James Cagney
Thadeus McGillicuddy, aka Terrence "Terry" Rooney
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Synopsis
A New York bandleader accepts a Hollywood offer and leaves his singer fiancée behind. Studio specialists set about remaking him into a movie star. His own habits and loyalties prove less manageable than the image the publicity machine wants to sell.
Cast
DirectorsVictor Schertzinger
Behind the scenes
James Cagney made this musical at Grand National during his period away from Warner Bros. The show-business story gives particular space to his abilities as a dancer as well as an actor.
Sources and availability
The synopsis and editorial text were written for this collection. The references below were cross-checked to identify the film and its copy; each editorial section identifies its reference.
Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.
The reference concerns the original work. Restorations, colorization, translations and other territories may have different conditions. This site uses the player enabled by the channel.
Availability checked on September 10, 2026.
Photograph credit
Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.
- James Cagney — Warner Bros. Studio (work for hire) · Public domain
- Evelyn Daw — Grand National Pictures · Public domain
- William Frawley — KTTV, Los Angeles. This was a publicity photo for a local KTTV program. In the 1950s and 1960s, television stations, networks, studios and program sponsors often used advertising or publicity agencies to distribute promotional material. In this case, KTTV used advertising agency Young & Rubicam to send out the photos and releases. · Public domain
- Mona Barrie — Cine Mundial · Public domain
