The other day we took a look at the Best Picture nominees of 1928 and I commented on the very different, staid acting styles of the era. It’s always been my contention that screen acting–maybe all acting for that matter– was changed forever with the sudden, shocking appearance of James Cagney on the screen. Cagney came out of vaudeville and burlesque–he was a female impersonator in one of his many acts–and immediately released a limitless animal energy upon the screen. Above is a clip from a 1931 movie called ‘The Millionaire’, starring George Arliss. It’s Cagney’s only scene in the movie and was shot prior to his breakthrough starring role in ‘The Public Enemy’. It’s been said that it was this scene that made director William A. Wellman decide to cast him in the lead role of Tom Powers–he’d initially been cast in the supporting role of Matt Doyle, with Edward Woods playing Tom, but Wellman was so impressed by Cagney that he reversed the roles. I have no idea what sort of fellow Edward Woods was, but he couldn’t be blamed for being awfully sour and embittered while he watched Cagney ascend to stardom while he sank into modest oblivion. Cagney’s approach to the scene makes it a real ‘turn’, transforming an amusing moment into a whirlwind tour de force. I’m pretty sure he knew the effect it would have and that he’d jump over the competition once he showed his stuff. That’s what a real showman knows how to do and there is no question that Cagney was not just an actor but a showman trained in the rough-and-tumble world of vaudeville and burlesque, where a performer’s most important quality was the ability to grab the audience by the throat and keep their asses in the seats and not heading for the lobby.