both from Warner Brothers and from other studios.

The Great Cagney shines in this Poverty Row gem

[GaryWang · 7/10 · 18 November 2004]

Early in the movie, Cagney's Johnny Cave character tells his gumshoes in the Office of Weights and Measures that in the previous year, unscrupulous shop owners had cheated the American consumer out of more money than the aggregate National War Debt! Then he goes out and tickets a particularly greasy green grocer for short-selling him a bag of sugar that is four ounces off (oh, the horrors!!) and one skinny chicken that his butcher's scale has rather generously proclaimed to be six lbs., after which the fur--or in this case feathers--flies. Er, fly. When a racketeer in politician's clothing attempts to derail an investigation into the paltry poultry purveyor's practices, our hero becomes a lone wolf waging the war of the weights on behalf of housewives across America. After all, four cents here and a quarter there add up and before we know it we have anarchy! Word of his intransigence soon reaches both the Mayor and the Governor's offices, and Cagney becomes a marked man. If it sounds silly, it's not--the dishonest retailing practices are only a plot tool (or as Hitchcock would say, the McGuffin) and while unfamiliar, it works every bit as well here as any Treasury Agent or G-man anthology in which the fight is taken to shady crooks who are operating outside the interests of the country's common good. The production standards are decidedly Grade-B, but it is Cagney who makes this movie the delight that it is: this was his first film away from Warner Brothers after seeking release in court from his unreasonable contract, and he seems to be at ease and enjoying himself tremendously--the performance turned in here is intelligent and crackles with his unique energy and surefire charisma. Mae Clarke's presence lends a definite Warner's feel to the overall production. The supporting players turn in solid performances and the story moves along smartly after a rocky introduction that seems to begin three or four reels into the story--but sit back and enjoy it for the Cagney showcase and engaging Depression-era time capsule that it is.

Small but important movie

[Neil-117 · 6/10 · 30 March 2002]

What does this movie have in common with The Godfather, the Wild West or even Superman? Well, it comes right down to truth and justice - whether they really are the American Way or whether corruption and violence have gnawed to the core of democratic society and made it rotten. Second only to sex, institutionalized corruption has been just about the biggest issue for Hollywood right through its history. And rightly so as, the battle to resist it is seemingly never finished.

That's a big build up for a small movie. Great Guy is just a simple story about one man who tries to make a difference and who takes a lot of personal risks in doing so. And let's face it, the Bureau of Weights and Measures is hardly the most glamorous place for a story. But James Cagney's character Johnny Cave uses his brains, his fists and a lot of Attitude to try setting things straight and I for one am grateful to him and others like him.

Perhaps the only Weights and Measures tough-guy movie

[gimhoff · 6 August 2004]

Two-fisted, crusading Deputy Chief of the Department of Weights and Measures Johnny Cave is out to smash short-weighting delicatessens, markets, and grocery delivery services and to expose the crooked businessmen who are behind the short-weighting racket and who pay off the aldermen and mayor who are on the take. The plot sounds like a parody of all the tough-guy G-Men and T-Men movies of the thirties, but it is played straight and it works.

The pleasures of the movie, aside from Cagney as Cagney, are that this is the third and final movie to pair Cagney with Mae Clarke and that several great character actors in the supporting cast, particularly Edward Brophy, James Burke, and Henry Kolker, are given plenty of opportunities to show off their characteristic acts.

Fighting corruption

[esteban1747 · 6/10 · 7 February 2006]

James Cagney was an actor with plenty charisma, and this film is an evidence of it. He was always pleasant in any role, no matter if he was a gangster, a good man or a dancer, he performed all well and delivered enough smell for sympathy. The film had no a complicated plot, it was quite simple but still relevant for the society. Corruption of officials is very common, and what the film showed is what still exists. Certainly there are decent people who do not commit such mistakes, and Johnny 'Red' Cave (Cagney) was one of them, who was in charge of the bureau of weights and measures. He investigated several dark cases and succeeded to make them clear as well as finding out who were responsible for such misdeeds. However, knowing is not enough, it is necessary to make accusations with evidences to condemn those guilty, and that was what Johnny did. Probably today somebody like Johnny should use more sophisticated methods according to those used by those infringing the law. In any case, the film is good also to be watched for entertainment.

