Remembering James Cagney in ... White Heat 🎥 Is a 1949 American film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O'Brien, Margaret Wycherly and Steve Cochran. Written by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, White Heat is based on a story by Virginia Kellogg, and is considered to be one of the best gangster movies of all time. In 2003, it was added to the National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library

James Cagney came up with the idea to tap dance down the White House stairs only five minutes before the cameras rolled for a scene in the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy. He intentionally did not consult with director Michael Curtiz beforehand, believing the director would forbid the dangerous improvisation on the smooth marble surface, and nailed the take perfectly in one go. Credit: Warner Bros. | History In Pictures