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Cast

James Cagney
as Bert Harris

Joan Blondell
as Anne Roberts

Louis Calhern
as Dapper Dan Barker

Noel Francis
as Helen Wilson

Guy Kibbee
as A. Rupert Johnson Jr.

Ray Milland
as Joe Reynolds

Polly Walters
as Peggy

Charles Lane
as Four-Eyes, the Desk Clerk

William Burress
as Col. Bellock

Peter Erkelenz
as Dutch

Maude Eburne
as Mrs. Snyder

Walter Percival
as Lee

Nat Pendleton
as Hank

Russell Hopton
as Jerry

Dick Cramer
as Cabbie

Wade Boteler
as Detective

Ray Cooke
as Bellhop

Edward Morgan
as Bellhop

Phillip G. Sleeman
as Con Artist

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Critic Reviews for Blonde Crazy

Audience Reviews for Blonde Crazy

• May 01, 2016

  What's not to like about this movie? You have James Cagney as a smooth hotel bellhop, chasing women and intent on making it big. You have beautiful Joan Blondell standing up for herself, refusing to give in to his advances or to a hotel patron's, and not afraid to dish out a good slap across the face. You also have her taking a bath, for crying out loud! As well wear a very pretty wedding gown, although her marriage may not be to who you think. The film has the two of them improbably teaming up to dupe people out of their money, and the ways in which do this are sometimes quite clever. The little fish get swallowed up by bigger fish at one turn, and there are feints and double crosses along the way, prompting Cagney to famously say 'that dirty double-crossin' rat!' I'm not sure why there is criticism about the ending, but won't spoil it except to say it's perfectly balanced. Despite all the larceny, the movie is playful and it's a joy to watch the banter and chemistry between Cagney and Blondell. He playfully struts across the floor, calls her 'honn-ee', and is gentle with her after he's grabbed her and she tells him he's hurting her (which is nice particularly given the time!). I have no idea why the movie was called 'Blonde Crazy', except to say it may make you Blondell Crazy. :) And what a fantastic year 1931 was for James Cagney! 'The Public Enemy' appeared in the same year. This one would be a great introduction to films of this period - it's entertaining, and had all of the right touches.
  Antonius B Super Reviewer
• Apr 17, 2010

  Routine Warners film is improved immeasurably by the great team of Cagney & Blondell.
  jay n Super Reviewer
• Sep 29, 2009

  the cutest couple this side of the 'thin man' series, cagney and blondell made six films together in the 30s. this one followed on the heels of cagney's breakout role in 'public enemy'. it's more of a comedic role for cagney and it's interesting to watch his developing screen persona, still a bit awkward in early scenes. cagney and blondell play grifters and partners in crime mostly running the 'badger game' against wealthy businessmen. blondell ultimately wants to settle down but finds cagney too irresponsible, instead falling for a wall street trader who turns out less respectable than expected (not much has changed). lots of naughty fun like only precode hollywood could turn out
  Stella D Super Reviewer
• Jun 12, 2008

  "blonde crazy" is jimmy cagney's pre-code comedy, and also in my opinion, his first and only successful attempt of being cinematic romanticist before william wellman's "public enemy" catapults him into the smashing icon of misogynistic gangster who smashes grapefruit to a dame's face . it features joan bondell in her supremacy of beauty and youthful brightness before she descends into the typecasting of wisecracking sassy moll/doll in the warner's 30s gangster genre , especially in the bathtub scene. generally it's a quaint pre-code romantic comedy on the backset of rocketeering gangsterism without too much of profanity. cagney is a hotel waiter who's enamour of a newly arrived blonde (played by bondell) who is reluctant to appreciate his aggressive courtship. so cagney hooks bondell to be his bussiness partner of larceny to con rich fellow who's blinded by lust. then bondell gets smitten with a suave bourgeois gentleman(played by the young, fresh-faced ray milland) to leave cagney heart-broken. so in the end, how cagney's gonna to court back the dame he truly loves with his un-requited chivalry? it also reflects the anarchistic mindset of the proteriats in the great depression that rascal could be a romanticist of genuine nobility while the gent of idle rich could be rotten inside. the ending is a surprisingly sweet romantic twist which is expressed effectively in the last 10 mins. (which won't be revelt here) director roy del ruth also makes another flick with cagney and mae clarke in "ladykiller" which steals some "grapefruit chauvinism" from "public enemy"...perhaps cagney's comic and romantic potentiality has been dwarfed by the charismatic brute image he renders so well in "public enemy" but it shows so well in "blonde crazy" with joan bondell here even he lacks every essential attribute as romantic lead, such as looks, grace and the affinity with female audience. instead, he could manage his cagney-kind of romanticism like bogart did in the 40s with lauren bacall.
  Veronique K Super Reviewer

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