An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
- Paddy Ryan
- (as Robert O'Connor)
- Goon
- (uncredited)
- Dutch
- (uncredited)
- Kitty
- (uncredited)
- Tom as a Boy
- (uncredited)
- Machine Gunner
- (uncredited)
- Matt as a Boy
- (uncredited)
- Miller
- (uncredited)
- Molly Doyle
- (uncredited)
- Nails' Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOn the set one day, James Cagney stared at Jean Harlow's nipples and asked, likely in perfect innocence and good humor, "How do you keep those things up?" "I ice them," Harlow said, before trotting off to her dressing room to do just that.
- GoofsThe "Foreword" mentions that the movie is to depict "a certain strata of American life." "Strata" is the plural form of "stratum." The phrase should have been written "a certain stratum of American life."
- Quotes
Tom Powers: [Tom shuffles to the breakfast table in his pajamas. He's just finished a demanding call with Nails Nathan] Ain't you got a drink in the house?
Kitty: Well, not before breakfast, dear.
Tom Powers: [immediately annoyed] ... I didn't ask you for any lip. I asked you if you had a drink.
Kitty: [sheepishly] I know Tom, but I, I wish that...
Tom Powers: ... there you go with that wishin' stuff again. I wish you was a wishing well. So that I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya.
Kitty: Well, maybe you've found someone you like better.
[Angered, Tom grimaces and shoves a piece of grapefruit in her face as he leaves the table.]
- Crazy creditsIt is the ambition of the authors of "The Public Enemy" to honestly depict the environment that exists today in a certain strata of American life, rather than glorify the hoodlum or the criminal. While the story of "The Public Enemy" is essentially a true story, all names and characters appearing herein, are purely fictional.
- Alternate versionsFor a 1941 re-release, three scenes in "The Public Enemy" were censored to comply with the Production Code. These censored segments (including an extended edit of the scene involving the gay tailor) were restored for the 2005 DVD release.
- ConnectionsEdited into Three on a Match (1932)
- SoundtracksI'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
(1919) (uncredited)
Music by James Kendis, James Brockman and Nat Vincent
Played at various times throughout the film
While we may never literally create a time machine, these old movies give you the miracle of observation at least of what life was once like. Sadly many of the old films have been destroyed through neglect, so the pickings are very slim. Public Enemy is one of the best old movies available. For only the sheer pleasure of seeing what all the fuss was about in Cagney and Harlow, it's worth a viewing. Director Wellman creates some extremely lasting images you won't want to miss, and it almost makes me think of the original Frankenstein for that reason. The final sequence especially is a dramatic example of lasting imagery in film, quite an unforgettable experience. If you like Godfather, Scarface, Goodfellas, and who doesn't, you owe it yourself to watch what may be the patriarch of the entire genre. Interestingly, while the film has a campy disclaimer demonizing the subject matter and mandating public action in order to address the evils of organized crime, it's rather obvious that the producers new exactly what they were really doing by making a film like this. Brutal as some of the action is, Cagney's charisma glorifies the gangster as much as Coppola, Scorsese and all the rest glorify modern organized crime. See it for yourself!!!
- glgioia
- Aug 9, 2003
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Beer and Blood
- Filming locations
- Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA(convertible ride with Jean Harlow)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,011,520
- Gross worldwide
- $1,214,260
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1