Cagney by Cagney: An Autobiography

by James Cagney

This book is for the true fan of James Cagney. Mr. Cagney tells his story as no one can.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film, Autobiography, Memoir, Media Tie In, History

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

James Francis Cagney Jr. was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan 11, 23am ~~ Review asap.

Jan 13, 715pm ~~ I knew I should have done this review the day I finished the book, because now the January sumo tournament has started and my brain is too full of that excitement to concentrate on Cagney.

So I'm just going to take a breath and type for a while and let whatever comes out be the review.

Love Cagney. He wrote a great book that shared his true self. To the public he was a movie star, but to himself he was a song and dance man. And a painter. A farmer. A sailor. A man full of curiosity for life and also full of wonder. He noticed things like a sunset, or the wind in the trees, the prettiness of a herd of cows in a green field. He raised horses, built his own stone house, lived simply and was married to the same woman for 64 years.

Oh, and when he was fifteen he worked in a library. I thought that was cool. I thought he was cool. I'm very glad to have had the chance to get to know him a little better.

Okay, that's it. Time for sumo!

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Screen legend James Cagney tells a fascinating bit about his life before, during, and after his wonderful film career, though he (like many film stars in their autobiographies) doesn't think people will be interested much in the details of picture making (he's wrong about that). I could have read this book with joy if it had had three times the material. But Cagney thought of himself purely as a song-and-dance man, and didn't make much of his career. So he tells a few interesting tales, pontificates a little about the (non-) art of acting and a little more about politics, and lets it go at that. He seems to have been a genuinely nice man who never thought the magic he brought to the screen was anything but a job--like ditch-digging or house-painting, though maybe a little better paying. I wish there'd been more to this book, but what's there is excellent.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect kind of memoir, and exactly the type you would expect from Cagney. He enjoys telling stories of the people and friends who impacted him most in his life -- some famous, but many just the regular neighborhood people he grew up with. His young life was filled with fighting in his rough neighborhood (many of his childhood acquaintances ended up in prison, and became the inspiration for a couple of his later characters), while his later years were spent in peace on his horse farm. Despite his celebrity status, he clearly values his quiet and privacy, enjoying time at home with his family and close friends rather than going out to live the “Hollywood life.”

The highlight for me was Cagney spending a great deal of the book taking us movie-by-movie through his career, giving an interesting insight into the the highly-efficient Warners studio system that so often treated actors like cattle -- at least before SAG, which Cagney helped to foster. Even more amusing is Cagney’s insight into his co-stars, complete with many clever little poems that Cagney wrote throughout his life, some of which are meant as barbs. We get insight into everything from Cagney’s view of the ending to Angels with Dirty Faces (he does not take a side) to his reaction to those who imitate him. He is highly critical of method actors and passionate about ecology and the preservation of the natural landscape. Even if he had some help writing this (John McCabe, primarily), it’s very clearly Cagney’s voice and his own way of telling this story through a succession of roughly chronological anecdotes. Great fun to read!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cagney uses the expression: "that little bit of gutter in us" to describe his lifelong connection to his neighborhood friends from Yorkville. His voice comes through clearly and his humor and charm ooze right off the page. Enjoy a taste for vaudeville, sports and entertainment figures of Cagney's day. Recite passages from his witty poems and thoroughly enjoyable recounting of his life.

Can you picture horse drawn carriages on First Avenue? Maybe that would be a good idea! Today, south of Yorkville is some of the most desirable real estate in New York. This summer I went back to find dad's address, OurLady of Good Council (school and church) and visited the neighborhood where he grew up. Dad's building is gone, thankfully most of the facades and stoops on his block remain. It's situated on the north side of 91st Street, facing opposite to the way I'd remembered it. Buildings on Second Avenue, especially a German restaurant, stirred hauntingly early childhood memories and I was surprised at the beauty of the church and especially Carl Schutz Park.

In honor of visiting Yorkville I picked up this little jewel and I'm so glad I did!

[Jazzy Lemon · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching Public Enemy (1931) again, well I had to read this again, didn't I?