B Movie Cagney

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 10 August 2014]

This lesser known Cagney film sees him playing the deputy chief of New York's Weights and Measures department, Johnny Cave, although he is acting chief as his boss has been put in hospital for going after the 'wrong' people. The people he is after are ripping off people for a few cents in every transaction; it may not seem like much but in a city the size of New York all those 'few cents' add up to an awful lot of dollars and some of the city's highest officials are up to their necks in it. He is particularly interested in Abel Canning; a city alderman who just happens to be his girlfriend's boss.

While this isn't one of Cagney's better known films it isn't bad and even though he is on the right side of the law this time he is still the familiar tough guy. The idea of having a film about somebody working for the Department of Weights and Measures doesn't sound too thrilling but in reality it just means he is a cop by another name. The story is solid enough and although there are no real surprises along the way it is still enjoyable. Cagney puts in a decent performance as Cave and Mae Clarke is good enough as his love interest although the character is a bit underwritten. Some lightness is added to the proceedings by Cave's new partner, Irishman Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley… a character who has clearly kissed the Blarney Stone given his gift of the gab! Overall this may not be a classic but fans of Cagney and '30s crime dramas should enjoy it.

Poverty row takes it up a notch.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 21 January 2016]

In the 1930's, Warner Brothers nearly lost their two biggest stars, Bette Davis and James Cagney, when they took on the big boys by desperately trying to get out of their contracts. Cagney managed to make two films for independent studio Grand National which are nowhere nearly as good as most of the films that he had already done. If making these two films did any good, it was to improve the overall quality of what he would get for more than a decade afterwords. Of the two films, "Great Guy", is the closest to what he did at Warners.

This is an expose of how some grocers attempted to rip off their customers by adding weights to their goods to make more money and the rackets behind it. They don't even stop there, going after other businesses as well, with James Burke along Cagney's side as opposed to chasing him as the stereotypical buffoon cop. Burke makes his character much more unique than normal, adding a charming Irish accent to his performance. Cagney takes on the rackets with gusto, even turning down the racket leader's offer of a payoff by literally kicking him out of his office. Of course, this leads to more trouble, but Cagney is prepared to deal with it.

Cagney's leading lady is none other than his grapefruit gal, Mae Clarke, and this time around, she's nagging him over eating his spinach. Unfortunately, she works for a crooked philanthropist, Henry Kolker, who has his dishonest hands in the mayor's office. Mary Gordon and Edward Brophy are among the other Cagney co-stars from Warner Brothers supporting him with Gordon shining as an orphanage director about to be fired by a corrupt mayor whom Cagney goes out of his way to aide. Brophy shows his true character going up against Kolker who thinks Brophy is kissing up to him to get ahead. What rises this above typical crime drama is the fact that it takes a simple, unbelievable scam and makes it believable front page news. Better than average B second feature is filled with great one-liners and character performances and deserves better reviews than major film guides give it.

He Was Quite a Handsome Dude

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 7 November 2006]

It's fun to watch a young James Cagney doing his thing. He plays the cheapskate Weights and Measures guy who takes his job very seriously, stepping on the toes of a group of crooked politicians. He is offered the world, but keeps his integrity. He is beaten and set up, but that's the problem. We never know if he is really in danger. They say he's in a spot, but still seems to have carte blanche to move around and do what he needs to do. At times he's so cocky he doesn't do much to protect himself. His allies are in the police department but just about everything else is pretty corrupt. He perseveres (almost too good to be true), of course, and we pull for him. The problem for me is a lack of sustained suspense. It would have been much better if he had had to clear his name. He never drops into the depths, even when rejected by his wife to be. It's still fun with the bad guys kind of imploding. See it just to watch Cagney do his tough guy posturing.

Enjoyable, Little and Lesser Known Cagney Outing.

[redryan64 · 6/10 · 15 May 2014]

ONCE KNOWN AS "the Professional Againster", a handle hung on him by Studio head honcho, Jack Warner, James Cagney had two periods in his career when he booked from his home studio. Seeking some sort of sweeter deal or possibly recognition as a producer, he took legal action in order to assure his exit.

