Raft was meant to remake "The Patent Leather Kid", one of his favorite films and appear in the story of John Dillinger film with Cagney but both projects were called off. Instead he was assigned to "Invisible Stripes" (1939) with William Holden as his brother and Humphrey Bogart in support. Raft was borrowed by Walter Wanger to play a gangster in "The House Across the Bay" (1940), which was a flop. He was cast in "City for Conquest" (1940) but turned down the role and was replaced by Anthony Quinn.