Now we all love Goodfellas, The Godfather and countless other mob films, but what is everyones favorites from the black and white days

Mine inno order
Scarface 1932
Public Enemy
Roaring Twenties
White Heat
Angels with Dirty Faces
Bullets or Ballots

SCarface

Not truly a gangster film, but "Dead End" (1937) has enough elements of that to include here.

Starring Joel McCrea and the lovely Sylvia Sidney, its a wonderful story of the slums of New York in the 30's. Humphrey Bogart co-stars (wonderfully) as a gangster who comes back to his old neighborhood and the "Dead End Kids" (Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Billy Halop, etc.) get there "start" in this flick.

Dated by today's standards, its a good film.

yea i saw dead end, I didnt really get into it

My vote goes for "White Heat" (1949), which is also my vote for the best purely gangster movie in history. My second choice pre-1950 is "Little Caesar" (1931).

I've always considered Little Caesar (1930), Public Enemy (1931) and Scarface (1932) as the "big three" gangster pictures from the early-talkie days.

An interesting silent film shown not too long ago on TCM was The Racket (1928). Perhaps not a "classic" in the same way as the previous three films I mentioned, but definitely worth a look.

Another film I have to confess to liking is The Black Hand. While not exactly pre-1950 (it came out in that year), I'd include it in my list of films to see (even though Gene Kelly was about as Italian as J. Carrol Naish - and not nearly as convincing).

The films mentioned in previous posts by SC and Turnbull are all absolutely on my list. Especially White Heat.

There are a few additional films that I liked, but - for the life of me - I just cannot think of the titles. Typical. When I can jog my memory, I'll post them.

Signor V.

Scarface and Little Caesar get my vote!

ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES and HOLD THAT GHOST.

Moose Matson lives!!

He kept his money in his head.

I knew I couldn't slip one past you, SC. Actually, it was a contest between you and Cardi to see who would get it first.

You win. Age before beauty. Or in our case, baldness.

I resent that... Cardi's bald, too!!

EASY MONEY (1983)

Monty says to the bald salesman and the bald mannequin, "why don't you two put your heads together, make an ass of yourselves?"

DITTO!

That movie also brings back some very sentimental memories for me. It was one of my father's favorite movies and when I was a kid he and I would always watch it togther regardless if it was on at 8:00 at night or 3:00 in the morning. Definitely Cagney's best!



"You ain't my son!"

"The Mark of the Squealer!"

One of my favorites. And the Dead End Kids, who later went on to do comedy and become known as The East Side Kids aka The Bowery Boys, were pretty mean and brutal in the movie.

Even here in the UK we used to get old films shown on BBC2 on a Saturday afternoon in a double bill. I used to love 'em,usually watched them with my Dad (in between the horse racing :))..
Don't get them anymore for some reason

"Get outta here--before I crack your face again!"

White Heat because of its psychological aspects and Roaring Twenties because of James Cagney.

Here's another one of my all-time favorites:



Racketeer Rabbit (1946)

Signor V.

Angels with Dirty Faces saw this movie a few years back while on holiday in Florida really enjoyed it

"Whadda ya hear, whadda ya say."


So tell me chopper, was he really scared at the end when he's heard screaming as they put him in the electric chair, or did he just put on an act for his buddy, the priest, so that the kids would think that he was yellow? What's your take?

i think that rocky pretends to be a coward to scare the Dead end kids what is your opinion Don Cardi? What year was this movie made DC?



Always remember Don't be a suckerR

As much as I would like to believe, everytime I watch that movie, that Rocky did it for Father Jerry, deep down I know that Rocky screamed because he was really scared.

The movie came out in 1938.

really? I dont know i can see were you are coming from and probably if the truth be told i know it but id rather think he did it to not glamorise it for the kids.

wow 1938 i think My Grandfather was born around that time are what pre 1950s movie would you recomend to me Don Cardi?

Oh boy! Now there's a name that most fans of classic Universal Studios horror movies will recognize.

A well known character actor that most others would recognize by face more than by name.

My favorite part, that he played, in those Universal Classic Horror movies is the character of Daniel in House Of Frankenstein.

Movies with with James Cagney :

White Heat
City for Conquest
The Roaring Twenties
The Public Enemy

Thanks Don Cardi ill try and check them out i suppose they will be pretty hard to get old of but i will have ago.

Try here :

CITY FOR CONQUEST

THE ROARING TWENTIES

Thats something we'll never agree on. Cagney would've spit in the executioner's eye but started to "freak out" as a final favor to his friend, Pat O'Brien. O'Brien knew it, too.

Thank you, Don Cardi very much appreciated

Ditto, SC.

And for me, that's exactly why I think that Rocky really toined yella! Even Fatha Jerry figgered dat Rocky would neva toin yella, and when Rocky did freak out, Fatha Jerry figgered dat Rocky had done him da fava on a kind a dere childhood frienship.

But me tinks dat Rocky really toined yella at da very last moment!