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

there are many biographies on James Cagney. This book, "Cagney by Cagney" is an autobiography written by James Cagney himself. I have always preferred autobiographies. this is a good one. Mr. Cagney is up front about himself. Takes the readers from his birth in 1899 up to the mid 1970s. he grew up poor in a large family. He learned how to protect himself fighting on the streets of NYC. A short stint in the services and soon after a movie career. I liked how he talked about learning how to dance as a teen and young adult. though out all the movies James Cagney filmed over the years he repeats that he has always considered himself a "song and dance man" considering he did a lot of "tough guy type roles" it may surprise people that is personal favorite movie he made was "Yankee Doodle Dandy" {my favorite as well} James Cagney writes fondly of his wife of over 60 years "Bill". and some of his actor friends such as Pat O'Brien. Mr.Cagney writes an honest memoir of his life. He does not try and sugar coat himself.Liked that he spent some time writing about some of the movies he has been in.If you are a fan of James Cagney, you may enjoy reading his memoir.UPDATE: I just read this book again. good read. four James Cagney fans.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book by Cagney himself. It was written as if he was having a conversation with the reader. I liked learning about his rough and tumble childhood growing up on the East Side of NYC. He did lots of street fighting. He considers himself a song and dance man rather than an actor. Song and dance was his first love. Acting was just a job to put money on the table. I was also interested to read that he was an environmentalist. He drove across the country and was amazed at the beauty everywhere, but "it also made me even more apprehensive about the encroachments on the beauty of the land, encroachments that don't in any way seem to be diminishing."

[☮ morgan ☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I remember years ago telling my children, Jim and Casey, how completely necessary it is never to lose one's sense of wonder, never to take things for granted, never to assume anything is commonplace. The alternative is disinterest, boredom."

This was interesting, I liked hearing about the early film industry. I didn't necessarily like Cagney's sentiments about therapy and the youth, but what are you gonna do?

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this was written unassisted by Cagney himself it has a conversant style so you can hear the actor's voice throughout as if he were telling you a story. That helps pull the reader in, along with the fact that he didn't suffer from any complexes just seeing himself as a journeyman actor and not a star. An easy, enjoyable read.

[Tirzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read about James Cagney's life and his perspective on not only his films but also a variety of subjects. He had a wide array of interests and apparently an energy that equaled the characters he portrayed. I took my time reading it, because I did not want it to end. In a way, it was like reading a personal account of 20th century American history. The first few chapters centering on his life in early 1900s New York were especially interesting; I wish he would have written a separate book focused solely on stories from his childhood and adolescent years. Cagney was 4 years older than my great-grandma, whom I had the pleasure of knowing when I was a young child, but being a child, I didn't ask her about her life or any other fascinating history she could have offered. Thus, by reading about Cagney's childhood, it was neat to envision how times probably were during my great-grandma's childhood.

Cagney talks about his film experiences, going through them chronologically, save a few he chose to not mention for whatever reason, and spends about a paragraph or so on them. But as he says early on, his story is more about the remarkable people he met in life and he talks quite a bit about his family and friends. In the last few chapters, when he is retired from acting, he discusses subjects important to him, such as conservation and art. The book comes with a generous amount of photos, including an adorable baby Cagney and one of his oil paintings.

I recommend to fans of Cagney and classic movies. The only two things I didn't like were 1. the amount of cursing (I had read one reviewer's lament on this, so I was prepared for it, but it still bothered me) and 2. Cagney's disappointment in the City for Conquest's final cut. That is one of my top five favorites of his films*; I can only imagine how much better it would have been if they'd kept the poetic dialogue he liked so well. Overall, an entertaining and informative book written by one who seemed to be an all-around pleasant fella.

*This is irrelevant to the review, but for fellow Cagney fans who are interested, I enjoy his song and dance/good guy roles better than his gangster roles, though his acting was great in any genre. This is probably because my first Cagney film was Midsummer's Night Dream shortly followed by Strawberry Blonde and Time of Your Life. A year later, it was Yankee Doodle Dandy, the film responsible for getting me hooked on Cagney. Therefore, one could imagine my horror upon watching Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye. I kid you not - I was so disturbed seeing psycopath Cagney, I avoided his other gangsters roles as long as I could. I still cannot bring myself to watch White Heat. Maybe some day...

