Official Synopsis:
Black Legion -
A torrid tale of a white-supremacist group. Humphrey Bogart's first top billing!

Brother Orchid -
Gats and gigs: Edward G. Robinson lies low in a monastery when a mob turf war get hot. Bogart co-stars.

Lady Killer -
Ex-con James Cagney tries to keep his past hush-hush as he makes his way in the movie biz.

Picture Snatcher -
Fresh out of the pen. Cagney uses his criminal know-how as a sneaky tabloid photog.

Smart Money -
Barbers Robinson and Cagney take a little off the top of the gambling racket. Their only screen pairing!

The Mayor Of Hell -
Racketeer Cagney defies politicians to give reform-school kids chances he never had.

Our Take:
While Warner Gangsters Collection: Volume 3 could have almost been called The James Cagney Collection, this is still a fine collection of classic Hollywood crime capers. Four of the six movies include star Cagney, with two featuring Edward G. Robinson and two featuring Humphrey Bogart. This really is a set filled with the biggest names of the great gangster films of the pre-code era, even if they are slightly lesser known works.

The highlight of the set is Smart Money, which marks the only on screen pairing of the two most famous gangsters in cinema history, Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney.  Even though Robinson is clearly the lead role and Cagney is in a smaller supporting role, it’s still fun to see these two on screen together, even if in limited amounts. Brother Orchid is also notable for the pairing of Robinson with Bogey, even if it is an offbeat film that doesn’t live up to the quality of some of the other films.

Lady Killer is a lot of fun, in which we get to see Cagney as a gangster, then a movie star, and then back to a gangster again. There are a few fun in-jokes at Hollywood’s expense, and while it’s not a comedy per se, its lighter tone keeps the film very enjoyable even if it is a bit slapdash. Black Legion is sort of an infamous film in that it’s basically known for being a racist picture, although one with a message. Since it was made after the Hayes Code was passed, a lot of the racist references are toned down or covered up completely, but it’s interesting to see Bogart in this role that has him playing a much weaker character than we’re used to seeing from him. Finally, Picture Snatcher and The Mayor of Hell are two more Cagney vehicles; both are enjoyable if not the high point of his career. The Mayor of Hell is reminiscent of the far superior Angels With Dirty Faces, which also starred Cagney. Man, he was a busy beaver back in the 30’s!

As always, Warner has done a great job with this set in terms of extra features. Since there is clearly very little in the way of making-of material available for any of these films, Warner has instead recreated “A Night at the Movies” for each film. What that means is that with each movie, you can also choose to watch about a half-hour of preceding material, just like you would have seen in theaters in the 1930’s. These include vintage trailers, newsreels, short films, and cartoons from the year of each film’s release. All of the special features can also be accessed separately, and in addition, each movie features an informative commentary track by a different film historian. For these kinds of classic films, there aren’t many kinds of special features you can reliably expect, so these are always welcome.

Six movies. James Cagney. Edward G. Robinson. Humphrey Bogart. Does it get any better than this? Sure, these may not all be A-list blockbusters, but any fan of Cagney, Robinson, or Bogey would be seriously remiss in letting Warner Gangsters Collection: Volume 3 pass them by.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movies (Average): B+
DVD set: B+

- Mike Spring

Editor