July 17: Happy Birthday, James Cagney

You'd have to be a dirty rat to not be familiar with the iconic work of James Cagney, one of Hollywood's notorious and beloved tough guys. He displayed the clench-jawed delivery of his famous lines in such classic films as The Roaring Twenties, Little Caesar, Mister Roberts, and The Public Enemy.

The New York-born son of a bar tender, Cagney also toured in magnificent performances on some of our most beloved radio programs, including Lux Radio Theater, Screen Guild Theatre, and The Gulf Screen Guild Theatre. In this capacity, he starred in several dramas, including some in which he'd already starred in on the silver screen, such as Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Strawberry Blonde, and Angels With Dirty Faces.