‘Your sins to him are bread and butter’

April 22nd, 2009 at 07:43am Will Pfeifer

As part of his “Black and White World” series, columnist and blogger James Lileks looks back fondly on the Jimmy Cagner newspaper movie, PICTURE SNATCHER.

It’s a great bit of pre-Code Cagney, with our hero acting plenty sleazy in his pursuit of news photos. As a bonus, it has Ralph Bellamy as an editor who sips booze at his desk from a paper cup and Sterling Holloway (Winnie the Pooh himself) as a journalism student.

Not only do they not make movies like this anymore, they don’t make newspapers like this anymore, either.

If reading Lileks’ enthusiastic write-up makes you want to see PICTURE SNATCHER for yourself, don’t worry — it’s available on DVD.  (It’s also available in the third volume of the Warner Gangsters Collection, which I highly recommend.)

Entry Filed under: actors, Classic movies