Editing Angels with Dirty Faces (section)

==Production==
===Development===
[[File:Cagney angels final walk.jpg|thumb|Cagney in the famous final walk]]
[[Rowland Brown]] wrote the scenario for ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' in August, 1937. He was known in Hollywood for writing and directing a number of crime films in the early 1930s, including ''[[The Doorway to Hell]]''{{refn|group=N|Cagney had a supporting role in ''The Doorway to Hell''.<ref name=Cagsupporting>Cagney, chapter 3, p. 3.</ref>}} and ''[[Quick Millions (1931 film)|Quick Millions]]''. He presented the story to [[Mervyn LeRoy]], who was keen to direct a "[[Star vehicle|vehicle]]" starring the Dead End Kids, a group of young actors from New York.<ref name="RobertsonP47/48"/> Brown and LeRoy tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a fee for the scenario.<ref name="RobertsonP47/48"/>

Brown then began pitching the film to other studios, and eventually made a deal with [[Grand National Pictures]], who wanted James Cagney to star in the lead role.<ref name="RobertsonP47/48"/> By the end of 1935, it became apparent to Cagney and his business manager brother, [[William Cagney|William]], that [[Warner Brothers]] were only interested in paying him a "very small percentage of the income dollar derived" from his work. Therefore, Cagney had no choice and walked away until a better arrangement with Warner could be made. After filing a lawsuit to "rectify the inequalities," Cagney started working for [[Grand National Pictures]], a small studio compared to Warner.<ref name=CagneyLawsuit>Cagney, chapter 4, pp. 20–21.</ref>

At the time he was offered the role of Rocky Sullivan, Cagney had already made one film for Grand National, ''[[Great Guy]]'', but fearing he would be typecast in "tough guy" roles, as he had been at Warner, Cagney turned down the role and opted to star in ''[[Something to Sing About (1937 film)|Something to Sing About]]''. The film's budget grew to an astronomical $900 thousand, and, on its release, did not fare well at the box office.<ref name=Nei164>Neibaur, p. 164.</ref> Its underperformance is believed to have been a contributing factor in the 1939 bankruptcy of Grand National.<ref name=Fernett>Fernett, p. 41.</ref>

Following ''Something to Sing About'', Cagney returned to Warner after reaching a better deal with them. At his brother's insistence, he took Brown's story with him and presented it to the studio. Warner acquired the story and then asked a number of directors to take on the project. LeRoy was the first, and although he showed interest, he was unable to commit because he was making films for [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]]; Warner then asked Brown, who showed no interest at all; and finally, Michael Curtiz, who accepted their offer.<ref name="RobertsonP47/48"/>

===Casting===
[[File:Ann SHERIDAN-James CAGNEY-Angels Dirty Faces-PHOTO2.jpg|upright=1.25|right|thumb|{{center|Sheridan and Cagney, circa. 1938}}]]
Although Cagney had been convinced that he would never agree to play the role of a coward being dragged to his execution, he became enthusiastic about portraying Rocky, seeing it as an opportunity to prove that his acting range extended beyond tough guy roles.<ref name=PCircus>[http://www.parkcircus.com/assets/0008/4568/WarnerBros-at-90-FINAL.pdf Here's a look at Warner Bros.. 90 Years of Great Filmmaking] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208230014/http://www.parkcircus.com/assets/0008/4568/WarnerBros-at-90-FINAL.pdf |date=2015-12-08 }}, ''[[Park Circus (company)|Park Circus]]'', p. 4, published March 28, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2015.</ref><ref name=Neibaur2>Neibaur, pp. 177–184.</ref> To play Rocky, Cagney drew on his memories of growing up in the Yorkville section of Manhattan, New York. His main inspiration was a drug-addicted pimp, who stood on a street corner all day hitching his trousers, twitching his neck, and repeating: "Whadda ya hear! Whadda ya say!".<ref name=Neibaur1/><ref name=Naremore1/>

Those mannerisms came back to haunt Cagney, who later wrote in his autobiography: "I did those gestures maybe six times in the picture. That was over thirty years ago—and the impressionists have been doing me doing him ever since."<ref name=Neibaur1>Neibaur, p. 179.</ref><ref name=Naremore1>Naremore, p. 164.</ref> Cagney's other inspiration was his childhood friend, Peter "Bootah" Hessling, who was convicted of murder and executed by electric chair on July 21, 1927. The night Bootah was executed, Cagney was playing in a Broadway performance, and wept on hearing of his death.<ref name=PHessling>Hughes, chapter 4, p. 3.</ref><ref name=NeibaurChair>Neibaur, p. 2.</ref>

Pat O'Brien was cast as Father Jerry Connolly, Rocky's childhood friend. O'Brien had been a contract player with Warner Bros. since 1933, and eventually left the studio in 1940 following a dispute over the terms of his renewal contract.<ref name="O'Brienbook">O'Brien, pp. 260–61.</ref> He and Cagney first met in 1926 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. O'Brien was a "lonely, young" actor "playing in a stock company". He heard the stage play ''Women Go on Forever'' (by [[Mary Boland]]) was coming to Asbury Park and on its way to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. Wanting to meet the star of the show, he went backstage after a performance and met Cagney for the first time.<ref name=BBCinterview>[[Michael Parkinson|Parkinson, Michael]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_x1Pu6dq8s "James Cagney and Pat O'Brien on the ''Parkinson'' talk show"], ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'' / ''[[BBC One]]'', published January 1, 1981. Retrieved December 10, 2015.</ref> O'Brien and Cagney became great friends and remained so until the former's death in 1983.<ref name=OBriendeath>Zibart, Eve. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/10/16/beloved-actor-pat-obrien-dies-of-heart-attack/c4859a05-913d-4abe-88ea-3c81f52c65da/ "Beloved Actor Pat O'Brien Dies of Heart Attack"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211045142/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/10/16/beloved-actor-pat-obrien-dies-of-heart-attack/c4859a05-913d-4abe-88ea-3c81f52c65da/ |date=2015-12-11 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]'', published October 16, 1983. Retrieved December 10, 2015.</ref> Cagney died only three years later.<ref name=Cagneydeath>{{Cite news |last=Flint |first=Peter B. |date=1986-03-31 |title=James Cagney Is Dead at 86; Master of Pugnacious Grace |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/31/obituaries/james-cagney-is-dead-at-86-master-of-pugnacious-grace.html |access-date=2023-08-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

