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| “ | "Come out with your hands up," the man says. How do you like that Ma? Here's my answer. You dirty - [fires his shotgun] - That was Cody Jarrett talkin'! | „ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett to the police after being cornered, instigating a shoot-out. |
| “ | Made it, Ma! Top of the world! | „ |
| ~ Cody's final iconic quote, before his death. One of the most memorable quotes in cinema history. |
Arthur "Cody" Jarrett is the main antagonist of the 1949 gangster noir White Heat. He is a dangerously unstable yet incredibly cunning gangster known to pull off robberies at gun-point with many casualties. He is also incredibly codependent on his mother, which adds to his mental instability After breaking out of prison after a train heist, he intends on continuing his activities, until Treasury agent Phillip Evans and undercover cop Hank Fallon/Vic Pardo plan to take him down.
He was portrayed by the late James Cagney, who also played Rocky Sullivan from Angels with Dirty Faces.
Personality[]
Jarrett is one of cinema's most iconic villains for good reason. He is a ruthless, unstable, paranoid, homicidal, greedy, egotistical gangster who has managed to make a name for himself through his despicable acts. Planning on reaching the "top of the world" of his criminal career, there's no one he won't gun down or no crime he wouldn't commit if it meant living in infamy. He also suffers from severe migraines, most likely attributed to his familial history of mental instability. This makes him very unpredictable, even towards his own men.
One obvious aspect to his character is his love and codependency on his mother. Having cared for Cody despite his father and brother succumbing to their mental illness, he is completely loyal and caring to her and vice versa. He is more then willing to go to jail to keep her from getting caught up by the police and was more then happy to listen to her advice. When he was little, he faked having migraines so that his mother would notice him. Jarrett is also very protective of Ma, having tried to convince her not to kill Big Ed and Verna for plotting to have him killed, only for her to go through with it anyway and leading to her death. When hearing the news of her demise, he suffers a severe mental breakdown and starts to sob like an infant. Underneath his ruthless aesthetic, he is a repressed man-child and mama's boy whose only form of genuine connection goes to his mother.
When it comes to everyone else, he is very guarded and unwilling to put his trust in anyone. Jarrett was more then willing to leave one of his crew members behind when his ignorance led to him gettin scalded. Meanwhile, Jarrett's gang members all fear him due to his unbalanced mindset, with his former right-hand Big Ed and wife Verna having a secret affair behind his back and secretly plotting to usurp him. However, he did possess a sort of-friendship with Vic Pardo/Hank Fallon after he comforts him after his mother dies. Jarrett even shares an anecdote about his past to Vic, showing his growing faith in him. Jarrett does have a blind-spot for those he trusts however, such as when he believed that Big Ed killed his mother, when it was Verna manipulating him to save herself from his wrath. When he is betrayed, Jarrett doesn't bat an eyelash when targeting those who cross him.
Despite his obvious mental insanity, Jarrett is also a very tactical and pragmatic leader. He manages to maintain an logical mindset when dealing with the law, such as when he turns himself in for a lesser charge when the Treasury agents catch up to him. And he was able to properly plan his escape from prison by faking having a mental breakdown so that the orderlies would drop their guard. This quick-thinking attitude makes him even more unpredictable, with even the cops unable to deduce where he's going to strike next.
After being caught by Hank Fallon and Phillip Evans in the middle of his heist, any moral restrictions and holds on sanity had fallen away, driving Jarrett to shoot at the cops and at one of his allies as he tries to surrender. As he climbs to the top of the gas tower, he continues to shoot despite being wounded and standing on a massive powder-keg. Having lost himself to his insanity, he accepts his death as the tower explodes, proudly exclaiming to his mother the he's reached the top like he always dreamed of. In the end, Jarrett is a man driven by his delusions of grandeur, unable to grasp that reality has not lived up to his expectations.
Biography[]
In the past[]
Arthur "Cody" Jarrett is the son of a notorious criminal who had suffered a severe mental illness that landed him in a mental hospital, along with Cody's little brother. Having to constantly outrun the law at every turn, Ma Jarrett made sure that Cody was cared for and would try to massage his head when he received his headaches. Overtime, Cody got so dependent to his mother that he started to fake his own headaches to get his mother to notice him. Eventually, Cody grew up to become a dangerous gang leader known for his homicidal tendencies and ruthless determination. Cody eventually married Verna, but she only wanted his money and wealth instead.
