White Heat `` White Heat '' redirects here . For singer Dusty Springfield 's 1982 album , see White Heat ( album ) . White Heat Directed by Raoul Walsh Produced by Louis F. Edelman Written by Virginia Kellogg ( story ) Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts Starring James Cagney , Virginia Mayo , Edmond O'Brien Music by Max Steiner Cinematography Sid Hickox Distributed by Warner Bros . Release date ( s ) September 2 , 1949 ( U.S. release ) Running time 114 min . Language English IMDb profile White Heat is a 1949 crime film starring James Cagney , Edmond O'Brien and Virginia Mayo . Directed by Raoul Walsh , it is considered one of the great gangster films and a classic film noir . Plot Spoiler warning : Plot and/or ending details follow . Cody Jarrett ( James Cagney ) is a ruthless , deranged criminal responsible for two murder-filled robberies . He is overly attached to his equally crooked and determined mother , 'Ma ' Jarrett ( Margaret Wycherly ) . When he has one of his splitting headaches , she gives him a drink , with the toast `` Top of the world. '' With the police closing in on him , he confesses to a lesser crime and gets a short sentence of one to three years . 'Big Ed ' Somers ( Steve Cochran ) , Cody 's ambitious , right hand man , has designs on both Cody 's gang and his treacherous wife Verna ( Virginia Mayo ) , so he hires a con , Roy Parker ( Paul Guilfoyle ) , to kill him . In the prison workplace , Parker arranges to drop a heavy piece of machinery on Jarrett , but cellmate Vic Pardo ( film noir veteran Edmond O'Brien ) pushes him out of the way and saves his life . When Ma visits , she insists she 'll take care of Big Ed herself , despite Jarrett 's attempts to dissuade her . He begins to worry and decides to break out . The day of the escape , he learns that she 's dead ( shot in the back by Verna when she confronted Big Ed , though Cody never finds out ) and goes berserk in the mess hall . When Cody escapes , he takes Vic and Roy along , forcing Roy into the trunk of the getaway car . Later , when Roy complains `` It 's stuffy , I need some air. '' , Cody replies `` Oh , stuffy , huh ? I 'll give ya a little air. '' and `` creates '' some airholes by emptying his gun into the trunk . Once out , Cody invites Vic to join his gang both out of gratitude and a genuine liking for his fellow escapee . After dispatching Big Ed , he plans another robbery . The gang targets a company payroll , but is trapped in a chemical plant by police tipped off by Vic , who is actually an undercover treasury agent . Cody climbs the stairs to the top of a gigantic storage tank . When he is hit by a police sniper , he starts shooting holes in the tank , shouting `` Made it , Ma ! Top of the world ! `` just before it goes up in a spectacular explosion . Spoilers end here . Inspiration The character of Cody Jarrett was based on New York murderer Francis Crowley , who engaged in a pitched battle with police in the spring of 1931 at the age of 19 . Executed on January 21 , 1932 , his last words were : `` Send my love to my mother . `` Critical reaction Critical reaction to the film was positive , and today it 's considered a classic . Tim Dirk on the website Greatfilms.org writes that the film may have also inspired many other successful films : `` This classic film anticipated the heist films of the early 50s ( for example John Huston 's 1950 The Asphalt Jungle and Stanley Kubrick 's 1956 The Killing ) , accentuated the semi-documentary style of films of the period ( the 1948 The Naked City ) , and contained film-noirish elements , including the shady black and white cinematography , the femme fatale character , and the twisted psyche of the criminal gangster . `` It was also part of Time 's all-time 100 list . Trivia One of the convicts who passes along Jarrett 's request to find out how his mother is , and then returns the information of her death , is played by legendary athlete Jim Thorpe . The scene was parodied in the film Johnny Dangerously . Weird Al Yankovic 's music video to `` Do n't Download This Song `` includes an obvious reference to the famous `` top of the world '' finale from this film . Quotes `` Made it , Ma ! Top of the world ! `` was picked as number 18 of AFI 's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes . Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to : White Heat Verna : Cody , my radio wo n't work . Cody : Whuddya want for it , unemployment insurance ? Awards The movie was nominated for a Best Writing , Motion Picture Story at the Oscars and was nominated for Best Motion Picture at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards . In 2003 , the National Film Preservation Board deemed the film `` culturally significant '' and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry . External links White Heat at the Internet Movie Database Greatest Films Web Site Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Francis Crowley at * The Internet Crime library Edmond O'Brien Categories : 1949 films | Crime films | Film noir | Heist films | Thriller films | United States National Film Registry | Warner Bros. films | English-language films White Heat singer Dusty Springfield 's 1982 album White Heat ( album ) White Heat WhiteHeat.jpg 0042041 Raoul Walsh Virginia Kellogg ( story ) Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts James Cagney , Virginia Mayo , Edmond O'Brien Louis F. Edelman Max Steiner Sid Hickox Warner Bros . September 2 , 1949 ( U.S. release ) 114 min . English 0042041 White Heat 