He might have been the toughest guy in Hollywood. When James Cagney left his home on the mean streets of New York and moved west, the Dream Factory was still reeling from its conversion to sound. Silent films were out and new genres like musicals and gangster flicks were emerging. With his Irish lilt and street-smart attitude, Cagney gave the movies their first celebrity thug, but all he ever wanted was to be a song-and-dance man. In The Public Enemy (1931), Cagney defined the quintessential rise and fall of a prohibition-era mobster. Paul Muni might have been more savage in Scarface (1932) and Edward G. Robinson might have organized his syndicate more realistically in Little Caesar (1930), but Cagney had a style like no one else. In The Public Enemy, Cagney's Tom Powers rises from neighborhood bully to become a hard-working thug-for hire. He's tough on his clients and rough on his women-smashing his morning grapefruit into his girlfriend's face when she whines at him. There was only one fireball on film that could match the intensity of Cagney's ball-busting brute and that was the original blonde bombshell, Jean Harlow. Together their chemistry made The Public Enemy one of the great gangster pictures of all time, frequently copied and seldom improved upon. Cagney was a success, but he felt trapped by his own image. Called on again and again to play the hotheaded heavy, Cagney brought his mercenary intensity to over 30 more films that decade. Whether he was roughhousing with women in Lady Killer (1933) or headed down death row in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Cagney kept audiences coming back for more. List of films Today! on TCM The James Cagney Collection (1999) White Heat (1949) Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) Cagney by John McCabe City Boys: Cagney, Bogart, Garfield by Robert Sklar James Cagney: The Story of His Film Career by Minty Clinch By the end of the '30s, Cagney was growing weary of playing a gangster. Warner Bros. finally gave him the kind of film that he really wanted-a musical. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1941) tells the all-American rags-to-riches story of George M. Cohan. Cagney dove into the role and brought unbelievable intensity to his dance numbers, strutting across the stage, kicking out his heels and belting out patriotic tunes such as "Give My Regards to Broadway," "Over There" and the title track. After a decade of playing gangsters who fought the law, Cagney surprised audiences with his patriotic fervor and won an Academy Award for Best Actor. Although there would be more gangsters in the future, such as his volatile Cody Jarrett in White Heat (1949), Cagney proved his point in Yankee Doodle Dandy. On either side of the law, he was a world class entertainer. Turner Classic Movies celebrates James Cagney's 101st birthday with a five-film tribute on July 17. Other July Birthdays Celebrations on TCM: Nancy Reagan - July 6 Janet Leigh - July 6 George Cukor - July 7 Ernest Hemingway - July 21 LIST OF FILMS Nancy Reagan - July 6 6:00 AM   The Next Voice You Hear (1950) The voice of God mystically appears on the radio, changing all who hear it. James Whitmore, Nancy Davis, Jeff Corey. D: William Wellman. BW 83m. 7:30 AM   Shadow on the Wall (1950) A child is left mute by the sight of her stepmother's murder. Ann Sothern, Zachary Scott, Gigi Perreau. D: Pat Jackson. BW 84m. 9:00 AM   Shadow in the Sky (1952) A shell-shocked veteran tries to recover his sanity while living with his sister. Ralph Meeker, Nancy Davis, James Whitmore. D: Fred M. Wilcox. BW 79m. Janet Leigh - July 6 12:30 PM   Holiday Affair (1949) A young widow is torn between a boring businessman and a romantic ne’er-do-well. Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh, Wendell Corey. D: Don Hartman. BW 87m. CC 2:00 PM   Angels in the Outfield (1951) The short-tempered manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates mends his ways in return for a little divine assistance. Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn. D: Clarence Brown. BW 100m. CC 4:00 PM   My Sister Eileen (1955) Two sisters from Ohio—one pretty, one witty—plot to take New York City by storm. Betty Garrett, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon. D: Richard Quine. C 108m. LBX 6:00 PM   Three on a Couch (1966) When a psychiatrist refuses to marry until her patients are cured, her fiancé sets out to do the job himself. Jerry Lewis, Janet Leigh, Mary Ann Mobley. D: Jerry Lewis. C 109m. George Cukor - July 7 6:00 AM   Dinner at Eight (1933) A high-society dinner party masks a hotbed of scandal and intrigue. Marie Dressler, John Barrymore, Jean Harlow. D: George Cukor. BW 112m. CC 8:00 AM   Adam’s Rib (1949) Husband-and-wife lawyers argue opposite sides in a sensational women’s rights case. Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday. D: George Cukor. BW 102m. CC 9:45 AM   Les Girls (1957) Three showgirls recall different versions of their time together touring Europe. Gene Kelly, Mitzi Gaynor, Kay Kendall. D: George Cukor. C 115m. LBX CC 11:45 AM   Pat and Mike (1952) Romance blooms between a female athlete and her manager. Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray. D: George Cukor. BW 96m. CC DVS 1:30 PM   It Should Happen to You (1954) A dizzy model in love with fame rents a billboard and puts her name on it. Judy Holliday, Jack Lemmon, Peter Lawford. D: George Cukor. BW 84m. 3:00 PM   Born Yesterday (1950) A newspaper reporter takes on the task of educating a crooked businessman’s girlfriend. Judy Holliday, Broderick Crawford, William Holden. D: George Cukor. BW 103 m. James Cagney - July 17 8:00 PM   Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) Spirited musical biography of the song-and-and-dance man who kept America humming through two world wars. Oscars® for Best Actor (James Cagney), Musical Direction and Sound. James Cagney, Walter Huston, Joan Leslie. D: Michael Curtiz. BW 126m. CC DVS 10:30 PM   Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) Childhood friends on opposite sides of the law fight over the future of a street gang. James Cagney, Pat O’Brien, Humphrey Bogart. D: Michael Curtiz. BW 98m. CC 12:30 AM   The Public Enemy (1931) An Irish-American street punk tries to make it big in the world of organized crime. James Cagney, Edward Woods, Jean Harlow. D: William Wellman. BW 84m. CC 2:00 AM   A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) Shakespeare’s classic about two pairs of lovers and an amateur actor who get mixed up with fairies. James Cagney, Dick Powell, Mickey Rooney. D: Max Reinhardt, William Dieterle. BW 144m. CC 4:30 AM   The Lady Killer (1933) A criminal on the run becomes a Hollywood movie star. James Cagney, Mae Clarke, Leslie Fenton. D: Roy Del Ruth. BW 76m.