La blonde framboise

Cagney departs from his tough, street smart persona to play the gullible, not so tough Biff Grimes. Notice how he loses fight after fight; in one scene he's a barroom bouncer tossing his drunken father out asking his father not to put up too much of a fight "I'm supposed to be a tough guy".

He gets suckered time after time by Hugo and Virginia. That wouldn't have happened to other Cagney characters! His best scenes are with Olivia DeHavilland. What chemistry. Sometimes no dialog, just glances.

The main characters play off each other phenomenally. Even the minor characters are superb. Who was that fat German who blew beer foam into Cagney's face? He was great! The period music is so woven into the story that the movie almost becomes a musical. The lovely theme that's played whenever Olivia DeHavilland come into the scene is "When You Were Sweet Sixteen". Unlike the title song "Strawberry Blonde", it's never sung in the movie but it was popular at the turn of the century. Perry Como made it one of his hits in the early 1940's.

The movie is such a nostalgic, funny, (sad at times) look back at the turn of the century that you wish you could go back there with them.

It's amazing that director Raoul Walsh also made the brilliant, violent, cynical "White Heat" with nary a sentimental, lovable character.

Charming turn-of-the-century romantic comedy gives Rita Hayworth her breakthrough role as the flirtatious town siren who gets her comeuppance when she ditches James Cagney for Jack Carson. Her best friend Amy (Olivia de Havilland) marries dentist Biff (Cagney) after an unusual courtship which provides some amusing scenes between the outspoken miss and her boyfriend. The plot thickens when Cagney's best friend Hugo (Jack Carson) uses him in a shady business scheme that leaves Cagney taking the blame and serving time in prison. He resolves to get even with Hugo one day--and gets his chance when Hayworth brings Hugo to his dental office to have a tooth pulled. It's all done with a light touch and played to the hilt by an engaging cast. Rita shines in the title role but it is Olivia de Havilland who really walks off with the film as Cagney's sweetheart. Time magazine reported that she stole the film from both of them with her "electric winks". Only flaw is the occasional emphasis on comedy scenes with Alan Hale (as Cagney's father) that tend to drag. George Tobias has a good supporting role, as does George Reeves ("Superman") who appears at the beginning and end of the story as Cagney's belligerent neighbor. Cagney is his usual blustery self but shows a nice flair for comedy. Entertaining and a great film to watch on a rainy afternoon.

Trivia note: Compare this with the musical remake Raoul Walsh directed in '48 called ONE Sunday AFTERNOON with Dennis Morgan, Dorothy Malone and Janis Paige in the three central roles. Painfully bad and painfully dull with terrible songs and lackluster work by Morgan as Biff Grimes.

What an enjoyable movie with the three stars making it so! James Cagney as Biff Grimes, the local dentist, is a joy and shows how well suited he was to this type of serio-comedy, and what a pity he did not get the opportunity to play this type more in his early days at Warners. I think Olivia de Havilland is the real surprise as Biff's wife and she also showed a wonderful gift for comedy mixed with minor drama - her very special "wink" added so much - she was just great! As the Strawberry Blonde, Rita Hayworth in one of her earliest roles was excellent, and was well supported by Jack Carson, while "Superman" George Reeves had a cameo role early & late in the movie. If you see this, make sure you watch the very end for the sing-a-long, it certainly leaves you with a very good feeling. Alan Hale as Biff's father was a bit over the top, and his scenes dragged a little, but that is irrelevant in the total package.

Music, Music music.....costumes...what a delightful old movie... Go back in time to an easier period. When you could take your best girl out on the town for $2.50. This movie just makes you long for the old, old days..when life was so much easier. Very little serious matter in the movie. Lot's of lessons to learn to. The beautiful package, the elusive girl, the importance of life. By todays standards this would be an extremely low budget film, yet it captures you and you leave the movie feeling better for watching it. Great cast with James Cagney, Olivia DeHavilland, Rita Haywood, Jack Carter who bring the movie to life. Not a great movie, but one worth seeing just to look back in time and enjoy.

Biff Grimes (James Cagney) struts around like a pugnacious, vainglorious banty rooster in this piece of wartime escapism that harkens back to Victorian America. He has his eye on Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth), but so does his buddy Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson). One of them weds Virginia and the other "settles" for her girlfriend Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland).

The story follows the two couples through good times and bad in an absolutely charming recreation of turn-of-the-century society. The music includes all of the classics of that earlier time, including the enchanting "When You Were Sweet Sixteen." Costumes by Orry-Kelly help revive the formality and stiffness of Victorian manners, but also accent the beauty of Hayworth and de Havilland. If only they had been shot in color!

Miss de Havilland is a revelation as an unconventional young woman who challenges the headstrong Biff. Her role might not have been extremely challenging, but she rises above the script and creates a persona that viewers could fall in love with.

This is not a spoiler, but the end of the film includes an audience sing-along that would have allowed viewers to fully indulge in memories of better times. One can easily imagine their voices rising as one in the darkened theaters of 1941.