Directed by: H. C. Potter
Starring: James Cagney, William Bendix, Wayne Morris, Jeanne Cagney, Broderick Crawford, Ward Bond, James Barton

STORY

Inside Nick’s Pacific Street Saloon in San Francisco, the doors are open to just about everyone — dreamers, drifters, dancers, philosophers, lonely souls and people simply trying to find their place in the world. At the center of it all is Joe, played by James Cagney, a wealthy and observant regular who seems far more interested in studying people and helping them than in explaining anything about himself.
Around Joe swirls an unforgettable collection of characters. His devoted friend Tom falls for Kitty Duval, a troubled young woman with a complicated past. Nick tends his bar while listening to the dreams and troubles of his customers. A lovesick young man desperately tries to reach his girlfriend. A dancer longs to make people laugh. And an eccentric old storyteller spins increasingly fantastic tales about his adventures. Their lives intersect inside Nick’s, turning an ordinary saloon into a little universe of humanity.
This is Cagney far removed from the hard-edged gangster image that made him a screen legend. His Joe is thoughtful, compassionate, amused and quietly watchful. Rather than racing toward a conventional plot, The Time of Your Life invites us to spend time with its characters and discover something wonderful in their peculiarities. It is funny, sentimental, strange and deeply human — a reminder that sometimes the most fascinating story in the room is simply the person sitting beside you.

AIN BACKSTAGE SECRETS & AINTOIDS
FROM PULITZER PRIZE STAGE TO SCREEN
The film was adapted from William Saroyan’s celebrated 1939 play The Time of Your Life. The play received both the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama — although Saroyan famously refused the Pulitzer.

A CAGNEY FAMILY AFFAIR
This was truly a family production. James Cagney starred as Joe, his brother William Cagney produced the film, and their sister Jeanne Cagney played Kitty Duval. James and William had formed Cagney Productions in 1942, giving James greater independence and creative control over his work.

CAGNEY WITHOUT THE GANGSTER
Audiences accustomed to Cagney’s explosive tough-guy performances get something very different here. Joe is an observer and benefactor who spends much of the movie watching the lives around him unfold. It provides a wonderful showcase for Cagney’s quieter acting abilities and demonstrates just how much range existed behind one of Hollywood’s most recognizable screen personalities.

THE ENDING HAD TO CHANGE
The original stage material presented a problem for Hollywood’s Production Code Administration. AFI records show that PCA officials demanded significant changes to the ending and to the treatment of certain characters. An earlier filmed ending was ultimately replaced after preview audiences reacted poorly and the filmmakers reworked the conclusion.

WHAT A SUPPORTING CAST
Cagney is surrounded by an extraordinary group of familiar faces, including William Bendix, Broderick Crawford, Ward Bond, Wayne Morris and James Barton. Instead of functioning merely as supporting players, the ensemble forms the heart of the movie — each character bringing another piece of life into Nick’s saloon.

BEHIND THE CAMERA
The film also benefited from acclaimed cinematographers James Wong Howe and Joseph Valentine. Howe would become one of Hollywood’s most celebrated cinematographers, eventually winning two Academy Awards during his extraordinary career. AFI credits both men as directors of photography on The Time of Your Life.

AINTOID: ONE SALOON, A WHOLE WORLD
Nearly everything revolves around Nick’s Pacific Street establishment in San Francisco. That confined setting is part of the film’s charm. People arrive, leave, argue, dream, dance, fall in love and tell stories — while Joe watches. The saloon becomes a miniature version of the world outside its doors.

AINTOID: CAGNEY PRODUCTIONS
The movie was produced by Cagney Productions and distributed by United Artists — an arrangement that allowed the Cagneys considerably more independence than James typically enjoyed while working within the major studio system.

AINTOID: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE
The Time of Your Life had its world premiere in New York on May 26, 1948, before its official U.S. release on September 3, 1948.