| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| James Cagney | ... |
Joseph T. (who observes people)
|
|
| William Bendix | ... |
Nick (Saloon Owner Who Loves Horses)
|
|
| Wayne Morris | ... |
Tom (Joe's stooge and friend)
|
|
| Jeanne Cagney | ... | ||
| Broderick Crawford | ... |
Krupp (a bewildered policeman)
|
|
| Ward Bond | ... |
McCarthy (a blatherskite)
|
|
| James Barton | ... | ||
| Paul Draper | ... |
Harry (the natural-born tap dancing comedian)
|
|
| Gale Page | ... |
Mary L. (a woman of quality)
|
|
| Jimmy Lydon | ... |
Dudley Raoul Bostwick (a young man in love)
(as James Lydon)
|
|
| Richard Erdman | ... |
Willie (the pinball machine maniac)
|
|
| Pedro de Cordoba | ... |
Arab Philosopher
|
|
| Reginald Beane | ... |
Wesley (the pianist)
|
|
|
|
John 'Skins' Miller | ... | |
| Tom Powers | ... |
Freddy Blick (a stool pigeon and frame-up artist)
|
|
Joe spends a lot of his time at Nick's Pacific Street Saloon. Tom, who credits Joe with once saving his life, stops by regularly to run errands for Joe. Today, Tom notices a woman named Kitty when she comes into Nick's, and he quickly falls in love with her. Meanwhile, a distraught young man repeatedly calls his girlfriend, begging her to marry him. Nick himself muses on all the various persons who come into his bar, some to ask for work and others just to pass the time. Written by Snow Leopard
Some find this film "schmaltzy" and simple. Saroyan fans will find it aptly relects the beauty found in the human condition. The way Joe relates to the various characters, causing them to easily open the hearts and souls seems contrived today and perhaps seemed that way even in the late 40's, but I suspect Saroyan was not particularly interested in "realism". Like all of his work, this movie is a study of the hopes, dreams, and loves of the "little guy" and his struggle to maintain them against the harsh light of human reality.
Cagney positvely glows throughout the performance and Bendix has never been better cast. Paul Draper as the tap-danciing comedian is absolutley brilliant in an extremley quirky roll. ( Interestlingly someone commented that they were suprised that this movie wasn't blacklisted, Draper ( according tot he IMDB bio) was "was an international star in the 1930's and 1940's" who's "career effectively succumbed to the anti- Communist hysteria that existed in the U.S. after World War II, when he was blacklisted out of the entertainment industry as a Communist sympathizer." It says a lot about James Cagney that this is the first film his production company choose to produce. If you can set aside your cynicism and view these characters in a slightly metaphorical light, Saraoyan's writing will leave your heart with a soft warm glow, and the joy of watching character actors working in a simple setting with no action and lots of dialogue may lead you to suspect that the entire cast was having The Time of Their Lives.