Johnny Eager (1942)
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73% of users liked it
(483 ratings)
Robert Taylor toughened up his image considerably with this gangster movie, which was unusual both in its plot and origins, having come from MGM, which was generally not known for its crime movies. Taylor plays a parolee who is pretending to follow the straight-and-narrow as a hardworking cabbie,… More Robert Taylor toughened up his image considerably with this gangster movie, which was unusual both in its plot and origins, having come from MGM, which was generally not known for its crime movies. Taylor plays a parolee who is pretending to follow the straight-and-narrow as a hardworking cabbie, but is really the mastermind behind a dog-racing track being built with mob money. Eager works every angle, has a gang that's generally in line, and also has a loyal right-hand man in Jeff Hartnett (Van Heflin, who won an Oscar), his educated assistant, who drinks too much and waxes poetic when he isn't looking after Johnny's interests (and sometimes when he is, too). Eager has only one problem, special prosecutor John Benson Farrell (Edward Arnold) -- who was also the attorney instrumental in sending Eager up -- who has gotten an injunction against the track's opening. But the hood sees an opening when he accidentally crosses paths with a young sociology student, Lisbeth Bard (Lana Turner), who is drawn to him romantically, and then finds out that she's Farrell's step-daughter. After romancing her for a few months, he sets her up in a scam, making her believe that she killed one of Eager's men (Paul Stewart). He "generously" gets her away from the scene and then informs Farrell of what has happened, pointing out that he holds the evidence against Lisbeth. Farrell has no choice but to withdraw the injunction, and the track opens, but problems ensue when rival mobsters decide to try and cut in on Eager and his racket, and he finds out that Lisbeth is so guilt-ridden over her "crime," that she's destroying herself mentally. Eager can't figure out why she feels the way she does or what to do about it, or even if he should do anything to help her, but with Jeff's help, he discovers a nobler side to his nature. Realizing that she really does love him, and knowing it's not possible for the two of them to be together, he goes out in a blaze of glory -- laced with a special irony built into the plot -- solving Lisbeth's problem and also curing her of her love for him, and settling a score or two in the process. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Directed By
- Mervyn LeRoy
- Written By
- James Edward Grant, John Lee Mahin
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Feb 18, 1942 Wide
- Studio
- MGM
Critic Reviews
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Emanuel Levy, Variety
Mervyn LeRoy's picture is more a melodrama than a crime-gangster due to star Robert Taylor and the studio behind it (MGM), but it's worth seeing for Van Heflin's Oscar performance as the cynical alcoholic given to philosophical observations.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Nothing can save this syrupy crime melodrama from its eagerness to please as a romantic sudser.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Robert Taylor
as Johnny Eager
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Lana Turner
as Lisbeth Bard
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Edward Arnold
as John Benson Farrell
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Van Heflin
as Jeff Hartnett
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Robert Sterling
as Jimmy Courtney
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Patricia Dane
as Garnet
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Glenda Farrell
as Mae Blythe
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Henry O'Neill
as Mr. Verne
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Diana Lewis
as Judy Sanford
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Barry Nelson
as Lew Rankin
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Charles Dingle
as A. Frazier Marco
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Paul Stewart
as Julio
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Don Costello
as Billiken
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Lou Lubin
as Benjy
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Connie Gilchrist
as Peg Fowler
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Robin Raymond
as Matilda Fowler
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Leona Maricle
as Miss Mines
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Byron Shores
as Policeman
- Hooper Atchley
- Arthur Belasco
- Gladys Blake
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Joyce Bryant
as Woman
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Jack Carr
as Cupid
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John Dilson
as Pawnbroker
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Mike Pat Donovan
as Switchman
- Edward Earle
- Harrison Greene
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Cy Kendall
as Bill Halligan
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Art Miles
as Lt. Allen
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James C. Morton
as Card Player
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Nestor Paiva
as Tony
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Emory Parnell
as Traffic Cop
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Alex Pollard
as Butler
- Alonzo Price
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Janet Shaw
as Girls in Verne's Office
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Elliott Sullivan
as Ed
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Beryl Wallace
as Mabel
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Anthony Warde
as Guard
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Pat West
as Hanger-on
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Joe Whitehead
as Ruffing
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Stanley Price
as Man
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Georgia Cooper
as Wife
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Cliff Danielson
as Floyd Markham
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Alice Keating
as Maid
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Richard Kipling
as Husband
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Douglass Newland
as Cop
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Charles Thomas
as Bus Conductor
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Gohr VanVleck
as Frenchman
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Joe Downing
as Ryan
