Product Details

• Actors: James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson
• Directors: Raoul Walsh
• Writers: James Hagan, Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein
• Producers: Hal B. Wallis, William Cagney
• Format: Black & White, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: July 5, 2000
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0790745119
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,182 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The great James Cagney is as irrepressible as ever opposite two of Hollywood's loveliest leading ladies, Olivia de Havilland and Rita Hayworth, in this sentimental, tuneful slice of gay '90s nostalgia. Year: 1941 Director: Raoul Walsh Starring: James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites -- it'll be yours too!, November 29, 1999

By	Hannah Kirchner (Indiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Strawberry Blonde [VHS] (VHS Tape)

James Cagney is often overlooked as an action star who played gangsters. True enough.

But if you are looking for a Cagney flick that shows him in great breadth and depth in comedy and romance -- you must see The Strawberry Blonde.

I adore Cagney -- and will even watch a bad Cag flick because he is just so awesome. In the gangster flicks he is imcomparable. But catch me in the right mood, and I'll say that The Strawberry Blonde is just about the best film he ever made.

First of all, you have a great cast -- Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Jack Carson, Alan Hale Sr., George Tobias -- who all play wonderful characters, flirts and scoundrels.

Then you have a fantastic, engaging screenplay by the famous Epstein brothers (who wrote clever dialogue for such classics as Casablanca) about turn-of-the-century life in New York.

Then, there is Cagney who will make you laugh, fall in love, and cry. The scenario is perhaps overused -- a man falls in love with a society girl (Hayworth) whom he can never have, and rebounds in a marriage with a "plain" girl, played by de Havilland (who is anything but plain). Only after many trials and tribulations does he truly see the love and goodness in his marriage.

Sounds pretty serious, but it's a hilarious piece, with Cagney as the would-be suitor. A scene in a park where he is stuck with de Havilland when he would rather be with Hayworth, shows him at his best comedic flair, as a rude, pouting heartsick fellow. While Hayworth is giggling and flirting with another fellow behind some rocks in a silly, shallow exchange, de Havilland (with more substance than Cagney sees at the time) tries to engage him in conversations he will have no part of, then baits him with "advanced ideas" about women's rights. Needless to say, he is unimpressed, and the reactions are side splitting.

This film also is interesting because it shows the romance of which he was capable but rarely showed in his films. Cagney rarely kissed onscreen for more than a peck, finding mush embarrassing and counter to his screen image.

Here, he doesn't go much further, but finds other ways to express the romance and love in his heart to de Havilland. After a melodramatic turn, where he winds up in prison, he meets de Havilland in the park after his stint is up, and clutches her to him with a hug full of passion, desperation, love and sadness. It's the kind of embrace that happens between people in real life, and not often shown on film.

Finally, the music is wonderful, with songs like "Bill Bailey," "Let the Rest of the World Go By", "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie," and "And the Band Played On." In fact, you get a few seconds of Cagney waltzing with Hayworth to "And the Band Played On." Not enough of Cagney's footwork is shown, but Lordy, could he dance!

Well, needless to say, you should see this The Strawberry Blonde.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Zactly, February 22, 2003

By	James L. (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The Strawberry Blonde has elements of comedy, drama, music, and romance all tossed into one entertaining film. Set at the turn of the century, James Cagney stars as a man studying to be a dentist who falls in love with a strawberry blonde stunner that every man is after, Rita Hayworth. Although she finds him attractive, she is more attracted to the prospects of his ambitious pal, Jack Carson. Caught up in the mix is Hayworth's friend, the forward thinking Olivia de Havilland. Cagney finds himself getting stuck with de Havilland, and it takes him a while to figure out what the audience already knows ... he really got the winner. Although Hayworth and the supporting cast of character actor veterans (Alan Hale, George Tobias, Una O'Connor, and Carson) are all fine, as a fan of Cagney and de Havilland I have to say the film belongs to them. Cagney gets to play his tough guy with a lighter touch here, getting knocked down more often than the other way around, and he displays a humorous romantic side that should have been used more often by Warner Bros. de Havilland has some of the film's best moments as the straightforward working girl who Cagney comes to discover has a lot more depth. Their three scenes in the park are classics, played with humour, charm, and honesty. Fans of Cagney and de Havilland should make this film a must for viewing!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RAOUL WALSH'S PURE PORTRAYAL OF SOCIETY AND HUMANITY, February 2, 2001

By	M. J. Holmes (Santa Ana, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE is a forgotten masterpiece of the Hollywood of yesteryear. Through subtle,dreamy narrative and photography that reminds one of a long gone summer afternoon turning to autumn, Walsh follows Biff Grimes(Cagney in a nicely nuanced performance) and his journey from the spitoon to the clink to the altar. Haunting and unforgettable, a gentle,broadminded stunner about the games called society and marriage, and it's effects on the players who are fated to follow the rules of the game.