Strawberry Blonde, The (Warner 1941, James Cagney, Rita Hayworth)

An ex-con dentist at the turn of the century gets a chance for revenge in spirited romantic comedy The Strawberry Blonde. James Cagney and Jack Carson are streetwise pals with an eye on the local beauty queen, Rita Hayworth.

Cagney’s disappointed when he gets stuck with Hayworth’s mousy friend de Havilland, but when Hayworth runs off and marries Carson, Cagney marries de Havilland.

Years later, Hayworth insists that crooked contractor Carson hire Cagney and his father, and Cagney becomes the fall guy when one of Carson’s buildings collapses. After taking a correspondence course in dentistry, Cagney and de Havilland struggle along until the fateful call about Carson’s aching tooth. Revenge crosses Cagney’s mind, but he decides he’s been the luckier of the two.

Filmed as One Sunday Afternoon in 1933 with Gary Cooper, and again by Walsh in 1948, this time as a musical, with Dennis Morgan. Academy Award Nomination for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Rita Hayworth starred in The Strawberry Blonde while on loan to Warner Bros. from her regular studio, Columbia. Warners acquired Hayworth for the film when their star Ann Sheridan began battling with the studio for better parts.

production details
USA | Warner Bros. | 97 minutes | 1941

Director: Raoul Walsh
Script: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, James Hagan,

cast
Herbert Anderson as Girl-Chaser in Park (uncredited)
Alan Hale as Old Man Grimes
Susan Peters as Girl (uncredited)
James Cagney as T. L. “Biff” Grimes
Olivia de Havilland as Amy Lind
Rita Hayworth as Virginia Brush
Jack Carson as Hugo Barnstead
George Tobias as Nicholas Pappalas
Una O’Connor as Mrs. Mulcahey
George Reeves as Harold
Lucile Fairbanks as Harold’s Girl Friend
Frank Mayo as Policeman (uncredited)