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Johnny Come Lately

Play trailer Poster for Johnny Come Lately Released Sep 3, 1943 1h 37m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
43% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 54% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Oscar-winning small-town drama about an ex-reporter turned drifter who arrives in a town where corruption is rife. Jailed for vagrancy, on release, he meets up with Vinnie McLeod, editor of the local paper and one of the few honest citizens in town. Together, they set about exposing the corruption, thanks to the revelations of dowager Majorie Main, a woman with a murky past but an honest heart.

Critics Reviews

View All (7) Critics Reviews
TIME Magazine These pleasures would have been all but impossible to manufacture in any of the large studios, for they are given their warmth and life by the pleasure that the Cagneys' large cast and the whole production outfit [took in the film]. Jun 8, 2016 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Whatever elements of suspense, action and motivation the Louis Bromfield book, McLeod's Folly, may have held to attract the Cagney production staff, the screen treatment which has emerged is, for the most part, familiar melodrama. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times Following Yankee Doodle Dandy, it hurts to see Mr. Cagney wasting his excellent talent on such a curiously second-rate film. Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Edgar Anstey The Spectator The acting, direction, dialogue and photography for the most part are unpolished. Jun 8, 2016 Full Review Adrian Turner Radio Times A strong performance from James Cagney and a fine supporting cast lift this otherwise unexceptional newspaper picture. Rated: 3/5 Jun 8, 2016 Full Review TV Guide It's pleasant enough, and the period sets and costumes are quite authentic, but it never catches fire. Rated: 2/5 Jun 8, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (6) audience reviews
william k Entertaining, if not too exciting drama with a mild political stance is worth the watch mainly for Cagney's lively performance. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member cagney gets loaned out to republic pictures for this com-dram Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Slow but good film. On Blu-ray. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member As always, James Cagney delivers a terrific performance, it's a good story, decent direction but it's rather ordinary. The supporting cast is good. Not as memorable as most of Cagney's films. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member A crusading journalist confronts and ultimatley defeats corruption in small-town America with the help of an elderly lady benefactor - a story you've seen countless times before, and usually it'll have been better. Not one of James Cagney's best movies - although it does feature some of the (unintentionally) funniest fist-fights committed to film. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member As always, James Cagney delivers a terrific performance, it's a good story, decent direction but it's rather ordinary. The supporting cast is good. Not as memorable as most of Cagney's films. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Johnny Come Lately

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Johnny Come Lately

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Movie Info

Synopsis Oscar-winning small-town drama about an ex-reporter turned drifter who arrives in a town where corruption is rife. Jailed for vagrancy, on release, he meets up with Vinnie McLeod, editor of the local paper and one of the few honest citizens in town. Together, they set about exposing the corruption, thanks to the revelations of dowager Majorie Main, a woman with a murky past but an honest heart.
Director
William K. Howard
Distributor
United Artists
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 3, 1943, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 7, 2021
Runtime
1h 37m