The Roaring Twenties (1939)

7.9Approved107 minDirector: Raoul Walsh

1939 crime film by Raoul Walsh

The Roaring Twenties is a 1939 American gangster film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, and Gladys George. The film, spanning the period from 1919 to 1933, was written by Jerry Wald, Richard Macaulay and Robert Rossen. The film follows three men and their experiences during major events in the 1920s, such as Prohibition era violence and the 1929 stock market crash.

The picture was based on "The World Moves On", a short story by Mark Hellinger, a columnist who had been hired by Jack L. Warner to write screenplays. The movie is hailed as a classic in the gangster movie genre, and considered an homage to the classic gangster movie of the early 1930s.

The Roaring Twenties was the third and last film that Cagney and Bogart made together. The other two were Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and The Oklahoma Kid (1939).

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is The Roaring Twenties about?
The Roaring Twenties (1939) — After the WWI Armistice Lloyd Hart goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes
Is The Roaring Twenties based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is The Roaring Twenties scary?
Content rating: Approved. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.