It’s time yet again to Social Distance the heck out of this epidemic and watch a movie together while still staying in three different states: North Carolina, Florida, and California. Next up for the Tri-State Watch Party, we went with a James Cagney classic, The Public Enemy!
The Netflix Watch Party app ended up being a little complicated, so we just set a time to hit “play” and then chatted through instant messenger. Click the jump to read some highlights from the conversation.
The Players: Elizabeth, Hannah, Kathryn, Nathan, and the parents (Parents represented here by Marian, because Dad would chisel a message in a stone tablet before typing anything on a phone.)
Kathryn
Pause to get popcorn?
Hannah
Sure
Elizabeth
Soitenly
Kathryn
Now we’re ready!
Hannah
Ready here too
Kathryn
Hitting play
Elizabeth
Playing!
Hannah
Playing
Kathryn
I know NOTHING about this film.
Elizabeth
Me neither!
Nathan
This will be the oldest movie we’ve watched so far.
Released in 1931.
Elizabeth
With the music I expect Elmer Fudd to come crouching around the bushes looking for Bugs
Nathan
I’ve seen it before, but it was a long time ago.
Hannah
I saw it in college
Christ, gotta add William Wellman to William Wyler and Billy Wilder
Kathryn
I don’t think I’ve seen the cast introduced this way before
Hannah
CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER
Oooh disclaimer
Kathryn
Is this Hays Code era or earlier?
Hannah
Earlier, I believe
Elizabeth
Bucket of beer, bartender
Kathryn
Yummy!
Hannah
DON’T WASTE THE FROTH, KID
Elizabeth
hahaha
I was just thinking “THE FOAM HAS ALCOHOL TOO”
Nathan
Our hero as a little bastard.
Hannah
Haha
Kathryn
This is a pretty dark episode of The Little Rascals
Elizabeth
Hee
There’s our boy
Hannah
There she is!
Elizabeth
Wonder if we can get Sophie to wear a hat long enough to get a photo…
Nathan
Hannah
Oh man
Nathan
The sign on the wall says, “Don’t spit on the floor! Remember the Jonestown flood.”
Kathryn
Whoa, merry damn Christmas
Elizabeth
What does spitting have to do with Jonestown?
Nathan
That’s a damn good question!
Elizabeth
Did he just shoot a bearskin?
And did that cop just shoot him in the back??
Nathan
Yep!
Also yep!
Kathryn
Now that’s an unusual reason to overreact
Hannah
Keeping distance with the palms there
Elizabeth
So Cagney originated every gangster “it’s gonna be like this, see..”?
Kathryn
Him and Edward G Robinson
Yeah, see, Rocky’s mad, see
Elizabeth
So much spitting
Nathan
Paddy doesn’t remember the Jonestown flood. 
Kathryn
And winking
Hannah
These guys are better in front of a camera than SO MANY people
Elizabeth
I love watching Cagney’s expression go through the whole spectrum
Hannah
Mom just told Dad he has to fix that chair
Kathryn
Heh
Elizabeth
Heh
Hannah
OH GOD THAT BOTTLE
Elizabeth
Fuck THESE flowers and THESE flowers
Nathan
Kathryn
Hannah
oh George, not the livestock
Kathryn
Are they eating those peanuts WITH THE SHELLS?
Hannah
Holy Breaking Bad plot…
Elizabeth
Now imagine this scene with the Mission Impossible music
Kathryn
Is this like a strategic reserve of booze they’re stealing from?
Elizabeth
That’s gonna be some tasty gasoline flavored booze
Hannah
All the booze in the 20s tasted like gasoline
Nathan
Everclear, in other words?
Kathryn
We watched a movie the other day where two guys drank turpentine mixed with honey, so any port in a storm.
Elizabeth
Gaaaahhh..
Hannah
Camp Vincent Price with the sass
Elizabeth
Fabulous
Hee, the ladies drank em under the table.
Hannah
“Coupla lightweights” MY LADIES
Kathryn
I really love it when the ladies take the initiative
Elizabeth
“I don’t even know you’re here.” Totally gonna use that line.
“You can take off those clothes, you got new jobs” could mean something totally different in a different kind of movie.
Nails is charming af
Kathryn
And intimidating
Hannah
Nails to be played by Alan Cumming in the remake
Nathan
Leland is in waaaayyy over his head.
Elizabeth
Oooo yes.
Kathryn
Different angle on the protection racket
“Nice beer we’ve got here. Be a shame if you were to choke on it.”
