William Wellman’s The Public Enemy (1931) turns 90 this weekend. When the film first came out, a theater in Times Square showed it nonstop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The movie marks the true beginning of gangster movies as a genre. Mervyn LeRoy’s Little Caesar may have hit theaters first, but The Public Enemy set the pattern, and James Cagney nailed the patter. Not just the street talk either; he also understood its machine gun delivery. His Tommy Powers is just a hoodlum, never a boss. He is a button man at best, even if he insisted his suits have six buttons.
The Public Enemy character wasn’t even as high up the ladder as Paul Sorvino’s caporegime Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. But Cagney secured the turf Edward G. Robinson’s Rico Bandello took a bullet to claim in Little Caesar, and for the...
The Public Enemy character wasn’t even as high up the ladder as Paul Sorvino’s caporegime Paul Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas. But Cagney secured the turf Edward G. Robinson’s Rico Bandello took a bullet to claim in Little Caesar, and for the...
- 4/23/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Joss Whedon’s The Avengers gathers a galaxy of Marvel Comics superstars, but I wish more people could see the first comic book superhero to make the leap to the big screen: Captain Marvel, in what many aficionados consider the best serial ever made, The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941). Former Western star Tom Tyler made a handsome and heroic superhero, and perennial juvenile actor Frank Coghlan, Jr. was ideally cast as Billy Batson, the plucky young fellow who transformed himself into Captain Marvel by uttering the magic word, “Shazam.” (For the uninitiated, Shazam is an acronym that represents the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
- 5/3/2012
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
Frank `Junior’ Coghlan began his career as a child star in the silents, but was best known for his role in the 1941 Republic serial The Adventures of Captain Marvel. By shouting the magic word Shazam! young Billy Batson would instantly transform into the powerful super-hero Captain Marvel (played by Tom Tyler).
Coghlan was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on March 15, 1916. He moved to California with his family as a child and became an extra in silent films along with his mother and father. After several years of appearing in small roles he was signed to a contract under Cecil B. DeMille in 1925 and appeared in numerous silents over the next decade. Coghlan made the transition to talkie films in 1930 and was featured as a young James Cagney in Public Enemy (1931). He also starred as Sam Williams, with Leon Janney as Penrod, in 1931’s Penrod and Sam.
He continued his career...
Coghlan was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on March 15, 1916. He moved to California with his family as a child and became an extra in silent films along with his mother and father. After several years of appearing in small roles he was signed to a contract under Cecil B. DeMille in 1925 and appeared in numerous silents over the next decade. Coghlan made the transition to talkie films in 1930 and was featured as a young James Cagney in Public Enemy (1931). He also starred as Sam Williams, with Leon Janney as Penrod, in 1931’s Penrod and Sam.
He continued his career...
- 11/6/2009
- by Harris Lentz
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.