The Time of Your Life (1948)
1h 49m | PG-13
Joe spends a lot of his time at Nick's Pacific Street Saloon. Tom, who credits Joe with once saving his life, stops by regularly to run errands for Joe. Today, Tom notices a woman named Kitty when she comes into Nick's, and he quickly falls in love with her. Meanwhile, a distraught young man repeatedly calls his girlfriend, begging her to marry him. Nick himself muses on all the various persons who come into his bar, some to ask for work and others just to pass the time.
Director: H. C. Potter
Studio: United Artists
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Video: 720p
Cast
James Cagney
as Joseph
William Bendix
as Nick
Wayne Morris
as Tom
Jeanne Cagney
as Kitty Duval
Broderick Crawford
as Krupp
Ward Bond
as McCarthy
Reviews
I reckon that for all but maybe the last five minutes of this, James Cagney spends his time - and his money - sitting at a table in William Bendix' "Nick's" bar watching the customers come and go; each with a tale to tell. It is a very gently paced film; Cagney is almost guru-esque as he dispatches his devoted, if a bit simple, pal "Tom" (Wayne Morris) on various seemingly pointless errands as he listens to a variety of short stories from an aspiring tap-tancer (Paul Draper); a cowboy who has maybe had a touch too much desert sun (James Barton) and the shameless gossip (Ward Bond). It does build, slowly, to a climax of sorts - but that doesn't really matter; it is largely devoid of action - it's an observation of routine daily life with just enough spice to keep it interesting; and an appearance from Cagney's own sister, Jeanne, at the end as the love interest for the doting "Tom".