POVERTY ROW STUDIO, Grand National Pictures (they with the huge building clock as trademark)came calling and Jimmy answered. A two picture followed, SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT (1937) and today's honoree, GREAT GUY (1936).

THIS PARTICULAR STORY had Cagney as the Good Guy, rather than being the Anti-Hero* criminal. Mr. Cagney was an investigator for the Department of Weights and Measures in NYC. His job was to protect the public from unscrupulous merchants and their cheating scams. From gas stations to meat markets, he and assistant James Burke, exposed and brought wrong doers to justice.

INASMUCH AS THIS may have been just a tad too tame, not to mention dull and uninteresting, a subplot was in order.

ROUNDING OUT THE story was a personal look at the man away from the job. We are shown how an honest public official may struggle in trying to live the American Dream.

IN THIS CASE, Johnny 'Red' Cave and Fiancé, Janet Henry (Mae Clarke*) are shown making plans for a life of matrimonial bliss; but running into the proverbial brick wall of too little money with so much of the month to go. One scene cleverly opens with the couple discussing these problems; while they were sitting on a couch and easy chair in their living room. A long camera shot revealed them to be in a furniture store.

FILLING OUT THE cast were such staunch and enjoyable supporting actors; such as James Burke, Ed Brophy, Mary Gordon, Joe Sawyer and Dwight Frye; the guy who had gained such recognition at Universal with such creepy characterizations as Fritz (FRANKENSTEOIN, 1931) and Renfield (DRACULA, also 1931) and Carl (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1935).**

SOME OF THE scams portrayed in GREAT GUY were reprised in the 1950's TV Series, RACKET SQUAD with Reed Hadley as Captain Braddock.

AS FAR AS the financial rewards of the Cagney-Grand National Pact, we guess that Mr. Cagney did okay; but these two movies spelled disaster for Grand National, who went belly up, drowning in a deluge of red ink.

CAN YOU SAY law of diminishing returns?

NOTE * Yes, this is the one and same Mae Clarke who portrayed fiancé, Elizabeth, in FRANKENSTEIN and Cagney girlfriend, Kitty in THE PUBLIC ENEMY. Good thing there were no grapefruits on the set!

NOTE ** Mr. Dwight Frye, who met fame through his uncanny ability in creating the most horrifying characters, oddly enough was known for his work in romantic and musical production on stage. He appeared in both Cagney-Grand National collaborations.

"Another move out of you and I'll pin your ears back!"

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 8 June 2017]

Interesting B movie from Grand National that reunites James Cagney with his Public Enemy co-star Mae Clarke. This was one of the movies Cagney made during his contract dispute with Warner Bros. The plot has tough guy Cagney taking over the position of Chief Deputy of the Departments of Weights and Measures, where he fights corruption with a good right cross. It never ceases to amaze me how bureaucrats were held in high esteem in 1930s movies. Name just about any government official and there was at least one movie with him as a crusading hero. More naive about government back then, I guess. Anyway this is not a bad movie but nothing exceptional. It moves along quickly. Cagney elevates the film above its Poverty Row backdrop. It's nice seeing him with Clarke again. The two have a playful chemistry. James Burke is a little annoying as Cagney's "Lucky Charms" sidekick. Worth a look for all Cagney fans, if for no other reason than to see him doing mundane things like shopping for groceries and putting gas in his car. All in the name of justice, of course.

Johnny Cave: Crime Buster

[lugonian · 5/10 · 1 July 2008]

GREAT GUY (Grand National, 1936), directed by John G. Blystone, is an interesting yet plausible low budget production starring none-other than James Cagney, the same James Cagney of the higher quality studio of Warner Brothers. What's a top actor like James Cagney doing over at Grand National instead of at the majors as MGM, Columbia, United Artists or even Paramount? Well, it had something to do with a contract dispute, which kept him away from his home lot for nearly two years. Since Grand National, not First National, initially began in early 1936, how fortunate for the studio to have acquired a top name like Cagney working for them? How unfortunate for the studio to have lost his services following his second with the studio, a musical titled SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT (1937). How fortunate to have Cagney return to his home studio where he truly belonged, and continue to work on films that were to become classics. As for those done at Grand National .... well, let's take a look at his initial offering of THE GREAT GUY. It's not a gangster film idolizing a popular crime boss but actually a crime story placing Cagney on the right side of the law attempting to rid corruption. Having done something similar the year before in G-MEN, the misfortune for GREAT GUY is not having much gun play nor fast-pace action to make this equivalent to a Warner Brothers production.

