Cagney

In 1956, James Cagney used a 4-H film to urge youth to protect natural resources, carrying forward a soil-conservation interest sparked at age 11

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From a New York City childhood to two farms: James Cagney's lifelong bond with the land. (Wikimedia Commons)

Long before he became a Hollywood star, there was an 11-year-old in New York City sitting through a lecture on soil conservation. It’s not exactly an exciting plan for most children. Yet, according to 4-H History Preservation Newsthat talk stayed with James Cagney for life. The Academy Award-winning actor later appeared in a 1956 4-H … Read more

In 1940, actor James Cagney bought hundreds of acres of California grassland; decades later the remaining 417 acres became a protected wildlife corridor

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In 1940, actor James Cagney bought hundreds of acres of California grassland; decades later the remaining 417 acres became a protected wildlife corridor

For decades, the grasslands outside Ramona, California, looked much as they had for generations: open country, seasonal pools and wide stretches of native vegetation broken by grazing land. As reported by the local news report, The San Diego Union-Tribune, among the people who once owned part of this landscape was Hollywood actor James Cagneywho acquired … Read more