He Was Her Man (1934)

This film slips under the wire--being released just two weeks before the toughened Production Code was enacted. Because of this, one plot element is in the film that probably would not have been allowed just a few days later--Joan Blondell's character having been a prostitute. While the word 'prostitute' is never used, it was heavily implied--like all Pre-Code films.The film begins with James Cagney double-crossing a couple of crooks who had done him wrong. One of the thugs is caught by the cops and sent to death row, but the other is still at-large and wants to pay Cagney back for his infamy. Cagney is no dummy, so he leaves town and hides out in San Francisco. However, he's soon discovered and beats it with Joan Blondell to a tiny fishing village to hide. It seems that Blondell's fiancé is waiting for her there and Cagney is able to talk her into keeping his real identity secret.The fiancé, his mother and the town embrace Cagney and make him feel very welcome. However, two problems develop. First, Blondell who is intended for Victory Jory instead is falling for Cagney. Second, eventually the baddies learn where Cagney is and come to get him--and pose a threat to anyone in the town who gets in their way. I won't tell you how all this works itself out, but it certainly WON'T be the way you'd expect for a Cagney-Blondell film! Because it kept me guessing, was very entertaining and was a nice change of pace, I enjoyed it very much.

He Was Her Man (1934) ** (out of 4) James Cagney plays a safecracker who goes on the run after his latest job goes bad. While hiding out he meets a woman (Joan Blondell) who's running away from her life to marry a man she hasn't met. I'm really not sure what the history of this film is but it was either rushed into production or the screenplay wasn't done when filming started. There are about three or four genres going on here and none of them mix well together and in the end the film comes off as a rather big mess. The most shocking thing is how bland and boring Cagney is. I'm not sure if he was trying a new acting style or what but his laid back and calm approach comes off pretty bad. Blondell is somewhat better in her role but she isn't given too much to do except sit around and feel sorry for herself. Victor Jory plays her soon to be husband and comes off the best in the film. This isn't the worst Cagney/Warner picture I've seen as that honor would go to Boy Meets Girl but this is perhaps the worst performance I've seen from the legend.

A young San Francisco woman, who's lived rough, is torn between the Portuguese fisherman she admires & the petty criminal she adores.HE WAS HER MAN is a particularly good example of the sort of crime drama which Warner Bros. did so well in the early 1930's. Intelligent romantic dialogue and gentle humor, in addition to some very fine performances, are all ingredients which make this film a solid success - even though it is nearly forgotten now. This picture was produced just before the implementation of the Production Code and the climax, while completely appropriate, will surprise some viewers.Jimmy Cagney is entirely irrepressible, strutting through each scene like a banty rooster, shouting attention to himself without ever having to raise his voice. As a fellow on the lam from vicious mobsters who want him dead, Cagney plays a character not in control of his own circumstances - a rarity for him, which makes him at once more vulnerable and more human. Joan Blondell nicely underplays her part as the tough luck lady he befriends, avoiding any of the sass & sizzle from her comedic films which would be out of place here.At the other end of the spectrum from the grim roles with which he would become associated, Victor Jory is excellent as the quiet, decent fisherman who deeply loves Blondell. His performance is one of the major assets of the film.Bradley Page, Russell Hopton, Harold Huber & Ralf Harolde play various Manhattan crooks & killers, with Frank Craven especially good as a genial, albeit sinister, shadow. Solid support is given by Sarah Padden as Jory's exuberant old-world mother & John Qualen as the local delivery man.Outdoor location shooting took place around Monterey, California. While the film's setting, the seaside village of Santa Avila, is completely fictional, the Monterey Bay area has long enjoyed a strong Portuguese contingent as part of its fishing industry.

Although James Cagney once again appears as a disreputable underworld figure, there is in this portrayal no strutting, twitching, snapping, or pushing people around. As a double-crosser on the run from his former cohorts, he maintains an extremely low profile - yet the menace he represents surfaces in a smirk here, a sly smile there, a barely poised but ever watchful presence with the potential for violence - perhaps the quietest Cagney criminal you will ever see. Joan Blondell also plays a familiar type, the down-on-her-luck girl who will trade her charms for money, but here, too, the approach to the part is much more subdued than what we find in her wisecracking gold-digger roles. World-weary, somber, reflective, resigned: there is no contradiction in her projecting a streetwise yet vulnerable woman who, though still young, has seen too much of life. If the two stars don't exactly set off sparks (as each did playing opposite others), they give solid, honest performances - as does Victor Jory in a key supporting role. This film does not deserve to be forgotten.