This is one of the many tough guy prison dramas where a framed reporter (Cagney) goes to prison. In stir he meets the big tough guy (Raft) who has been sentenced to 199 years for his crimes against the system.Raft has so many contacts in the underworld that he manages to arrange an escape for himself from his own trial in a courtroom. When he gets out he tells Cagney he is going to get the rat that framed him.Raft is excellent in this one and winds up back in jail and getting the confession from the guy who framed Cagney. Raft and the rat both get theirs and Cagney finally gets out.While in stir, Cagney's girlfriend and mom show up to visit. Mom brings all of his favorite foods including chocolate cake. The way to make tough guy Cagney break down is for his mom to cry and give him the cake.At the end of the film, a bunch of cons get guns and try to escape. They are stopped by the National Guard with machine guns and grenades. Cagney is excellent as Raft's Co-star and the warden is played by a western actor who had appeared in John Ford's classic Stagecoach.

. . . George Raft did not know "how to quit" James Cagney, either, in EACH DAWN I DIE. From their first exchange of shirts to their last stolen embrace, Raft's "Stacey" and Cagney's "Frank" are caught in the throes of a tie before its time. Their hot passion sees Frank sniveling like a babe in diapers during a forced separation, which is ended when Stacey ignores his 199-year sentence to take a cab BACK to Rocky Point Penitentiary when Frank's powerful pull on him overcomes his own sense of self-preservation. In today's happier times this odd couple might have tied the knot at their county courthouse. But in the 1930s, theirs was a love that could not be named. Therefore, actress Jane Bryan was cast to portray Frank's "beard," Joyce, and one of the not-so-tough-guy pair must bite the dust before this story can end, with a literal "till death do us part." As in last year's IMITATION GAME, the best acting performances always are turned in by gay men acting straight when the world is not quite AC\DC. So two thumbs up for Cagney and Raft in EACH DAWN I DIE!!

William Keighley directed this memorable prison drama that stars Jimmy Cagney as newspaper investigative reporter Frank Ross, who was looking into political corruption and racketeering when he is knocked out, then framed for manslaughter after they make it look like he was a drunk driver. Frank at first handles this injustice with his head held high, but despite his paper's determination to prove his innocence, he grows increasingly bitter and despondent as time passes, and he is subjected to isolation. He does befriend gangster Stacy(played by George Raft) whom he helps escape to prove him innocent, but that help comes at a high price... Well-acted and compelling film may not be entirely realistic, but viewer will likely overlook that because of the storytelling skill on display here, and features one of Cagney's best performances.

EACH DAWN I DIE isn't a bad melodrama but neither is it a great one . The premise is sound , a crusading investigative journalist called Frank Ross is framed by bad guys and faces years in prison which sets up an involving story . Unfortunately the logic of the plot turns are never as strong as they should be and they become noticeable as weak plot turns . Of course it was made in 1939 meaning the fear of anal gang rape doesn't exist for film characters but there's niggling doubts that stop the film being as involving as it should and the melodrama and clichés do become melodrama and clichés One problem is that the most hated character is Limpy , a stool pigeon who nonchalantly informs upon everyone up to no good . He does this in a brazen way in full view of other prisoners which in reality would lead to the other prisoners killing him first chance they got . He's only been there a month before Frank is sentenced but even so you'd think someone would have bumped him off sooner . It's due to plot mechanics that he has to die after Frank enters jail , ie Hood Stacey wants Frank to claim that he was responsible so Stacey can break out of custody during the murder trial and Stacey promises to find out who framed Frank in return . There's no real reason for Frank to point the finger , it could be any prisoner and one can't help thinking Stacey would have more dependable associates who he could trust . In turn Frank is guilty of total naivety for thinking Stacey will keep his word . He's also putting his head on the block since he's helping a fugitive to escape . Wouldn't he be better off trusting his fellow crusaders at the newspaper than relying on the word of a convict ? Having said that if someone did something logical then there wouldn't have been so much incident . Just a pity the screenwriter didn't think things through a little more Frank Ross is played by James Cagney , who is the personification of someone who is a film star but not a good actor . This isn't really a criticism because he has a strong presence and good to watch even though his mannerisms are very exaggerated . Dare I say he was a star because of this rather in spite of this ? George Raft as Stacey also has a presence though thankfully it's less exaggerated than Cagney . Director William Keighley does manage a very memorable montage sequence where Stacey does time in the hole but he's not really on the same artistic level as Michael Curtiz and where ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES grabs you on an emotional level that makes you forget all the flaws of that film Keighley unfortunately doesn't which is something of a pity . It's not a bad film but not a particularly good one either