The story opens with Joel Green (Wallis Clark), chief deputy of the Bureau of Weights and Measures, injured in a car crash, now in a hospital. Knowing the accident was a set up, Green calls for his friend, Johnny Cave (James Cagney), a former prizefighter working with the department of Weights and Measures, and assigns him in his place to acquire enough evidence on the corrupt district leader Marty Cavanaugh (Robert Gleckler). With the assistance of fellow Irishman Pat Haley, whom he calls Aloyisus (James Burke), Johnny teaches him the tricks of the trade of chiselers at the Paradise Market defrauding shoppers by exposing eights on chickens, putting false bottoms in baskets of strawberries, and cheating drivers of their gallons of gas. As for his love life, Johnny is engaged to Janet Henry (Mae Clarke), secretary to city official Abel Canning (Henry Kolker). Janet loves Johnny but finds him too conceited and quick tempered, but overall honest. Refusing to accept bribes even from the city Mayor (Douglas Wood), Johnny later has his work cut out for him by being abducted by hired thugs who frame him on a drunk and driving charge unless he gives up his investigation to expose the gang leader responsible for corruption.

The supporting cast includes Edward Brophy (Pete Reilly); Bernadene Hayes (Hazel Scott); and Edward McNamara as Captain Pat Hanlon, whose great scene has him standing outside the door smoking his cigar while his pal Johnny takes care of the ring leader. The big surprise in GREAT GUY is the casting of James Burke, better known for playing cops, playing the dopey sidekick in the El Brendel tradition, sporting an Irish derelict compared to Brendel's Swedish one. This was one of the few opportunities seeing Burke in a sizable part typically suited for the likes of an Allen Jenkins or Frank McHugh.

With all the ingredients of a Warner Brothers programmer, down to Joseph Sawyer (a Warners stock player) as one of the mobsters, what GREAT GUY lacks is polish and production values. Overall, GREAT GUY turns out to be a reunion of sorts between Cagney and Mae Clarke, his grapefruit victim from THE PUBLIC ENEMY (1931), and co-star of LADY KILLER (1933) the one where he dragged her across the room by the hair. This time they are on friendly terms, as an engaged couple who gather together for lunch in a cafeteria and, with a touch of humor, talking things over at a furniture store with a salesman (Arthur Hoyt) trying to interest them with the display.

Virtually unknown even by film buffs, GREAT GUY is one film in Cagney's filmography list that doesn't get a mention in his 1977 autobiography, "Cagney by Cagney," though his second Grand National starer did. Not until the age of video recording of the 1980s or late in the 1970s on commercial television has GREAT GUY been given some exposure. Circulating prints from 1980 and over suffer from being ten minutes shorter than its actual 75 minute release. Abrupt cuts are noticeable, especially one scene involving Mary Gordon as Mrs. Ogilvie and the corruption involving milk deliveries at the orphanage, found in current video, DVD and public TV late show broadcasts. While a complete version with clearer picture quality won't change GREAT GUY from its low-budget status in the Monogram Studios tradition to a Class "A" Warners production, but restoration will make a big difference on how to view this one, especially with the great guy himself, James Cagney. (***)

Excellent Cagney Performance

[yodonob62 · 10/10 · 13 February 2005]

If you like Cagney you'll like this film. It has the pretense of American integrity at any cost, personal or social. Cagney plays the head of weights and measures in NYC. Cagney goes up against crooked politicians, the criminal underground, a prominent philanthropist and simple grocers who add a few ounces to the price of a chicken. The chicken scene is hilarious where Cagney finds a weight placed in the bird cavity by an unsuspecting butcher. The chicken gets tossed around the shop in a hilarious scene about who controls the "evidence". If you like old telephones there are interesting scenes of dials, phones and even bizarre phone cords. Compared to a lot of film made today this is pure entertainment and includes mystery with comedy and a message that honesty above all should be the guiding principle of humanity. Made in simpler times it reflects a world we can't find today. The fashion (especially hats) outwear and automobiles all play a prominent visual role in defining this little film.

