Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

Hey, this is my 100th blog post on blogger.com! What better way to celebrate it than with a James Cagney film?

This first-rate 1950 crime film noir stars James Cagney, Ward Bond, Luther Adler, Barbara Payton, and Helena Carter. William Frawley (later the curmudgeon Fred Mertz on the popular I Love Lucy TV sitcom) plays a windbag prison guard during Cagney's violent prison breakout. The film is based on the novel by Hoarce McCoy of the same title now considered a noir/hardboiled classic. For my money, the super-star Cagney is the film's biggest appeal. He plays the cocky, amoral con Ralph Cotter who is always looking to run a new grift even on rhw crooked police inspectors like the gravel-voiced Ward Bond. Of course, Cagney also manages to get in a sticky romantic place between Barbara Payton and Helena Carter. All of the crime tale is told through court testimony during the trial of the bad guys and gals after their arrest. Interestingly Cagney and his brother William also appearing in the movie produced the film. The viewers at IMDb.com give Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye a solid 7.0/10.0 rating, but I'd go as high as a 8.0, no sweat. It's a cliche to say, but they just don't make them like this anymore.