Train Robbery[]
Having been planning on a train heist with a tip-off from "The Trader," a notorious money launderer and one of Cody's criminal contacts, Cody and his gang manage to pull off the job with barely any problems. Except that one of his gang members, Zuckie, is horribly scaled and many of the trains inhabitants end up getting killed. After getting a serious headache, Cody is comforted by his mother as she doesn't want the other gang members to get any "bright ideas" about taking over the gang. Meanwhile, Cody's lieutenant Big Ed is secretly having an affair with Verna, and is plotting to usurp his position if he gets caught. Afterwards, he and his gang leave the hideout to split up, but not before Cody orders his subordinate Cotton to kill Zuckie to cover their tracks. Having formed a friendship with Zuckie, Cotton spares him and leaves him with some cigarettes, with Zuckie dying not long after they leave. Having analyzed the cigarette packet Cotton left behind, Treasury agent Phillip Evans is able to deduce that Cody Jarrett is behind it.
Capture and Imprisonment[]
Using criminal informants throughout the city, Evans is able to locate Ma Jarrett and follow her to a nearby hotel where Cody, Verna and Ma are staying. Before Evans can arrest Cody however, Cody manages to get a shot in and wound Evans in the shoulder. A car chase ensues with Evans' partner is hot pursuit. Hiding out in a drive-in theatre, Cody explains that he's going to turn himself in for a crime he didn't commit so that he would get a lighter sentence and an alibi for his whereabouts during the train heist. After that he says goodbye to Ma and Verna, with him leaving to turn himself in. Despite getting arrested however, Evans sees through the ruse and sets up a sting operation using an undercover cop named Hank Fallon, underneath the name Vic Pardo. While his main goal is to get Cody to confess to the train heist, Evans also wants the identity of his fence "The Trader," in the process. Fallon reluctantly agrees and goes to court, where Cody only gets about three years.
While in the clink, Fallon tries to get closer to Cody, with the knowledge that another inmate Bo Creel could recognize him from the time that he arrested him. Having been placed in the same cell with Fallon, Cody is unsure of Fallon's intentions so he keeps his distance. On the outside, Ma Creel has taken command of the gang until Cody returns. While in command, she learns about the affair between Ed and Verna, with Ed taking the opportunity to hire another inmate named Roy Parker to kill Jarrett. While in the metal shop workplace, Cody is busy working when Roy operates some machinery to drop a car engine on Cody. At the last second, Fallon saves Cody who is incensed that someone would try to have him executed. But, he also begins to form a respect for Fallon, still unknowing his true intentions.
When Ma comes to visit, Cody reveals about his avoided execution and Ma reveals that it was Ed and Verna who set it up. Guilty about what happened to her son, Ma decides to do something about Ed with Cody against her doing anything. Her mind made up and stubborn for revenge, she decides to go through with it anyway, leaving Cody in distress. When Cody returns to work, he grows paranoid for his mothers safety and another headache comes on. This time, Fallon decides to massage his head in the same manner of Cody's mother to further gain his trust. This works, with Cody telling Jarrett that night of his plans to pull of his ingenious escape. While proposes a way that doesn't involve killing, he also works with Evans on the outside to catch Jarrett in the act. Things are going smoothly, until Cody learns that his mother has died from the inmates. He then suffers a mental breakdown at the news and begins to fight with the inmates and the guards. As he's dragged away to the infirmary, he screams that he wants out of here at the top of his lungs.
Despite his despair, Cody remains adamant about escaping and getting his revenge. After being confined to a straight jacket and scheduled for transfer to a mental hospital, Cody calls his fellow cell mate Tommy Ryley to give him his gun in exchange for escaping with him. Evans reluctantly calls off the sting operation unaware about the escape plan. That night, as he's about to be transferred, Tommy slips Cody the gun and Cody asks for the orderlies to untie him. Foolishly complying to his demands, Cody takes the guards and orderlies hostage. After ordering the head doctor to call the guards to bring Fallon and his fellow cell mate Reader Curtin to the infirmary, along with Roy. Cody, his fellow prisoners, Fallon and some innocent hostages stage it to look as though Cody is being transferred, with Roy Parker in the trunk. The guards open the front gates without a second thought and Cody is once again free.