Smart Film, Tough Guy

[donovanarchmontierth · 7/10 · 11 February 2013]

Just saw this movie for the first time last night and I really enjoyed it. It's not every day you see a film about the Weights and Measures investigator. I got to tell ya, even watching Cagney in this B movie was completely enjoyable. These movies are a lot different when the lead actor shows up to act the walls off the place. He is 100% believable from start to finish and it really ups the value and watch-ability of the film.

My favorite scenes are his Investigation scenes. The film has several twists which are nice and some fun action scenes. Pretty intense fight scene at the end between Cagney and one of the bad guys. The two stuntmen were really duking it out.

What a swell guy.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 5/10 · 2 May 2014]

With having been in the mood for the last week or so for an easy-going Film Noir,I decided,that due to having had a fun time seeing James Cagney combine espionage and Kung-Fu in the fun Blood on the Sun a while ago,that I would take a look at a Film Noir,that was Cagney's first indie production.

The plot:

Rushing to the hospital after hearing that Department of Weights & Measures head Joel Green has been hurt in a car crash,Weights & Measures officer Johnny 'Red' Cave is happy to find his boss alive,but is horrified to hear from Joel that he strongly suspects the 'accident' was an attempted mob hit. Realizing that he is going to be stuck to hospital for weeks on end,Green tells Johnny that he is officially making him head of the department.

Deciding to show the gangsters which gang is really in charge,Cave begins going around the mob-run businesses and closing down all of the shady operations taking place on the premises. (which include chickens being filled with lead,so that the customer has to pay more when they are weighed on the scales.) Originally hoping that those in power would support his shakedown,Johnny soon discovers that the mob have their Weights & Measures going on in areas that he could never have guessed.

View on the film:

Leaving Warner Brothers behind due to feeling that he was getting nothing but the same scripts,James Cagney gives a good lively performance,but one which appears to be not stretching Cagney's (very good) acting ability to any great measure. Reuniting with Cagney after having a grape fruit whacked in her face,the very pretty Mae Clarke gives a delightful performance as Janet Henry,with Clarke showing Henry to be the only person who is attempting to keep Cave safely away from the mob.

For the screenplay of the movie,writers James Edward Grant,Henry Johnson,Henry McCarthy and Harry Ruskin take their Film Noir in a terrifically off-beat direction,with the writers showing the Department for Weights & Measures to act more like the cops than the cops themselves ever do. Complimenting the off-beat Film Noir nature,the writers also give the title an extremely playful comedic streak which wraps round the movie on its sharp final note,as the mob discover what a great guy Johnny 'Red' Cave really is.

Interesting Role For Cagney, Decent Movie Overall

[Snow Leopard · 24 October 2005]

The interesting role for James Cagney is probably the main reason to watch "Great Guy". The role in itself is a fairly uncommon one for a leading role, and Cagney gives it his own distinctive style. The movie overall is a solid if rather predictable crime drama, with a couple of interesting details.

Cagney plays a new official in charge of the bureau of weights and measures, which is a relatively creative choice for a movie hero. As Cagney goes about investigating various instances of fraud, his character gradually takes on more and more of the tough guy persona that you associate with Cagney. At the same time, the stakes become ever higher in his battle with the sources of corruption.

The supporting cast is adequate, but they are generally overshadowed rather easily by Cagney. Mae Clarke is relatively appealing as Cagney's fiancée, but she mostly has to react to situations, since the script and dialogue don't give her much more to work with.

The movie as a whole largely follows a familiar pattern, and with a lesser star it would have been a rather routine affair. Cagney brings it up a couple of notches, and his own performance certainly won't disappoint anyone either.

Dated but Good.

[loza-1 · 6/10 · 16 May 2005]

We have films about cops, private detectives, district attorneys, defence lawyers; now here's one about a man who works for the weights and measures - an important job overlooked by cinema. But it's exciting, since the task of getting a square deal for the public inevitably puts the protagonist up against organised crime.

Nowadays film-goers would see the "one honest man" crushed by the crooked system he is fighting against. He's setting up home with the girl he loves. He needs the job, and is being pressurised by a crooked politician. But here Cagney - as good with his fists as he is with his mouth - wins through in the end.

