In this installment of ‘Comparing Classic Cinema,’ we see a singer and dancer who together lit up the screen in two films.
James Cagney and Doris Day were a great team. Although the actors starred together in only two films, there was magic when they worked together, perhaps because they were good friends in real life. Day
said that working with Cagney was among the happiest times in her life.
They made cameo appearances in “Starlift” (1951), a star-studded wartime musical, but Cagney is onscreen for only about one minute. They were in several films together, but only starred together in two.
‘The West Point Story’
Cagney’s first film with Day was “The West Point Story,” (1950), a Warner Bros. musical. Day had been with Warner Bros. only two years, while Cagney had been at the studio for 20 years. This military musical provided plenty of opportunities for them to sing, dance, act, and display their fiery chemistry. They play friends rather than love interests; Cagney is her former manager, who ends up with Virginia Mayo, while Day falls in love with Gordon MacRae.
