Come Fill the Cup

US (1951): Drama

In one of his most brilliant film performances, James Cagney plays an alcoholic reporter who loses his girlfriend and his job to the bottle. After going on a bender, he is found collapsed in a street gutter and is put in a drunk tank, where he is forced to go through a painful withdrawal. He joins an AA-like group and moves in with a friend played by James Gleason. Recovered, he again retains his job, advancing to editorial duties. His boss, Raymond Massey, asks him to wet-nurse his nephew played by Gig Young (who, in real life, died of alcohol addiction). By mistake, Young causes the death of Gleason because of former Mob connections.

Not of the caliber of The Lost Weekend (1945), but Cagney's portrayal of drunkenness is unparalleled. (Cagney was never a tippler but his dad was an alcoholic.) In one sequence Gleason places an unopened bottle of liquor in his cabinet to remind Cagney that just one drink will return him to the dregs again. His portrayal of wanting something he can't have leaves your mouth watering. Cagney based much of his performance on a close friend at the Los Angeles Examiner, Jimmy Richardson. Gordon Douglas directs for Warner Bros. Cast also includes Phyllis Thaxter, Selena Royle, Larry Keating and Sheldon Leonard. (amctv.com)

· Supporting Actor 1951: Gig Young

1 nomination