City for Conquest

[Brant Gaede]

Over 30 years I turned on the television and was riveted by the end of a very old movie staring James Cagney. A concert director was giving his big triumphant debut and at the end he stood on stage and thanked his brother, a boxer blinded in the ring who had made it all possible. That brother was played by James Cagney, in what must have been his greatest role.

Shortly thereafter I told Nathaniel Branden about this in my therapy group and how this had upset me--that I never would have thanked my brother publicly--that I would have thanked him in a way that only he and I would understand.

I noticed that Nathaniel was looking down with and inwardly looking bemused look on his face. "What's the matter?", I asked. You looked as if you've heard this story many times before." "No, no," Nathaniel replied, I was only thinking about how much I enjoyed that movie as a boy. Charles Boyer and ...."

That movie was "City for Conquest." It will be shown on TCM, Monday, 9:45 ET. See this movie and wonder what has happened to the movies since.

--Brant