Freedom and Taking Revenge[]
After escaping from prison, the criminals hide out in an innocent family's home as they prepare to move on to the California. As they steal the couples car to drive away, Roy Parker asks to be let out of the trunk for air. Cody sarcastically says that he'll give him air, shooting the car trunk and killing Roy. Afterwards, the gang heads to Big Ed's and Verna's house to get revenge for betraying Cody. Meanwhile, as both traitors prepare for Cody's arrival, it's revealed that Verna was the one who killed Ma Jarrett by shooting her in the back. While Big Ed wants to confront Cody face to face, Verna wants to flee until Ed threatens to reveal what happened to Ma. Fearing for her life and Ed holding the murder over her, she attempts to escape in the night by taking the car in the shed. Unfortunately, Cody is there and is enraged that Verna would cheat on him with Ed. She quickly convinces him that Ed was the one who killed Ma and she still loves him, telling Cody where to go find him. As both Ed and Cody stalk each other in the house, Ed is distracted by Verna who seduces him. As Cody comes up from behind, Big Ed tries to make a run for it, only to get shot down by Cody. As the rest of the gang arrive, Cody pushes Ed's body down the stairs.
Chemical Plant Heist[]
Now that the gang is reunited, their numbers are twice the size then it was before with the escapees included. As Cody begins to see Fallon as a brother figure, he begins to trust him with an equal share of the money from where they're stealing from next. Planning to rip off a chemical plant by using an empty gas truck as a "trojan horse," the gang is startled by the arrival of a fisherman asking for directions. It's soon revealed that he is Winston, the "Trader" that Fallon was tasked to identify. As Fallon is able to deduce his identity by pretending that Winston is a fraud, Cody reveals who he really is. With this knowledge in mind, Fallon tries to escape and warn Evans, only to get ambushed by one of Cody's goons. He fights back, only to be interrupted by Cody's arrival. Fallon is able to cover for himself that he was surprised by the assault and was only defending himself, Cody slowly starts to believe him. Cody then explains his past and how his mother was the only one he ever trusted. Fallon acts sympathetic to his plight, maintaining his facade as a loyal follower. Afterwards, the two return inside and as they sit with Verna, Fallon requests that she fixes her radio. By modifying the radio, Fallon hopes to send out a signal that Evans will catch and send for the cavalry. He then places it on the gas truck.
As the gang prepares to make their departure, the Trader returns and brings along a member of the Plant to drive the heist. In a shocking coincidence, it's revealed to be Bo Creel, the inmate that Fallon was afraid of identifying him. Unaware of who's driving the truck, Fallon joins the other gang members as they hide in the tank. As the thieves make their way to their destination, Henry Evans manages to pick up the signal and follow it. Meanwhile, the crooks stop at gas station after the radiator breaks. As Fallon goes to the bathroom, he quickly writes a message to the police in the bathroom mirror, even covering it with his jacket when one of Cody's goons check on him. After a while, they finally reach their destination just as the cops realize where they are headed. After entering the plant, the crooks immediately take control and begin to open the safe. However, when Bo recognizes Fallon as the cop who arrested him, the jig is up. Cody is distraught that Fallon was a cop this whole time and that he had trusted him. As Fallon attempts to stop the crooks before the police arrive, one of the gang members sneak up behind him and knock him out.
Final Showdown and Death[]
Just at that moment, the police arrive and surround the plant, with Cody left with very few escape options. While Evans tries to reason with Jarrett to surrender and come out slowly, Jarrett decides to shoot them up instead. Using tear gas to distract the criminals, Fallon escapes from the gang as the criminals make a desperate escape. As more criminals are shot dead, Verna arrives in the getaway car and offers to help the capture Jarrett, but Evans sees through the lies and arrests her. As Fallon tells him the location of the "Trader," more members of the Jarrett gang are killed in the immense shoot-out. As Jarrett reaches a row of gas tanks, he climbs to the top of one laughing maniacally while shooting one of his gang members for trying to surrender. With no where else to go and the cops unwilling to shoot in an area with flammable gases, Fallon takes a long distance rifle and tries to shoot him down. Having lost whatever grip on sanity he had, Jarrett still remains standing until he shoots at the top of the tank to catch it ablaze. As the cops run for cover as the flames spread higher. Cody makes one final declaration to his mother, saying that he made it to the top of the world. As the tank explodes and takes Jarrett with it, Fallon comments that he reached the top of the world, only for it to blow up in his face. As the firemen attempt to put out the blaze, the deranged reign of Cody Jarrett comes to a close.
