City for Conquest *** (1940, James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Frank Craven, Donald Crisp, Arthur Kennedy, Frank McHugh, George Tobias, Anthony Quinn, Elia Kazan, Jerome Cowan, Lee Patrick) – Classic Movie Review 7,161

The arty, faded 1940 melodrama film City for Conquest stars James Cagney as a New York truck driver turned boxer who gets blinded by rosin dust from his opponent’s boxing gloves, while Ann Sheridan plays his girl  who shows potential as a dancer. 

Director Anatole Litvak’s 1940 American epic drama film City for Conquest stars James Cagney as Danny Kenny, a New York truck driver turned boxer who gets blinded by rosin dust from his opponent’s boxing gloves, while Ann Sheridan plays his girl Peggy who shows potential as a professional dancer, and Arthur Kennedy plays his pop composer brother Eddie, who aspires to the classics.

This heavily dated, faded melodrama from Warner Bros is filmed in an arty way with a self-conscious attack of the poetics by Litvak. A major item of interest and factor in its favour is that the supporting cast features Elia Kazan, Anthony Quinn, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh, Frank Craven and Lee Patrick.

City for Conquest was admired in its day, but, if this film had a glory, it is now seriously faded, though, to be fair, it still has its admirers. Nevertheless, the Cagney performance is still highly watchable, Sheridan is an asset, Kennedy is interesting in his first adult film, and there is director Elia Kazan, too, acting as a gangster. Frank Craven plays the Old Timer, a tramp who both appears on screen and narrates the film.

John Wexley’s screenplay is based on the 1936 novel of the same name by Aben Kandel.

Also in the cast are Frank Crave, Donald Crisp, Frank McHugh, George Tobias, Anthony Quinn, Jerome Cowan, Lee Patrick, Blanche Yurka, Thurston Hall, Joseph Crehan, Joyce Compton, Selmer Jackson, Billy Wayne, Pat Flaherty, Charles Wilson, Ed Gargan, Murray Alper and Ed Pawley.

Anthony Quinn took over the unsympathetic role of Murray Burns from George Raft.

it runs 104 minutes.

It was released on September 21, 1940.

It was a hit for Warner Bros: on a budget of $920,00, it earned $1,794,000 ($1,156,000 in the US and $638,000 abroad).

City for Conquest was released on a 2006 DVD and again in 2010 as a part of the four-disc set TCM Greatest Gangster Films Collection: James Cagney.

The cast are James Cagney as Danny Kenny, Ann Sheridan as Peggy ‘Peg’ Nash, Arthur Kennedy as Eddie Kenny, Frank Craven as Old Timer, Anthony Quinn as Murray Burns, Elia Kazan as Googi Zucco, Donald Crisp as Scotty MacPherson, Frank McHugh as Mutt, George Tobias as Pinky, Jerome Cowan as Dutch, Lee Patrick as Gladys, Blanche Yurka as Mrs Nash, George Lloyd as Goldie, Joyce Compton as Lilly, Thurston Hall as Max Leonard, Ben Welden as Cobb, John Arledge as Salesman, Ed Keane as Gaul, Selmer Jackson as Doctor 1, Joseph Crehan as Doctor 2, Ward Bond as First Policeman, Charles Lane as theatrical booking agent Al, Thurston Hall, Billy Wayne, Pat Flaherty, Charles Wilson, Ed Gargan, Murray Alper and Ed Pawley.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7,161

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