1. Spawn of the North (1938)
2. Souls at Sea (1937)
3. Each Dawn I Die (1939)
4. Invisible Stripes (1939)
5. Rumba (1935)
6. Scarface (1932)
7. Some Like It Hot (1959)
8. They Drive by Night (1940)
9. Loan Shark (1952)
10. Background to Danger (1943)
I find it very amusing that my favorite two George Raft films also star two actors I'm not particularly fond of, Henry Fonda and Gary Cooper. Yet I'll watch each any day of the week just to catch those two particular films, which showcase George at his least smooth and well-dressed. Not that I mind him smooth and well-dressed, because damn, the man can wear a tailored suit like nobody's business. But I tend to love rough-and-tumble first, and Spawn of the North and Souls at Sea deliver that. I love the first half of They Drive by Night for the same reason, rough and tumble and scruffy, fisticuffs and wise-cracking.
(up tomorrow... Aldo Ray)
4 comments:
I have seen exactly half of those, and I totally love Each Dawn I Die. I think James Cagney was brilliant in that film...then again, I think he was brilliant in just about every film he ever did.
I have been longing to see Souls at Sea, because whereas Gary Cooper is not your cup of tea, he IS mine. He's my #2 guy.
Anyhow, Souls at Sea is a Coop movie I've never seen, and I've been looking for it on TCM for close to 3 years now...they never show it.
Oh, I DO love Raft in They Drive by Night. That is a great movie, and I think he and Ann Sheridan were great together.
Oooh, Patti, you must see Souls at Sea!! You would love it! Gary Cooper is the lead, with Frances Dee. He and George Raft work very well together, and they sing this hilarious song together. They are a really good team, and my appreciation for Gary Cooper went up a notch after seeing this movie. But yeah, I had to buy a copy on VHS to see it, as I didn't think it was happening any other way.
And I totally agree -- James Cagney is brilliant in just about everything he did.
Love that list! And LOVE George Raft! Thank you very much for sharing. Completely agree about what you say about his looks - great in rigged outfits - but even better when he is a bit "worn out".. ;")
George Raft - in any case: dressed to kill.. ;")
I realllllllly need to see these. Have only seen one, and yeah... some day I'm going to break down and get Netflix. Maybe in a year or so when things have settled down again.
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