It lacks the tension of the modern thriller, but these are more sophisticated times. Nevertheless,this is a delightful film.

hardly ever shown J Cagney

[ksf-2 · 7/10 · 13 May 2018]

James Cagney is public investigator "Johnny", investigating a violent attack on Mr. Green, who is now in the hospital. Some pretty rough editing, or maybe it's just the fact that most copies are now in public domain, so the copies are pretty shoddy quality. We watch Johnny as he goes shopping and catches the clerks ripping off the customers in almost every department. Almost more of a documentary, this highlights how the public officials are keeping an eye on the stores and gas stations, to make sure the customer gets his money's worth. mildly interesting. I guess before they started officially checking up on businesses, companies were probably ripping people off left and right. Subplot with Johnny making wedding plans with Janet (Mae Clarke). a very small part of the film, to lighten things up. Shown on the Midnight Movies channel. It's okay. no big deal. Directed by John Blystone, who worked with Laurel and Hardy.... but died quite young at 45. heart attack. Story by James Grant... Grant had died in 1966, but earned so many credits after his death, right up to 2009!

"With you, everything's a racket".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 7 February 2010]

Five years after she teamed up with James Cagney in "The Public Enemy", Mae Clarke makes another appearance, this time as his fiancée with Cagney's character on the other side of the law. It seems like she was calling more of the shots in their relationship as well, trying to get Johnny Cave to be a little more practical with his money and his career. You had to figure they'd get back together after she gave him the boot for challenging her crooked boss; those things have a way of working out in pictures.

I got a kick out of watching Cagney in this one. I usually do, and here he looked like he might have auditioned that characteristic shoulder shrug move that he used to good effect in "Angels With Dirty Faces" portraying Rocky Sullivan. It was right after he threw Cavanaugh (Robert Gleckler) out of his office during the first attempt at bribing the new Weights and Measures boss. He turns to the camera and hitches up as if entirely pleased with his response to the crook - very cool.

It's my understanding that this wasn't one of Cagney's Warner films, but it might as well have been. Warner's often took up the cause for the common man, and the expose of crooked merchants and the politicians who protected them would have been right up their alley. You also have those great New York City street scenes depicting cars and shops of the era, with home made signs pricing flour at eighteen cents a pound. Hey, how about the furniture store selling the living room set for a hundred eighty nine dollars, you might get a single stick chair for that price today.

Best part of the picture just might be that meat counter scene when Cagney, James Burke (Aloysius) and the butchers play catch with an underweight chicken. One of the film's lighter moments, but you get an idea how tense people can get when they're caught cheating. Same with the truck driver who's pressured by Johnny into signing for an accurate delivery; he just wasn't used to doing that.

All in all, a nice diversion from Cagney's more typical gangster presence, even if not up to the standard of his feature films. It's easy enough to obtain as one of a handful of public domain Cagney pictures out there, and often found in relatively inexpensive compilations.

The rough and tumble world of... weights and measures?

[djensen1 · 6/10 · 5 November 2005]

Silly title doesn't hurt the charming performances and a story that holds together to make this a better than average picture for 1936. James Cagney introduces us to the corruption and thuggery of the rough and tumble world of... weights and measures. It's not quite a mystery, not an action picture, and pretty tepid for a thriller, but the story moves along and the characters and dialog are likable. Edward Brophy as Cagney's old boxing rival-turned-pal is fun, and the villains are the right combination of bureaucrats and thugs for Cagney to trade barbs and blows with. Mae Clark is a suitably smart fiancée for our hero, altho their bickering doesn't bode well for their future life together (Cagney has a couple of nice lines about her choice of hats). The plot revolves around Cagney, as Johnny Cave, taking over the Bureau of Weights and Measures when his boss is struck by a car. His crackdown ruffles feathers and gets him in trouble with types that can hurt his career--or his head. He perseveres as only Cagney can, with angry Irish swagger.

