The Public Enemy
| The Public Enemy | |
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theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | William A. Wellman |
| Produced by | Darryl F. Zanuck |
| Written by |
Kubec Glasmon John Bright |
| Screenplay by | Harvey F. Thew |
| Based on |
Beer and Blood by John Bright and Kubec Glasmon |
| Starring |
James Cagney Jean Harlow Edward Woods Joan Blondell |
| Cinematography | Devereaux Jennings |
| Edited by | Ed McCormick |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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83 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $151,000 |
The Public Enemy, released as Enemies of the Public in the United Kingdom, is a 1931 American all-talking pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods, Donald Cook, and Joan Blondell. The film relates the story of a young man's rise in the criminal underworld in prohibition-era urban America. The supporting players include Beryl Mercer, Murray Kinnell, and Mae Clarke. The screenplay is based on a never-published novel by two former street thugs — Beer and Blood by John Bright and Kubec Glasmon — who had witnessed some of Al Capone's murderous gang rivalries in Chicago.
As youngsters in 1900's Chicago, Tom Powers (James Cagney) and his lifelong friend Matt Doyle (Edward Woods) engage in petty theft, selling their loot to "Putty Nose" (Murray Kinnell). Putty Nose persuades them to join his gang on a fur warehouse robbery, assuring them he will take care of them if anything goes wrong. When Tom is startled by a stuffed bear, he shoots it, alerting the police, who kill gang member Larry Dalton. Chased by a cop, Tom and Matt have to gun him down. However, when they go to Putty Nose for help, they find he has left town.
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