Editing James Cagney (section)

====''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938)====
[[File:James Cagney and Pat O'Brien in Angels With Dirty Faces trailer.jpg|thumb|left|Cagney and [[Pat O'Brien (actor)|Pat O'Brien]] in ''[[Angels with Dirty Faces]]'' (1938), the sixth of nine feature films they would make together]]
[[File:James Cagney Pat O'Brien Angels with Dirty Faces Still.jpg|thumb|right|Cagney and Pat O'Brien in the endlessly debated final walk]]
[[File:Cagney angels final walk.jpg|right|thumb|Cagney takes the controversial final walk]]
[[File:Ann SHERIDAN-James CAGNEY-Angels Dirty Faces-PHOTO2.jpg|left|thumb|[[Ann Sheridan]] and Cagney in ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938)]]
Cagney's two films of 1938, ''[[Boy Meets Girl (1938 film)|Boy Meets Girl]]'' and ''[[Angels with Dirty Faces]]'', both costarred Pat O'Brien. The former was a fast-paced farce with a Hollywood theme, with Cagney and O'Brien playing for laughs, and received mixed reviews. Warner Bros. had allowed Cagney his change of pace,<ref name="Warren127">Warren, page 127</ref> but was anxious to get him back to playing tough guys, which was more lucrative.

Cagney starred as Rocky Sullivan, a gangster fresh out of jail and looking for his former associate, played by [[Humphrey Bogart]], who owes him money. While revisiting his old haunts, he runs into his old friend Jerry Connolly, played by O'Brien, who is now a priest concerned about the [[Dead End Kids]]' futures, particularly as they idolize Rocky. After a messy shootout, Sullivan is eventually captured by the police and [[Capital punishment|sentenced to death]] in the [[electric chair]]. Connolly pleads with Rocky to "turn yellow" on his way to the chair so the Kids will lose their admiration for him, and hopefully avoid turning to crime. Sullivan refuses, but on his way to his execution, he breaks down and begs for his life. It is unclear whether this cowardice is real or just feigned for the Kids' benefit. Cagney himself refused to say, insisting he liked the ambiguity.<ref>Cagney, page 76</ref> The film is regarded by many as one of Cagney's finest,<ref>McGilligan, page 73</ref> and garnered him an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] nomination for 1938. He lost to [[Spencer Tracy]] in ''[[Boys Town (film)|Boys Town]]''. Cagney had been considered for the role, but lost out on it due to his typecasting.<ref name="Warren, page 163">Warren, page 163</ref> (He also lost the role of [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]] football coach [[Knute Rockne]] in ''[[Knute Rockne, All American]]'' to his friend Pat O'Brien for the same reason.<ref name="Warren, page 163"/>) Cagney did, however, win that year's [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor]].

His earlier insistence on not filming with live ammunition proved to be a good decision. Having been told while filming ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' that he would be doing a scene with real machine gun bullets (a common practice in the Hollywood of the time), Cagney refused and insisted the shots be added afterwards. As it turned out, a ricocheting bullet passed through exactly where his head would have been.<ref>Warren, page 129</ref><ref>Cagney, page73</ref>