NOT THE BOOZE.
Hannah
IRISH EMBASSY ON LINE ONE
Elizabeth
Hahahah
An sure it’s only a matter of toime..
Kathryn
Something really hinky about an Irishman getting sniffy about booze.
Hannah
What did they call it? Paddiwhackery
Kathryn
Sure and me name is O’Connell don’t ye know.
Hannah
I NEED THAT CENTERPIECE
Elizabeth
It’s decorative AND practical
Kathryn
Is that a normal way to serve beer in the 30’s?
Elizabeth
I don’t think those boys know how to pour a glass of beer
Hannah
Tilt the glass fucker
Hahaha
Elizabeth
Kathryn
NOT THE BOOZE
Elizabeth
hahah
Hannah
Mike is… out of his depth
Kathryn
Everybody who goes mental/intense in these old movies develops the same hairstyle
Boooooo
Elizabeth
Eesh, Tom’s gettin ugly..
Nathan
And wasn’t too pretty to begin with,
Hannah
Not a charmer, our Tommy
He’s got a bit of the Jack Nicholson to him
Kathryn
There’s that same element of WHY AREN’T YOU RUNNING FOR THE HILLS when he smiles
Elizabeth
I like that “I’ll think about it”
Nathan
Ah, the days when phone numbers were only four digits.
Hannah
The dance!
Elizabeth
I love the fur coats that look like the White Witch from Narnia
Kathryn
That is a CLOUD of a fur coat there.
Nails Nathan likes to start some drama
Uh oh, somebody’s doomed
Elizabeth
I liked the black cat running across. Subtle 
Kathryn
“We mighta been ding dings on a streetcar.”
Hannah
That is how you hold a grudge. Respect.
Elizabeth
Nice off camera work there
Nathan
Very.
Hannah
Yikes
Kathryn
NOT THE MONEY
Elizabeth
haha
The actress playing their mom is REALLY good
Hannah
Yeah, she makes it quite upsetting
What is that statue on the table I want it
It was like “The Ivory Lady Daps”
Kathryn
Hee
Elizabeth
hahah
Hannah
Also Mom just said Gene Harlow died at 26?
Elizabeth
Oh wow.
Nathan
Under mysterious circumstances, I believe.
Elizabeth
Also: FOUND IT
Hannah
Holy shit, good google
Kathryn
That’s some impressive google-fu there.
Hannah
(It’s not dap, is it. It’s dab.)
Elizabeth
Is that how the kids say it?
And ooooh no…
…the horse..
Kathryn
NOT THE HORSE
Hannah
NOT THE LIVESTOCK
Elizabeth
hahah
Hannah
haha all the other horses like …uuuuhhhh?
Elizabeth
SPLOSIONS
Nathan
Being a horse in a gangster film is a death wish!
Elizabeth
truth!
Kathryn
Where the heck have I seen this main gangster before?
Paddy
Elizabeth
I’m woefully ignorant on 1930’s films
Hannah
1930s makeup artists all about the eyeliner and I so approve
Elizabeth
Nice fake out with the coal truck
Kathryn
Many, many casualties coming…
Elizabeth
“I wanna do things for ya, Tommy.” Wow, modern sexy there.
Oooo the slow realization
Kathryn
DEFINITELY pre-Hays Code.
Heh. Tommy’s not that kinda girl.
Elizabeth
Yipe!
I like the subtle “don’t point that at me” thing he does.
Hannah
WHO HAS BULLETS IN HIS POCKETS
Elizabeth
haha
Nathan
Tom Powers, that’s who!
Kathryn
God that smile, terrifying
Elizabeth
Man those moments walking in the rain after he got shot, that sort of set the tone for a lot of movies afterwards
Hannah
Nothing breaks a heart like a hopefully naive mother
Uh oh…
Elizabeth
This is not hopeful…
YIPE
Hannah
WOW THAT’S DARK
Elizabeth
SERIOUSLY
Kathryn
MESSAGE FOLKS
Elizabeth
I knew we weren’t headed for a happy ending but WOW
Hannah
Save the editorials, MOVIE
Elizabeth
haha
Kathryn
Gosh, that’s where we leave it then.
Hannah
OK well that held up
Elizabeth
Amazing, there’s legions of movies that wouldn’t be brave enough to go for that ending
Hannah
Just goes to show you how many incompetent storytellers have been allowed to helm movies in the last 90 years
Kathryn
I’m surprised they didn’t go for a more subtle moral, like THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH.
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