Finding Inspiration in a James Cagney Way of Life
Kevein R. Loughlin
Many people under the age of 50 have never heard of him, yet in the 1930s and ‘40s, Jimmy Cagney was one of Hollywood’s biggest box office stars.
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The Vineyard Gazette - Martha's Vineyard News
Many people under the age of 50 have never heard of him, yet in the 1930s and ‘40s, Jimmy Cagney was one of Hollywood’s biggest box office stars. He was nominated for an Academy Award three times as Best Actor and won the award for his lead role in Yankee Doodle Dandy in 1943.

He was born in 1899 in New York City, where he spent his childhood. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and spent a year at Columbia University before he dropped out after the death of his father. He was naturally gifted as a singer and dancer and this led him to start a career in vaudeville that laid the foundation for his career in films.

I became aware of Cagney as a child growing up in the 1950s, watching reruns of his old black and white films on television with my mother at my side recounting what a big star he was when she was a young girl. But what does all this have to do with Martha’s Vineyard? Cagney owned a home in Chilmark from 1936 until not long before he died in 1986. When I learned of his Vineyard ties, my curiosity was stoked and I turned to his autobiography, Cagney by Cagney, published in 1976, to learn more. In it, Cagney, the city boy, describes his fascination with rural life ever since a family automobile trip to the “country” in Flatbush, Brooklyn where he first saw trees.

He also shares the beginning of his long affiliation with the Vineyard. “In 1936 I attained one of my best and fondest dreams — I bought a farm. Martha’s Vineyard then was uncluttered with developers, which is too gracious a designation for those gentlemen; developers actually develop nothing but their own bankrolls. I couldn’t think of anything more satisfactory, more life-fulfilling, than living on a farm surrounded by salt water. This is what Martha’s Vineyard allowed me to do. The old, old house we found there — its building deed reads 1728 — met my expectations wonderfully and everything about the land and its situation charmed me right out of my shoes. Moreover, the taxes were thirty-nine dollars a year, which made it an ideal place to land if the movie business ever dropped me.”

Cagney goes on to say of the Vineyard, “I loved it beyond words and at the time I said to myself, ‘If I had just six months to live, I’d spend them at the Vineyard.’”

Like so many celebrities who seek refuge on the Vineyard today, Cagney valued the way that his privacy was respected. He relates a story when a tourist walked into a country store in North Tisbury and asked the clerk, “How do I get to Cagney’s house?” The clerk asked if the tourist knew Cagney and when informed that he didn’t, she replied, “Look, if you don’t know him, don’t bother him. Let him alone. The poor man is trying to get a little peace and quiet and you damned fools are always rushing into his house and asking silly questions. Now stay away from him!”

Cagney and his wife kept their house on the Vineyard for decades where, like so many of us, they enjoyed the natural beauty and solitude of this beautiful spot.

As the new year unfolds, I think Jimmy Cagney helps provide some perspective for all of us. As a mega-star, he could have lived anywhere, but chose Martha’s Vineyard. Let his choice serve to remind us to take good care of this special place. Our environment is fragile and requires our constant vigilance. We are all mere custodians of our little Island, to enjoy it while we live here and to preserve it for those who will follow us.

Remember, Jimmy Cagney is watching!

Kevin R. Loughlin lives in Edgartown.