Review of Jimmy the Gent

It amazes me that most movies are now over two hours long, yet most in the 1930s and 40s were rarely longer that 90 minutes. Jimmy clocks in at one hour, 15 minutes yet it still manages to tell a story. One trick they used back then was to use newspaper headlines to show passage of time or subject matter. This movie opens to headlines of a lot of very rich dead people dying in various accidents. So I was expecting something nefarious but no, it is about two businesses, both in the rather creepy business of locating lost heirs when someone rich dies intestate. Apparently Joan Martin (Bette Davis) had once worked for Jimmy (Cagney) but felt he was too slimy, so she went to work for Mr. Wallingham who is slimy in his own way. The way he keeps inserting foreign words into his convos to make himself appear more urbane is irritating. In the sacrifice of time to build on the storyline, we do not get that Jimmy is trying to woo Joan, and we really don't know she actually likes him, as she exhibits contempt in most of their scenes together. The main theme is that an old lady died and is worth about $200K. Jimmy has found a nephew who unfortunately is wanted for killing someone (I know, what a light-hearted comedy!) Cagney's annoying staccato delivery aside, he gets the guy off and then collects his 50% finder's fee. And, of course, gets the gal in the end.