G-Men (First National, 1935). Fine+. Locally-Produced Trolley Card (21″ X 27″).
In G-Men, James Cagney deliberately moves away from the gangster roles that made him famous, playing a determined government agent who fights organized crime from the other side of the law. The film was a conscious effort to counter earlier crime dramas like The Public Enemy, which had glamorized outlaws, by portraying law enforcement as heroic and just. The film was also the debut of journeyman actor Lloyd Nolan. This striking trolley card, produced locally in San Francisco for the Loews Warfield, has never been offered by Heritage Auctions before. The bottom corners have been clipped and there is some overall toning, which does little to detract from the wonderful likeness of Cagney pointing a gun at the viewer.
SMB Noir 