I cannot understand female characters in movies in the 40's and 50's. They fell in love too quickly and too easily and to any type of man. He could've been a smooth talker or a brute, once a man laid eyes on a woman and wanted her, she would be his. Either he'd aggressively put himself upon her until she realized she loved him, or he'd do some small favor for her which would make her fall in love, or he'd go the more recognized route of romancing her to make her fall in love.
Ralph Cotter (James Cagney) had two women and he got them in two different ways. The first woman he enticed, Holiday Carleton (Barbara Payton), he won over with some firm slaps until she wilted in his arms and kissed him. At first I thought she became puddy in his arms as a defense mechanism, but it was only a few scenes later that she was professing her love for him. It was enough to turn your stomach.
The second woman, Margaret Dobson (Helena Carter), he wooed in the traditional sense. He put on the charm (as was recognized as charm in 1950) and won her over. You'd think that a person would be fine with that, and you'd be wrong. Again, she fell in love all too quickly, and it only got worse. When her father, Ezra Dobson (Herbert Heyes), came down on her like a ton of bricks for marrying Ralph we found out just how daft she was. She didn't know the first thing about the man! Where he came from, who he was, what he did... nothing. He married her under an alias for God's sake! She didn't know a single thing about him, she only knew that she loved him. So, if Holiday turned your stomach, Margaret made you vomit.
Were women in the 40's and 50's that dumb or that desperate, or did Hollywood grossly misrepresent the facts. I can certify that C is the correct answer.
I had to get that off of my chest before even mentioning the crux of the movie because it affected my enjoyment of the film. I liked it at the start. Ralph broke out of prison with another inmate whom he killed. Holiday was the sister of the man he killed and she was in the getaway car waiting for the both of them. She was distraught when she found out her brother didn't make it, but Ralph, whom she did not know, quickly filled that void.
When Ralph settled down in his new digs he fell immediately back into crime and his appetite was big. He had big plans and his plans weren't going to be upset by anyone. Ralph was the biggest, baddest, toughest, and smartest kid on the block. You knew--and hoped--that he would fall hard. No one as lascivious as him could ride off into the sunset.
The best part of the movie was Holiday killing him in the end. He wasn't a man that deserved to have a trial and go to prison, he'd crossed and killed too many people. It was a joy to see Holiday grow a backbone and shoot the man who 1.) killed her brother (though she didn't always know that) 2.) slapped her around and 3.) cheated on her. Maybe numbers two and three don't deserve a death sentence, but it was nice to see just the same.
Ralph Cotter (James Cagney) had two women and he got them in two different ways. The first woman he enticed, Holiday Carleton (Barbara Payton), he won over with some firm slaps until she wilted in his arms and kissed him. At first I thought she became puddy in his arms as a defense mechanism, but it was only a few scenes later that she was professing her love for him. It was enough to turn your stomach.
The second woman, Margaret Dobson (Helena Carter), he wooed in the traditional sense. He put on the charm (as was recognized as charm in 1950) and won her over. You'd think that a person would be fine with that, and you'd be wrong. Again, she fell in love all too quickly, and it only got worse. When her father, Ezra Dobson (Herbert Heyes), came down on her like a ton of bricks for marrying Ralph we found out just how daft she was. She didn't know the first thing about the man! Where he came from, who he was, what he did... nothing. He married her under an alias for God's sake! She didn't know a single thing about him, she only knew that she loved him. So, if Holiday turned your stomach, Margaret made you vomit.
Were women in the 40's and 50's that dumb or that desperate, or did Hollywood grossly misrepresent the facts. I can certify that C is the correct answer.
I had to get that off of my chest before even mentioning the crux of the movie because it affected my enjoyment of the film. I liked it at the start. Ralph broke out of prison with another inmate whom he killed. Holiday was the sister of the man he killed and she was in the getaway car waiting for the both of them. She was distraught when she found out her brother didn't make it, but Ralph, whom she did not know, quickly filled that void.
When Ralph settled down in his new digs he fell immediately back into crime and his appetite was big. He had big plans and his plans weren't going to be upset by anyone. Ralph was the biggest, baddest, toughest, and smartest kid on the block. You knew--and hoped--that he would fall hard. No one as lascivious as him could ride off into the sunset.
The best part of the movie was Holiday killing him in the end. He wasn't a man that deserved to have a trial and go to prison, he'd crossed and killed too many people. It was a joy to see Holiday grow a backbone and shoot the man who 1.) killed her brother (though she didn't always know that) 2.) slapped her around and 3.) cheated on her. Maybe numbers two and three don't deserve a death sentence, but it was nice to see just the same.