A Great Cast Makes This "Guy" Entertaining Fodder

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 27 November 2012]

James Cagney plays an incorruptible investigator for the New York City Department of Weights and Measures in the Grand National release "Great Guy" where he wages a perpetual war against unscrupulous merchants who swindle the public out of dollars and cents on their purchases. Although it ran 76 minutes during its initial theatrical release, director John G. Blystone's thriller about government corruption has been whittled down over the years to 66 minutes for the current public domain version. As some have pointed out, Cagney bailed out of Warner Brothers because the Burbank studio typecast him as a pugnacious but personable runt. Cagney is neither a conventional policeman nor a gangster, but he hasn't lost the urge to throw a good punch. This snappy little melodrama qualifies as a potboiler with little to recommend it aside from its above-average cast. Blystone surrounds Cagney with a solid supporting cast, many of whom appeared in his Warner Brother pictures, including James Burke, Edward Brophy, Joe Sawyer, Henry Kolker, and Mae Clarke. As the action unfolds, our hero is summoned to the hospital by his boss, Joel Green (Wallis Clark of "Gone with the Wind"), to notify him that he is the new chief deputy until his physician will release him.

It seems that Green has been doing his job far too efficiently and a notorious alderman Marty Cavanaugh (Robert Gleckler) arranged a car wreck. At Fifth and Main Streets, Green's car stalls on the trolley tracks and a street car collides with his vehicle and flips it. Green warns his protégé, "Now, remember Johnny, don't let the fist drift against anybody's chin." Naturally, the truculent Johnny Cave forgets to restrain himself and eventually gives the conniving Cavanaugh his due. Johnny takes a newbie, Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley (James Burke), under his wing and they catch a grocer and a gas station attendant overcharging customers with merchandise. When Cavanaugh tries to corrupt Johnny with an offer of a better charge, our hero refuses to play ball, so Cavanaugh gives him another chance to change his mind. Cavanaugh sends his hoods to coerce him. This is probably the most interesting part of "Great Guy" because Cavanaugh doesn't get rid of Johnny. Instead, he makes an example of his power. Cavanaugh's torpedoes set Johnny up to take the rap for an armed robbery with their boss as the man who complains to the police. When Cavanaugh arrives at the police station, he behaves in a surprised manner and exonerates Johnny. Johnny refuses to take the hint and Cavanaugh prompts the crooked mayor to promote our hero to a higher paying job so he will be out of their hair. Predictably, Johnny refuses to play ball.

Meantime, he discovers that some higher-ups are short-changing an orphanage and they want to fire the woman, Mrs. Ogilvie (Mary Gordon of the "Sherlock Holmes" movies), who is interfering with their plans. Johnny writes up the guys who deliver and take charge of the supplies and then he goes after the pillar of society, Abel Canning (Henry Kolker), who has the authority to fire Mrs. Ogilvie. Matters don't improve a bit when Johnny learns that Mr. Canning is his girlfriend's boss, and they split momentarily over the issue of Canning's corrupt nature. Johnny obtains evidence of Canning's corruptible business practices, but a strong-arm thug Joe Burton (Joe Sawyer) beats him up and steals it. Burton blackmails Canning for five thousand dollars to get the evidence back. Reluctantly, an angry Canning writes Burton a five thousand dollar check for cash. The finale has our protagonist recovering the evidence and giving Cavanaugh a good beating. All along Johnny and his girlfriend have been planning their forthcoming marriage.

Blystone never lets the pace slacken and he gets good performances out of a seasoned cast of veterans. Basically, this is a good versus evil melodrama with slimy villains and a slightly smudged hero. Some questions arise at the end about Johnny's sudden decision to endorse an installment plan. Nothing is ever said about the check that Johnny took from Burton. Of course, "Great Guy" doesn't wear out its welcome. The scene in the grocery store when Aloysius tries to recover a chicken that the clerk overcharged him for is hilarious. Mae Clarke plays his girlfriend Janet; film buffs will remember her as the gal that Cagney shoved a grapefruit in her face. Mind you, "Great Guy" is still a potboiler that benefits from Cagney's dynamic energy. Eventually, Cagney and Warner Brothers settled their business feud and he went back to making classics at the Burbank studio.

Make it a 6.5!

