Kenneth Turan’s DVD picks: James Cagney forever

As a major fan of the splendid James Cagney, I am happy to report new DVD and Blu-ray releases of a variety of his films.

On DVD from the Warner Archive Collection are two sports-related films from Cagney’s early days. He plays a race car driver in “The Crowd Roars” and a (what else but) tough boxer in “Winner Take All.”

For those who want classic period Cagney, Warner has put his memorable performance as George M. Cohan in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” out on Blu-ray. To see Cagney tap-dancing down the White House stairs in the film’s conclusion is the purest of pleasures.

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