Doors – 7:00 PM 

Organ Overture – 7:30 PM 

Film – 8:00 PM 

Tickets - $6 

1hr 54min | NR | Noir/Crime | USA 

“Made it, Ma! Top of the World!”  

With these iconic lines James Cagney—his voice aching with crazed intensity—cemented his comeback as Hollywood’s most explosive movie star. In 1949, as moviegoers sat transfixed by the screen, the movie stars’ manic desperation left little doubt: Cagney and White Heat had reached the peak of the gangster film. And today, 75 years later, few, if any, have come close to attaining such heights. 

Using real-life gangsters like Ma Barker and her four criminal sons as a jumping off point, this firecracker of a story travels across the beauty of the High Sierra mountains, deep into the horrors of the penitentiary, and into the mind of a man suffering from “homicidal psychosis.”  

On the edge of the gangster and film noir genres, it features a bold heist, a femme fatale, and moody black and white photography, all directed by gangster flick veteran Raoul Walsh (The Roaring Twenties, High Sierra).

But what really sets it apart is Cagney. Bursting with vulnerability and rage, he embodies Arthur “Cody” Jarrett, a violently volatile, (and highly quotable) criminal madman beset with mommy issues, a debilitating psychosomatic ailment, and a beautiful woman he can’t help but trust.  

Come see why White Heat, decades later, is still on top of the gangster heap! 

The Senate Theater and The Detroit Theater Organ Society is supported by The Michigan Arts and Culture Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. 

Parking is available in our gated lot, on Gilbert, and Michigan Avenue