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Frank's Movie Log

My life at the movies.

The Crowd Roars

1932 | United States | 85 min | More...
A still from The Crowd Roars (1932)
C-: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
on Wed Dec 22, 2021

James Cagney plays a hotshot race car driver whose ego can’t handle kid brother Eric Linden’s talent. Ann Dvorak plays Cagney’s long-suffering girlfriend. Joan Blondell plays Dvorak’s friend and Linden’s love-interest.

Director Howard Hawks proffers thrilling racing footage interspersed with underwritten melodrama. You won’t believe how rough and dusty racing was in those days, or how much lipstick Linden wears in his first scene. Worth it for the spectacle of Cagney grabbing Linden by the lapels and unleashing a one-handed 1930s-tough-guy slap-fest.

Viewing History

    Watched on
    Wed Dec 22, 2021 via DVD (Warner Archive Collection, 2012)
    Watched on
    Wed Mar 28, 2018 via TCM