Ragtime served as a reunion between a once-common pairing of Hollywood actors who hadn’t worked together in 41 years. Easily one of the best actors of Hollywood’s Golden Age, James Cagney built a storied career out of his leading roles in great gangster movies. Having headlined movies like The Public Enemy and The Roaring Twenties, Cagney became an icon of the gangster film genre. Of course, Cagney had the versatility to excel in other genres, but gangster movies remained his calling card for decades.

That said, it was a drama – and not something along the lines of White Heat or Angels with Dirty Faces – that served as James Cagney’s Hollywood sendoff. Cagney’s final film appearance came in Ragtime, a period piece set in the early 1900s. But while it wasn’t a gangster movie, it was a fitting way to end his movie career, due in large part to the inclusion of Pat O’Brien.

After A 41-Year Break, James Cagney & Pat O’Brien Made Their Ninth Movie Together

Ragtime Was The Final Movie For James Cagney & Pat O’Brien

Directed by Miloš Forman, a 1981 film тιтled Ragtime saw James Cagney get top billing as historical figure Rhinelander Waldo. Also featured in the cast was Pat O’Brien, who, like Cagney, was another familiar face from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Having these two share the screen was a mᴀssive moment for both actors, considering that the two had a long history as co-stars. Long ago, Pat O’Brien was one of Warner Bros.’ top stars, and an actor who often received high billing in their films, either as the lead himself or one of the main characters. On several of these occasions, he was paired with James Cagney.

Their partnership kicked off in 1934 with the release of the romantic comedy Here Comes the Navy, with more pairings following immediately afterward. Most were comedic in nature, relying heavily on their “buddy” dynamic. And even though Cagney was best-known for his gangster films, it’s worth noting that his team-ups with O’Brien were typically outside the genre. Interestingly, the one exception to this was arguably the best movie the two stars made together. With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, Angels with Dirty Faces is undoubtedly one of the best gangster movies of the 1930s.

The pair never matched that, yet Ragtime was still a worthwhile reunion for the two stars. Roger Ebert gave the movie three and a half stars, and it was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Making it all the more meaningful was that Ragtime marked a retirement from acting for not only James Cagney, but also Pat O’Brien.

Why It Took 41 Years For James Cagney To Make Another Movie With Pat O’Brien

Both Being Contracted To Warner Bros. At The Same Time Is Why They Made So Many Movies Together

Two years after Angels with Dirty Faces elevated both of their profiles, James Cagney and Pat O’Brien’s onscreen partnership seemingly came to an end with the World War I action movie The Fighting 69th. Both continued to star in Hollywood movies, albeit independently of each other. As for why it took a movie like Ragtime to bring them back together again, the long wait for another collaboration can be attributed largely to how studio contracts worked during this time. Rather than choose their own films, most actors had contracts with certain studios, with both Cagney and O’Brien working under Warner Bros.

As two of Warner Bros.’ favorite stars during the late 1930s, it made sense for them to be cast in several of the same movies, especially since the duo seemed to go over well with audiences. This trend came to a halt in 1940, due to Pat O’Brien’s decision to leave Warner Bros. for 20th Century Fox, then Columbia Pictures, then Universal, and finally, RKO. Meanwhile, Cagney had an on-and-off relationship with Warner Bros that lasted until 1955.

Due to their respective situations, there weren’t really any opportunities for collaboration between them for several years. Decades after those obstacles were removed, Ragtime received the distinction of becoming Pat O’Brien and James Cagney’s ninth collaboration, as well as the final performances of their film careers.