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

This is the first of two films Cagney made at Grand National Pictures. It is one of Cagney's post-code tough guy films in which he is on the right side of the law for a change. Here he works at the Bureau of Weights and Measures and is trying to stop the corruption of grocers charging too much for their wares by claiming food weighs more than it does. Don't laugh, this is one of Cagney's better law and order type films. There is also the involvement of a larger criminal conspiracy, and Cagney is having problems with his love interest in the film, as usual, which is interestingly enough played by Mae Clarke. It's really a shame her career went nowhere after having some good roles in the early 30s. Cagney was at Grand National because he was feuding with Warner Brothers over salary, but Mae Clarke was there because she was on the way out.

This film is better than people give it credit for with some of those great Cagney tough guy touches.

sub-par Cagney

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 8 January 2006]

This movie was different from most of Jimmy Cangey's films of the 1930s in that it was NOT done by Warner Brothers/First National, but was a loan-out to a smaller studio. Because it was a "poverty row" studio, the production values are lower than you might be used to seeing with Cagney films. Plus, the plot is certainly one of the strangest I have seen. Instead of him being a gangster, he was a good guy in this one--fighting for the law. This isn't all that unusual because Cagney frequently played lawmen--such as an OSS leader (the forefather of the CIA) of FBI agent. BUT, to make him an investigator for the Bureau of Weights and Measures was indeed odd--especially since, at times, he acted pretty much the same way he did in the movie G-MEN!

All in all, a time passer and that's about it.

Finally, the videotape I saw this on from Memory Lane Video was perhaps one of the poorest I have ever encountered. The sound was terrible and scratchy and the print looked very white and had lots of torn film and gaps.

Good old school movie.

[planet groovy · 8/10 · 10 January 2001]

This is the first James Cagney film I have ever really watched. I was never interested in his movies before because I figured I wouldn't like anything in that style of cinema and because I've heard most Cagney films are the same. I have to say I really liked it. By today's standards for movies, it was not special, but I found it surprisingly entertaining. Cagney did not have the look of a tough guy but he played the part very well.

Cagney - incapable of making a bad movie - very watchable in this lightweight short

[berfedd · 2/10 · 10 October 2014]

Plot: James Cagney, as a trading standards officer, finds himself treading on just about everybody's toes in his efforts to beat corruption.

Review: Not a particularly polished production, but James Cagney is entertainingly watchable as a 'weights and measures' officer with a penchant for annoying the wrong people and making use of his fists when he can't think of anything better to do.

There are other entertaining characters as well as the generic bad guys. James Burke stands out as a new recruit with the gift of the blarney, managing to effortlessly chat up Cagney's secretary and every other girl he meets. Joe Swayer as an old sparring partner of Cagney's also makes a good impression (and turns up in The Grapes of Wrath). There's not really a lot else to say, as this is ultimately a bit of a throw away movie, but there's a lot worse out there.

www.thebestmovieof.com

Cagney Goes Bureaucrat

[dougdoepke · 28 March 2017]

Unusual Cagney entry. He's promoted to head of city Weights and Measures after the former head is roughed up by corrupt city government. Now I've seen a ton of old movies, but this is the first to deal W and M. Still, there's a lot of material for a crime movie. After all, that bureau is supposed to make sure consumers get what they pay for. The movie's first part deals with the various scams retailers could use then (1930's) to cheat customers. Cagney's Johnny Cave proves a zealously honest enforcer, bringing him into conflict with the mayor and other higher-ups. Their points of conflict form most of the narrative.

At this point in his career, Cagney had left Warner Bros. to free lance. In terms of prestige, the production outfit (Zion Meyers) appears a come-down for the actor. But you'd never know it. He's a one-man show, happily supported by a colorful cast of mugs and icy politicos. Plus, Mae (grapefruit in the face) Clarke teams up again, this time as an eye-catching brunette. Then too, I like the interspersed colorful touches, like the fat guy in the cafeteria line who keeps hi-jacking Cave's food. Or Cave's digs at Janet's (Clarke) lumpy hat. Watch quickly for handsome leading-man-to-be Robert Lowery as one of the ballroom dancers. My only gripe is the fist-fight that's both exaggerated and unnecessary to the plot. I suspect that was to work in a big action scene.

All in all, it's a lesser known Cagney feature from the 30's. But the tough guy's still in fine Cagney form. At the same time, the script's concern with consumer protection from scheming merchants and politicos seems almost contemporary. Technology may have changed, but some things don't.