Quotes[]
| “ | My old lady never had anything. Always on the run. Always on the move. Some life. First it was my old man - died kickin' and screamin' in a nuthouse. Then, my brother. And after that, it was takin' care of me. Always tryin' to put me on top. "Top of the world," she used to say. And then, times when I'd be losin' my grip, there she'd be, right behind me. Push me back up again. And now... | „ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett relating his family history to Vic Pardo/Hank Fallon. |
| “ | Why don't you give 'em my address too... | „ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett criticizing one of his goons for revealing his identity. |
| “ | Here's to us. Top of the world. | „ |
| ~ Cody Jasper's Catchphrase. |
| “ | You know somethin' Verna? If I turn my back long enough for Big Ed to put a whole in it, there'd be a hole in it. Big Ed. Great Big Ed. You know why they call him that? Because his ideas are big. Someday he's gonna get a really big one - about me. And it'll be his last. | „ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett commenting on Big Ed's ideas, while subtly threatening him if he does decide to betray him. |
| “ | CODY JARRETT : We're back in business, boys. We're back in business. And not Big Ed's way either. And not for fifty grand. But, first, a question: Supposin' - Supposin' you wanna push in a place like Fort Knox and grab yourself a couple a tons of gold, what's the toughest thing about a job like that?
JARRETT GANG MEMBER : Gettin' inside the joint. |
„ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett after escaping from prison and killing Big Ed for his betrayal. |
| “ | Did I ask you for any advise? Look Pardo, I've been watchin' you. And up to now you haven't done anything I can put my finger on. And maybe that's what bothers me. But, I don't know you. What I don't know, I don't trust. To me you're just a face and a number and let's keep it that way for now. When I want you're help, I'll ask for it. | „ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett meets Vic Pardo/Hank Fallon for the first time. |
| “ | Whaddya want - a medal? | „ |
| ~ Jarrett to Fallon, after he saves his life. |
| “ | A copper, a copper, how do you like that boys? A copper and his name is Fallon. And we went for it, I went for it. Treated him like a kid brother. And I was gonna split fifty-fifty with a copper! | „ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett after he learns the truth about Pardo/Fallon. |
| “ | CODY JARRETT : [while eating a chicken leg, Jarrett speaks to Parker in the trunk of the sedan] How ya doin', Parker? ROY PARKER : It's stuffy in here, I need some air. CODY JARRETT : Oh, stuffy, huh? I'll give ya a little air. [pulls a gun from his pants and shoots four times into the trunk] |
„ |
| ~ Cody Jarrett before he kills Roy Parker for trying to kill him. |
| “ | PHILLIP EVANS : You might as well come down, Jarrett. There's no one left but you. Cody Jarrett : [laughs] Come and get me! |
„ |
| ~ Cody Jarret's last stand on the gas tank. |
Reception[]
The American Film Institute ranked Cody Jarrett at #26 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains List and his final quote "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" was ranked at #18 of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes List. White Heat has also been placed at #4 of AFI's 10 Top 10 List of best Gangster movies. Despite the film itself only winning an Oscar Nomination for Best Story, White Heat has been credited as one of the best gangster films of all time with the Library of Congress chose it for preservation by the National Film Registry. Cagney's unhinged performance of Cody Jarrett and his complexities have been credited as the best of his career, amidst a plethora of gangster performances such as Rocky Sullivan in Angels with Dirty Faces. The film and Cagney's character have been constantly referenced in other forms of media with his final words being used in plenty of songs as well, such as Madonna's White Heat song which is dedicated to Cagney.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The character of Cody Jarrett was based on New York murderer Francis Crowley, who engaged in a pitched battle with police in the spring of 1931 at the age of 18. Before his execution in the electric chair on 1/21/32, Crowley's last words were, "Send my love to my mother."
- It was James Cagney himself who had the idea of making Cody psychotic. Cagney attributed his performance to his father's alcoholic rages, which he had witnessed as a child, as well as someone that he had seen on a visit to a mental hospital.
- If the surprise expressed by James Cagney's fellow inmates during "the telephone game" scene in the prison dining room appears real, it's because it was. Director Raoul Walsh didn't tell the rest of the cast what was about to happen, so Cagney's outburst caught them by surprise. In fact, Walsh himself didn't know what Cagney had planned; the scene as written wasn't working, and Cagney had an idea. He told Walsh to put the two biggest extras playing cons in the mess-hall next to him on the bench (he used their shoulders to boost himself onto the table) and to keep the cameras rolling no matter what happened.
- The unusually close relationship between Cody Jarrett and his domineering mother was inspired by real-life bank robbers Kate Barker (aka "Ma Barker") and her sons.
- Cagney improvised some of his dialogue, especially the migraines that could only be stopped by his mother.
- Madonna's song "White Heat," off of her 1986 album "True Blue" used this film as a backdrop, with some lines from it used throughout the song.
- When Cody gets the news of his mother's death, James Cagney plays his first reaction merely looking down, building into the emotional explosion. Years later he explained to "Los Angeles Times" film critic Charles Champlin, "That first agony is private. If I'd looked up right away and started bellowing, it would have been stock company, 1912."