**Update: I finally watched White Heat. Not my favorite; still like him the best as a song and dance man. :)

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but it is definitely not for everyone. For me, it was like sitting with my Pop and listening to him tell stories. He had some similar experiences growing up as my Dad and a noticable contempt for method actors, with which I agree. It is not your typical autobiography, no "I was born here and did all these fabulous things." More like "I was dirt poor and needed a job so I acted for 50 years so I could buy the farm I always wanted and retire to live happily ever after. Oh, and I met some really nice people, some were famous, but that really wasn't relevant to our friendship." It is a short book, but it did take me a while to get through. Also, occationally I didn't get the joke. I need to re-read it sometime so I can try to figure out his humor.

[Robert J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

More than just an autobiography!

An insightful book by a truly remarkable man. Philosopher, farmer, poet, a great lover of life. we can all learn a thing or two from this screen legend. Especially about life and not getting caught up in all the BS ....and ourselves.

[Mary Tuley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm fond of him, but he's lacking for ego, is he?

[Edward Fenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, candid reflection on his life. I learned a few things about Cagney and earned some new respect.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting stories in this book. Cagney grew up in a rough neighborhood where pimps roamed, fights were common, and poverty. He doesn’t hold toughness as a positive nor does he knock those who grew up in better places. He respects a lot of actors, some you wouldn’t think.
The movies that are regarded as Hollywood classics, he didn’t think much of. He thought Roaring Twenties was trope filled. White Heat was silly. He naturally enjoyed making Yankee Doodle Dandy.
He looked at acting as a job. He doesn’t get method actors or artistes. He enjoys painting and music. He loves his farm. Because of the farm, he became big in environmental issues. He describes himself as late age conservative, but not a freedom taking conservative.
There have been biographies about Cagney since his death and it’s difficult to paint him as one way. He wasn’t one way to do background. He changed with each new thing he did.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant enough memoir of Cagney. The book is full of friendly reminiscences and not overly detailed. He relates a lot if anecdotes about his films and the people he knew while keeping a lot of things private. I also found it a bit odd how little the outside world was referenced. His father died in the 1918 pandemic, but the Depression and both World Wars were barely mentioned.

[George Lowery · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard of this on the O'Rielly web sight from Steve Miller, glad that I heard about it, this was a great inlook at movie industry along with the hardships of the people who worked their in the early years. Cagney was candied and funny. Really enjoyed the book.

[John Siuntres · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can hear Cagney’s voice

Such a candid account of his life and career . So great to hear him critique films thought to be classics, but to him they were just jobs of the moment.

[Kathy Pero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an entertaining read! Cagney's voice comes through loud and clear - the reader can almost hear him speaking in the book. So fun to enter into the world of the song-and-dance man and read about Hollywood before the megastars took over.

[Frank Filippi]

Very informative and very entertaining. As a Cagney fan, I was on the verge of tears several times. I'm only half way through, and I'm taking my time reading the rest, as I want to savor every paragraph. The guy had tremendous class, and a great person in general. Loved it.

[Derek Solomon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tour of a great actor and environmentalist from the man himself!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

#59 of 120 books pledged to read during 2018

[Rozanna Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Autobiography that reads like you're having a conversation with him about the good ole days of Hollywood.

[Brad Harju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting autobiography from one of the most famous actors in the United States.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cagney is quite the storyteller. You can just imagine him sitting in a bar with the Irish Mafia like Pat O'Brien, Frank McHugh, Spencer Tracy and Lynne Overmann.

Really enjoyed this book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A candid, refreshing memoir by a true legend of the cinema, filled with stories from the golden age of Hollywood. Recommeded if you're into this sort of thing.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Wish I knew more of the people he wrote about. Interesting to find out he was very into conservation. Was a country boy at heart, even though he grew up in NYC, and was never attracted to the glitz of Hollywood. One anecdote that I enjoyed was about his buying his mother a little cottage and her eventually telling him she would be happier having an apartment in NYC with a big window so she get watch what's going on.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much as I love classic film star James Cagney (my very favourite Hollywood actor!), I found this ghost-written autobiography quite annoying. It doesn't have very much about his films and is supposed to be written how he spoke, eg with "gal" for girl, etc - I think it was transcribed from tapes. Still a must for Cagney fans, though.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This introduced me to person I would have enjoyed knowing. Granted his career in film and dance are legendary and entertaining his background and ambitions were inspiring. And his view of Hollywood and life insightful.

[Memphisotk · Rating 5 out of 5]

An honest and open auto biography from someone who always considered himself, "a song and dance man". Must read if you enjoy the old movies from the 1930's and 40's.