In The Fighting 69th (1940), James Cagney played Jerry Plunkett, a brash New York recruit who joins the famous Irish-American regiment in the First World War. Directed by William Keighley, the film follows Jerry from a reluctant, self-interested soldier to a man who learns discipline, loyalty and courage under fire.
Cagney’s Jerry is at first a familiar type — the wise-cracking city boy who thinks he can talk his way out of anything — but the war changes him, and Cagney played that change with warmth as well as toughness. The film’s blend of humour, sentiment and battle scenes made it a popular success.
The Fighting 69th is a reminder that Cagney’s range extended beyond gangsters and musicals: he could also carry a patriotic war drama, and make a character’s growth feel earned.