Frisco Kid (1935)

I doubt that any other film of the time had as many boisterous crowd or mob scenes as this one. So Cagney better be a human dynamo or he'll be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, whether it's crowds in big watering holes or lynch mobs hurtling down streets. It's Gold Rush Frisco of the 1850's. On the low end of town is the Barbary Coast, about as sinful and noisy as waterfronts get. On the high end of town are the swells and well-dressed folks, and by golly, never the twains shall meet. That is, until Cagney's ambitious low-born Bat Morgan schemes his way into both worlds and criminally networks them. Seems he's good at everything, except winning the hand of the classy Miss Barrat (Lindsey) who won't buck the social distance lying between them. So what will happen once his contrived empire starts to sprout holes.The flick's typical WB from the period—fast, tough, and not too sentimental. Cagney's Cagney, a pint-sized dynamo if ever there was one. He's about as dominating a character as Hollywood has had and perfect for the part. The plot-line itself is not too plausible, but the spectacle does compensate. I wish more time was spent on the details of Bat's scheming and social climbing. After all, that was Cagney's movie appeal-- his lower class drive against all odds.On the other hand, catch Ricardo Cortez as the one truly slick crook of the bunch. But what about Solly's (Stone) relationship with the domineering Bat. They're buddies, sure, but catch Solly's expressions when the two get close to one another. Too bad about the facile ending which is typical Hollywood of the Code period. Had the movie been made a pre-Code two years earlier, I wonder if the ending would have been the same.All in all, the storyline is pretty disjointed, really needing a longer runtime for its networking and class themes to develop. There's also the anti-lynching element that doesn't really grieve— after all, the victims are hardly innocent. However, it's really crowd atmospherics and Cagney, that's worth catching up with. Anyway, I expect every extra in Hollywood got a welcome WB payday, along with a chance to shout their lungs out.

In 1854 San Francisco, rowdy sailor James Cagney (as Bat Morgan) is almost shanghaied to China. Rescued by affectionate tailor George E. Stone (as Solomon "Solly" Green), Mr. Cagney is inspired to open a successful saloon on the Barbary Coast. Frisco lives up to its reputation as "the wickedest city in the world," with gangster types like Ricardo Cortez (as Paul Morra) operating in vice. Cagney caters to a more "swell" crowd and becomes chummy with both underworld and high society types. The mixture initially makes money, but politics and murder threaten Cagney's newfound fortune...Director Lloyd Bacon and the crew do a good job in capturing and contrasting the various character types, especially in the opera setting. At the story's center, Cagney in introduced as a ruffian who becomes a well-dressed dandy. Resembling a young Liberace, the star manages to look both dapper and uncomfortable, in a series of flashy suits and extra tall top hats. It works for Cagney's tailor-made character...There is an interesting hint at a romantic interest between Cagney and Mr. Stone. Just when you think you're reading too much into it, Mr. Bacon or one of the actors leads you astray. The two are very "hands on" throughout, even when Stone is ironing pants. Their last scene together has Cagney giving attractive newspaperwoman Margaret Lindsay (as Jean Barrat) a knowing look as he gives Stone an extra, more personal squeeze. In this scene, it seems like the baton is being passed to Ms. Lindsay. Apart from the subtleties and double takes, "Frisco kid" is ordinary but satisfying.****** Frisco Kid (11/30/35) Lloyd Bacon ~ James Cagney, Margaret Lindsay, George E. Stone, Ricardo Cortez

Mediocre Warner Bros. period piece which goes off to a good start, but is hampered by a predictable narrative, an unfocused storyline and a lack of exciting moments, not to mention Jimmy's terrible hairdo in the later stages.The picturesque Barbary Coast setting is a plus, though, and this one's the first movie I've seen, that features a lynch mob whose anger you actually understand (though the people are portrayed just as sheepishly dumb as always.) Not Cagney's best hour, to be sure.5 out of 10 hooked hands

'Frisco Kid' was made at Warner Brothers, the studio that most ruthlessly ripped off and recycled its own scripts in thinly-disguised remakes. This movie re-uses elements from 'Barbary Coast', another (and better) Warners film made the same year! The barroom brawl in 'Frisco Kid' seems to be inspired by the climax of Rex Beach's popular novel 'The Spoilers', which had been filmed before 'Frisco Kid' and would be remade afterwards.James Cagney - always dynamic onscreen, yet not quite at the top of his form here - stars as Bat Morgan, a hustler who came west during the gold rush of 1849 and now finds himself a year later in San Francisco's notorious Barbary Coast. (Which got its name due to the lawlessness that prevailed: a reference to the real Barbary coast, which was controlled by pirates.) Morgan proves his mettle early on, in a spirited brawl with press-gangman Shanghai Duck, who has a hook for a right hand. We find out just how tough this community is when Ricardo Cortez gets killed by a lynch mob due to a misunderstanding.Morgan soon sets himself up as proprietor of a Barbary Coast saloon with a crooked casino. He makes deals with the local politicians, offering them a share of the profits from his prostitution and gambling businesses to avoid being raided or arrested. (I found this absolutely plausible; the San Francisco city government was notoriously corrupt, from Gold Rush days right until the 1906 earthquake.) He also befriends Jean Barrat, the lady owner of the local newspaper. This is one of those movies in which the virtuous heroine is attracted to a crooked hero, fully aware that he's crooked, and we're expected to approve because the crook is such a charming guy. The newspaperwoman is played by dull unattractive Margaret Lindsay, so the romantic subplot of this movie isn't worth much.Eventually, Judge Crawford - the only honest man in town - gets murdered, and the mob mistakenly decide that Bat Morgan is guilty. This whips them into a lynch-mob frenzy. Why the San Franciscans should be provoked to lynch-law over this particular crime - while ignoring so many other crimes in this movie - is never made very clear. We're meant to sympathise with Bat Morgan, who is genuinely innocent of Crawford's murder, even though we know he's guilty of many other crimes.In 1935, when 'Frisco Kid' was made, lynching was a real and widespread problem in the United States. The tendency of white mobs to lynch black victims is well known, but at this time plenty of white victims were lynched too. (The makers of this movie were probably more concerned about the white victims than the black ones.) 'Fury', an anti-lynching movie made at MGM at this same time, is a much better film addressing the same problem. The torchlight climax of 'Frisco Kid' degenerates into a bathetic payoff that's clearly intended to mollify the critics and the moral guardians.As is usual for Warners in the thirties, there's a fine assortment of supporting players on offer here. Barton MacLane is hissable as Spider Burke, little George E Stone is touching, and the woefully underrated actor John Wray is splendid as an underworld character named Weasel. (John Wray played another underworld character named Weasel in 'Boys Town': he had a talent for rodent-like roles.) Charles Middleton, Walter Long and Wilfred Lucas are onscreen just briefly enough to disappoint their fans. (Does Wilfred Lucas have any fans?) 'Frisco Kid' was made at the beginning of the Warner studio's greatest period - and at the beginning of the greatest phase of James Cagney's career - but it's neither first-rate Warners nor first-rate Cagney. I'll rate this movie 5 out of 10.