By May 1938, the [[Dead End Kids]] had already starred in [[Samuel Goldwyn]]'s ''[[Dead End (1937 film)|Dead End]]''; as well as Warner's ''[[Crime School]]''{{refn|group=N|''Crime School'' was released six months before ''Angels with Dirty Faces''.<ref name=HansonP60/>}} (both with Humphrey Bogart). They had signed a two-year contract with Goldwyn in 1937, but he sold the contract to Warner Bros. the same year because of their behavior on the set of ''Dead End''; in one instance, they "jumped" Bogart and "stole his pants" while in another they crashed a truck into a soundstage.<ref name="HayesWalker56/74">Hayes and Walker, pp. 56–74.</ref> Bogart portrays the crooked lawyer Jim Frazier in ''Angels With Dirty Faces''. German scholar [[Winfried Fluck]] described Bogart's character, Jim Frazier, as an "entirely negative" and "thoroughly bad figure," in "contrast" with Cagney's antihero.<ref name=BogCharacter>Fluck, p. 386.</ref>

===Writing===
Brown's story was revised a number of times by [[John Wexley]] and [[Warren Duff]]. They provided "powerful treatments,"<ref name=Neibauer173/> but as with many of the "catch-as-catch-can" pictures of the time, the screenplay was considered insubstantial. Cagney later recalled: "the actors had to patch up [the script] here and there by improvising right on the set".<ref name=CagP26>Cagney, chapter 4, p. 26.</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Leo Gorcey and James Cagney in Angels With Dirty Faces trailer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|{{center|[[Leo Gorcey|Gorcey]] (left) and Cagney (right) in the basement scene, with [[Billy Halop]] in the background}}]]
Principal photography began in June 1938 at Warner's Burbank studios,<ref name=APollock38>Pollock, Arthur. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/52704946/ "News and Comment of Summer Activities in the Stage and Screen World"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026232705/https://www.newspapers.com/image/52704946/ |date=2016-10-26 }}, ''[[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]'', published June 28, 1938. Retrieved December 12, 2015.</ref> and finished a week behind schedule in August, due mostly to the time it took to shoot the scenes of Rocky's gunfight with police and his execution.<ref name="RobertsonP47/48"/>

Cagney's opening scene with the Dead End Kids took place in the basement of a deserted building. By this time, the Dead End Kids "had been throwing their weight around quite a bit with [other] directors and actors". As the scene was being shot, [[Leo Gorcey]] jokingly ad-libbed "he's psychic!, thereby throwing the rhythm of the scene right out the window, souring the whole thing very nicely". So in the next take, just before he said "come here, suckers," Cagney "stiff arm[ed Gorcey] right above the nose. His head went back [and hit] the kid behind him, stunning them both momentarily."<ref name=CagneyonCagney>Cagney, chapter 4, p. 30.</ref> [[Huntz Hall]] saw Gorcey being hit, and later recalled in 1978: "Leo hated [Cagney] for the rest of his life" after the incident.<ref name=Neib>Neibaur, p. 176.</ref>

While filming Rocky's shootout with the police, one scene called for Cagney to be "right at the opening" as machine-gun bullets took out the windows above his head. At this point in his career, Cagney had experience with the unpredictability of using live gunfire and he later recalled that either "common sense or a hunch" made him cautious. He told Curtiz to "[shoot the scene] in [[superimposition|process]]," and as he got out of the way, "Burke, the professional machine gunner, fired the shots". One of the bullets deflected hitting "the steel edge of the window," and going "right through the wall" where Cagney's head had been. This experience convinced Cagney that "flirting this way with real bullets was ridiculous".<ref name=CagP27-28>Cagney, chapter 4, pp. 27–28.</ref>

Rocky's execution was shot at the [[Sing Sing|Sing Sing Correctional Facility]].<ref name=WNYC>Mogul, Fred. [http://www.wnyc.org/story/84825-luring-tourists-up-the-river-to-the-big-house/ "Luring Tourists Up the River to The Big House"], ''[[WNYC]]'', published January 8, 2005. Retrieved December 12, 2015.</ref><ref name=ObserverUK>Coscia, Elizabeth. [http://observer.com/2014/06/sing-sing-correctional-facility-plans-dark-museum/ "Sing Sing Correctional Facility Plans Dark Museum"], ''[[observer.com|Observer]]'', published June 23, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2015.</ref> The death house featured in the film was designed by state architect [[Lewis Pilcher]]. It went into service in February 1922.<ref name=Christianson>Christianson, p. 17.</ref> For years, viewers have wondered if Rocky really turns yellow as he is being strapped into the electric chair, or if he is faking it in order to keep his promise to Jerry. Cagney later said: "In looking at the film, it is virtually impossible to say which course Rocky took—which is just the way I wanted it. I played [the role] with deliberate ambiguity so that the spectators can [form their own opinions]. It seems to me it works out fine in either case."<ref name=CagneyonCagney2>Cagney, chapter 4, pp. 32–33.</ref>