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James Cagney good?

Hi,

does anyone believe in this Cagney? Said to be signed a few years prior to his death and therefore shaky and slow. Thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

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Permalink Reply by Eddy on March 26, 2024 at 5:31pm

Honestly, I don't care for this one. It looks lifeless to me and not loose at all.

Here's a dynamite lobby card signed after he had suffered his stroke:

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/346866306560807-james...

Here's mine that would have been a few years on even from the lobby card....probably early 80s. Contrast isn't the best....but I love it:

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Permalink Reply by KaiMi on March 27, 2024 at 12:14am

Hey Eddy,

thanks for sharing!

You are right: Normally I wouldn't care for this one either, but it's in a book belonging to a series of biographies on vintage actors and actresses. I already own couple of signed books from this series, but Cagney is still missing. That's why I'm interested.

Compared with your "after stroke examples" this one still looks astonishingly shaky, slow and lifeless. Seems as if Cagney even after his stroke was able to do a quite "powerful" signing (different to Bill Powell for example) and this is not what I see here.

So I do not believe in its authenticity any more. Do you?

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Permalink Reply by Eddy on March 27, 2024 at 6:05am

I don't think I do either. This book signature just seems kind off to me. Here's another to compare (this time in felt tip like the book page):

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/33755370502591-james-...

This is one of those where some of the veteran film autograph folks whom we haven't heard from for awhile would have valuable insight.

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Permalink Reply by Eddy on March 27, 2024 at 7:14am

This is in a copy of his autobiography that was inscribed in the late 70s apparently:

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on March 27, 2024 at 7:51am

It is hard to believe Cagney would be 125 mow! That 1978 signature that Eddy just posted is but one year after his stroke and look at the fluidity and similarity to earlier signatures. Nice bold "J" and "C" and a lovely "g". I was surprised to learn both he and I suffer from severe sciatica. I'm headed for an MRI an s my left leg is numb!