The Roaring Twenties (1939)

In the wake of the First World War, three men - Eddie Bartlett, a disillusioned G.I., George Hally, a former saloon keeper, and Lloyd Hart, a law school graduate, find their lives intersecting in the most unexpected ways. Back in the United States, the nation's euphoria of victory is short-lived for Bartlett who struggles to find employment. His salvation comes in the form of his loyal friend Danny Green who offers him a chance to earn a living as a cab driver. In this tumultuous period, Bartlett's path crosses with Jean Sherman, a young woman who had been his pen pal during the war. Despite her youthful age, Bartlett finds himself drawn to her, a sentiment that is complicated when he enters the world of bootlegging. With the advent of the Volstead Act in 1920, the prohibition era ushers in a time of rampant smuggling and speakeasies. Bartlett, through his friendship with speakeasy owner Panama Smith, finds himself embroiled in this world, and his fortunes begin to turn. As Bartlett amasses a fleet of cabs distributing illicit liquor, he brings in Hally as his partner and Hart as his lawyer. Amidst the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties, a time when bootlegging morphed from a solitary enterprise into a violent, corrupt industry, the three men's lives are further entwined. However, love and rivalry loom large, threatening their profitable empire when Hart and Sherman begin a clandestine romance. The prosperity doesn't last. The crash of Black Tuesday in 1929 sees Bartlett lose everything he has worked for. With the end of prohibition, he is forced back into his past life as a cab driver. A chance encounter with Sherman on Christmas Eve sets the stage for a heartrending climax, bringing Bartlett's journey full circle, leading him to a tragic destiny. This is a tale of ambition, love, and disillusionment set against the backdrop of one of America's most tumultuous periods.

The Roaring Twenties is a crime movie featuring James Cagney.

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