{"id":36525,"date":"2016-03-22T15:12:24","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T22:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36525"},"modified":"2021-01-31T10:38:01","modified_gmt":"2021-01-31T17:38:01","slug":"white-heat-1949","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36525","title":{"rendered":"White Heat (1949)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;No, Ma &#8212; your hunches are never wrong.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Poster-158x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"158\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-36526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Poster-158x300.jpg 158w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Poster-67x128.jpg 67w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Poster-538x1024.jpg 538w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Poster.jpg 630w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 158px) 100vw, 158px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen psychopathic criminal Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) is released from prison, he immediately enlists his gang in holding up a train, resulting in the death of four workers and the fatal wounding of one gang member (Ford Rainey). While in hiding with his mom (Margaret Wycherly) and his bored, gold-digging wife (Virginia Mayo), Cody cleverly confesses to a smaller crime to distance himself from the train robbery, and gets sent back to prison, where he befriends an undercover cop (Edmond O&#8217;Brien) hoping to discover who Cody&#8217;s &#8220;fence&#8221; (Fred Clark) is. Meanwhile, Mayo carries on an affair with hunky gang member &#8220;Big Ed&#8221; (Steve Cochran), causing &#8220;Ma&#8221; (Wycherly) to intervene on behalf of her beloved son.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Edmond O&#8217;Brien Films<\/li>\n<li>Gangsters<\/li>\n<li>Jimmy Cagney Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken or Hidden Identities<\/li>\n<li>Psychopaths<\/li>\n<li>Raoul Walsh Films<\/li>\n<li>Virginia Mayo Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary notes that this &#8220;superb gangster film&#8221; &#8212; which reunited &#8220;director Raoul Walsh and James Cagney, who had starred in his <em>The Roaring Twenties<\/em>&#8221; &#8212; has &#8220;remarkable pacing; great touches; [and] hard-hitting, brilliantly edited action sequences&#8221;. He spends most of his review lauding Cagney&#8217;s bravura performance as &#8220;Cody Jarrett&#8221;, who is &#8220;more cunning, energetic, humorous, violent, suicidal, more <em>everything<\/em> than any of his gang members&#8221;, and who, despite being &#8220;cynical about the world&#8221;, remains &#8220;optimistic about his own future&#8221; and certain about &#8220;his own immortality&#8221;. Peary points out that unlike Cagney&#8217;s &#8217;30s gangsters, who &#8220;became tough, bitter killers because of the cruel Depression Era&#8221;, Cody &#8220;is insane&#8221;, with a &#8220;criminal father [who] died in an institution&#8221;, and a &#8220;shrewd Ma (who never blinks)&#8221; who &#8220;would have trouble passing a lunacy test&#8221;. Speaking of Cody&#8217;s &#8220;Ma&#8221; (played &#8220;brilliantly&#8221; by Wycherley), Peary notes that Cody&#8217;s &#8220;mother fixation is so weird &#8212; he even sits on her lap &#8212; that [he&#8217;s] sure the film would have run into censorship problems if Cody hadn&#8217;t also had a wife&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>Peary goes on to write that Cody is &#8220;older and paunchier than we think of Cagney the gangster, but he&#8217;s still intense, his eyes are fiery, and his energy is ferocious&#8221;. Cody truly is &#8220;terrifying&#8221; when, &#8220;with wild eyes, he half strangles Verna [Mayo] for betraying him&#8221;, and &#8220;pathetic&#8230; during his headache bouts&#8221; and &#8220;in the classic prison-cafeteria scene when he learns that Ma is dead&#8221;. Peary argues that &#8220;Walsh treats the story&#8217;s potential hero &#8212; undercover policeman Hank Fallon (Edmond O&#8217;Brien), who infiltrates Cody&#8217;s gang and gains his trust &#8212; as the story&#8217;s villain, no better than a filthy spy&#8221;, noting that &#8220;Walsh obviously felt for Cody, who&#8217;s at least honest where his friends are concerned&#8221;, and thus deserves his &#8220;&#8216;happy&#8217; ending&#8221; by &#8220;achiev[ing] immortality&#8221; (&#8220;Made it, Ma! Top of the world!&#8221;). However, I disagree that O&#8217;Brien is posited as a villain; I actually see him as one of the bravest, noblest fools ever to risk his life on screen. (Who in the world would willingly try to pull a long one over on the notoriously trigger-happy Cody Jarrett?!)<\/p>\n<p>Cagney&#8217;s performance is clearly a stand-out, but the entire supporting cast of <em>White Heat<\/em> is excellent as well &#8212; most notably beady-eyed Wycherly as Ma. (In the pantheon of villainous &#8220;screen moms&#8221;, she lands near the top.) The narrative &#8212; based on a story by Virginia Kellogg (who wrote the script for <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=26832\"><em>Caged<\/em><\/a>) &#8212; is tense from the get-go and never lets up; with a deranged, manipulative psychopath like Cody on the loose, there&#8217;s no telling what kind of violence will happen next, or whose life will casually be snuffed out. In addition to scenes already mentioned, particularly memorable moments include Cody lying to a blinded, severely burned gang member he intends to have killed after leaving him behind; all scenes in which O&#8217;Brien must successfully pass himself off to Cody as a would-be hoodlum; and Ma&#8217;s ride home after buying strawberries. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jimmy Cagney as Cody Jarrett (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cagney.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cagney.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cagney.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cagney-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cagney-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cagney-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Edmond O&#8217;Brien as Vic Pardo<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-OBrien.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-OBrien.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-OBrien.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-OBrien-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-OBrien-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-OBrien-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Margaret Wycherly as Ma Jarrett<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Wyncherly.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Wyncherly.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Wyncherly.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Wyncherly-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Wyncherly-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Wyncherly-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Virginia Mayo as Verna<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Mayo.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Mayo.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36528\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Mayo.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Mayo-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Mayo-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Mayo-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Effective cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cinematography.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cinematography-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cinematography-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Cinematography-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Good use of authentic L.A. locales<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Locales.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Locales.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Locales.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Locales-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Locales-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Locales-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Strong direction by Walsh<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Direction.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"976\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-36533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Direction.png 976w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Direction-128x94.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Direction-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/White-Heat-Direction-768x567.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 976px) 100vw, 976px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a genuine classic of the genre. Nominated by Peary as one of the Best Films of the Year in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. Added to the National Film Registry in 2003. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0042041\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1949\/09\/03\/archives\/the-screen-in-review-james-cagney-back-as-gangster-in-white-heat.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/1413\/white-heat#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s1488gang.html\">DVD Savant Review (scroll down)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;No, Ma &#8212; your hunches are never wrong.&#8221; Synopsis: When psychopathic criminal Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) is released from prison, he immediately enlists his gang in holding up a train, resulting in the death of four workers and the fatal wounding of one gang member (Ford Rainey). While in hiding with his mom (Margaret Wycherly) and his bored, gold-digging wife (Virginia Mayo), Cody cleverly confesses to a smaller crime to distance himself from the train robbery, and gets sent back&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36525\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36525"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67350,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36525\/revisions\/67350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}