The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on September 27, 2014

If you removed the atmosphere of breezy amorality from the 1933 film "Picture Snatcher," you wouldn't have much of a movie. And, sure enough, the 1942 film "Escape From Crime" isn't much of a movie. Both films are based on an original story by Danny Ahearn, but "Picture Snatcher" has...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on September 27, 2014

If you removed the atmosphere of breezy amorality from the 1933 film "Picture Snatcher," you wouldn't have much of a movie. And, sure enough, the 1942 film "Escape From Crime" isn't much of a movie. Both films are based on an original story by Danny Ahearn, but "Picture Snatcher" has...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on November 12, 2012

Whenever I talk about my love for old James Cagney movies, my kids remind me of this clip from "Family Guy": To them, those movies are little more than that -- people in out-of-style clothes speedtalking to each other. To me, they're fast-moving star vehicles with a streetwise style, sharp...   read more

The Man on the Flying Trapeze Posted by David on November 12, 2012

Whenever I talk about my love for old James Cagney movies, my kids remind me of this clip from "Family Guy": To them, those movies are little more than that -- people in out-of-style clothes speedtalking to each other. To me, they're fast-moving star vehicles with a streetwise style, sharp...   read more

The Motion Pictures Posted by Lindsey on July 11, 2012

I’m a sucker for awesome DVD covers, and this one made it an absolute certainty that I needed to add Picture Snatcher to my collection. (Image via crslatnick.com, cropped by TMP) Danny Kean (James Cagney) is fresh off of a prison sentence and has a long track record of criminal...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on August 19, 2011

Picture Snatcher (1933)      In an era of tough guy, gangster James Cagney characters, the actor took a reprieve from his criminal work that became a signature for Warner Bros. during the 1930s and played a legitimate working man in Picture Snatcher, at least partially.      Cagney manages to live   read more

Hollywood Revue Posted by Angela on August 15, 2011

After a three-year stint in prison, Danny Kean (James Cagney) decides he’s going to straighten up and fly right.  He puts Jerry the Mug (Ralf Harolde) in charge of his old gang and starts pursuing his dream of becoming a newspaper reporter.  While he was in prison, he had gotten...   read more

Movie Classics Posted by Judy on March 20, 2009

It might be included in the Warner Gangsters Collection 3 box set – but the James Cagney movie Picture Snatcher, directed by Lloyd Bacon, is really only a gangster movie in the loosest sense. In fact, I’m starting to wonder if there are any true gangster movies in this collection, since    read more