Johnny Come Lately (1943)
Directed by William K. Howard

Film Review

For his first independently produced production after his Houdini-like escape from Warner Brothers, James Cagney teamed up with his brother William for this homespun social drama, based on Louis Bromfield's novel McLeod's Folly.  William Cagney produced some of his brother's most interesting mid-career films, including Blood on the Sun (1945), The Time of Your Life (1948) and Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950).  Johnny Come Lately, the first William Cagney production, boasts some strong performances but is badly let down by its mediocre script and lacklustre direction.

Audiences used to James Cagney's iconic hard man gangster portrayals (The Public Enemy, Angels With Dirty Faces, White Heat) will be surprised by his genteel good guy persona in this film, although neither the script nor the direction do the actor many favours.  The creaking plot manages to cram in its maximum quota of clichés and it often looks like director William K. Howard can't quite work out whether the film is melodrama, action film or farce.  Indeed, one or two sequences appear to have been lifted from a (bad) Keystone Kops movie.  For a director of Howard's standing, the film was something of a let down, falling way below the standard of his earlier work on such films as The Power and the Glory (1933) and Fire Over England (1937).

If Johnny Come Lately has any entertainment value at all this is entirely down to the enjoyable turns from the talented supporting cast.  The full-bodied contributions of such charismatic performers as Grace George (her only major film role), Marjorie Main and Hattie McDaniel (a future Oscar winner) come close to eclipsing the star presence of its lead actor.  Although James Cagney was immensely fond of this film, it is most definitely not his finest hour.

Film Synopsis

In 1906, Vinnie McLeod is the ageing proprietor of a local newspaper in the small American town of Plattsville.  She also finds time to perform small acts of charity, her good works including giving a helping hand to passing vagrants.  One day, she meets Tom Richards, a former newspaper reporter who now prefers the life of the open road to that of an office.  To prevent Tom from being arrested for vagrancy, Mrs McLeod offers him the job of editor on her newspaper.  Moved by the old woman's kindness, Tom accepts willingly, but soon discovers that the seemingly harmless dowager is locked in a bitter and potentially explosive feud with the town's other notable, a disreputable politician and businessman named Dougherty....