Taxi!
Encyclopedia
Taxi! is a 1932
film starring James Cagney
and Loretta Young
. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth.
Pop's waitressing daughter, Sue (Loretta Young), is asked by a scrappy young cab driver, Matt (James Cagney), to lend moral support to a resistance movement populated by other drivers, who are also experiencing similar strong-arm tactics by the same aggressive group of thugs. However, after enduring the crushing loss of her father, Sue undergoes a complete ethical reversal about the notion of fighting back, feels thoroughly sickened by the violence and blood-shead, and she angrily tells the drivers as much.
Her unpredictably willful but passionate rant instantly lands her on Matt's bad side, although he eventually has a redemptive change of heart, then seeks to charm Sue into becoming his girlfriend. Other complications arise shortly thereafter, putting their loving relationship in jeapordy, which all too often tends to involve Matt's inability to control his own quick and fiery temper.
Also, in a lengthy and memorable sequence, an unbilled George Raft
and his partner win a ballroom dance contest against Cagney and Young, after which Cagney punches Raft and knocks him down.
1932 in film
-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
film starring James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
and Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth.
Plot
When a veteran cab driver, Pop Riley (Guy Kibbee), refuses to be pressured into surrendering his prime soliciting location outside a cafe, wherein his daughter works, the old man's cab is intentionally wrecked by a ruthless mob seeking to dominate the cab industry. Upon learning of the "accidental" destruction of his cab (and along with it his livelihood), the old man retrieves his hand gun and shoots the bullying man known to be responsible, which lands him in prison, where he dies of poor health in fairly short order.Pop's waitressing daughter, Sue (Loretta Young), is asked by a scrappy young cab driver, Matt (James Cagney), to lend moral support to a resistance movement populated by other drivers, who are also experiencing similar strong-arm tactics by the same aggressive group of thugs. However, after enduring the crushing loss of her father, Sue undergoes a complete ethical reversal about the notion of fighting back, feels thoroughly sickened by the violence and blood-shead, and she angrily tells the drivers as much.
Her unpredictably willful but passionate rant instantly lands her on Matt's bad side, although he eventually has a redemptive change of heart, then seeks to charm Sue into becoming his girlfriend. Other complications arise shortly thereafter, putting their loving relationship in jeapordy, which all too often tends to involve Matt's inability to control his own quick and fiery temper.
About the film
The film is of note largely for two famous Cagney dialogues, one of which features Cagney conducting a conversation with a passenger in Yiddish, while the other introduced Cagney's trademark sneer line, "You dirty rat, I'm going to get rid of you, just like you gave it to my brother."Also, in a lengthy and memorable sequence, an unbilled George Raft
George Raft
George Raft was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s...
and his partner win a ballroom dance contest against Cagney and Young, after which Cagney punches Raft and knocks him down.
Cast (in credits order)
- James CagneyJames CagneyJames Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
as Matt Nolan - Loretta YoungLoretta YoungLoretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
as Sue Riley Nolan - George E. StoneGeorge E. StoneGeorge E. Stone was a Polish-born American character actor in movies, radio, and television.-Career:Stone's slight build and very expressive face first attracted attention in 1927, in the popular silent-film romance Seventh Heaven...
as Skeets - Guy KibbeeGuy KibbeeGuy Bridges Kibbee was an American stage and film actor.Born in El Paso, Texas, Kibbee began his entertainment career on Mississippi riverboats and eventually became a successful Broadway actor...
as Pop Riley - Leila Bennett as Ruby
- Dorothy BurgessDorothy BurgessDorothy Burgess was a stage and motion picture actress from Los Angeles, California.-Family, education:She was a niece of Fay Bainter. On her father's side she was related to George Montgomery of Montgomery and Stone. Her grandfather was Henry A. Burgess, Sr. He came to Los Angeles in 1893,...
as Marie Costa - David LandauDavid Landau (actor)David Landau was an American film actor who appeared in 33 films between 1931 and 1935.He appeared on Broadway in 12 plays from 1919 to 1929....
as Buck Gerard - Ray Cooke as Danny Nolan