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Hard to Handle (1933)
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Overview
User Rating:
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Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
28 January 1933 (USA)
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Tagline:
Hey, Folks!... I'm back!
Plot:
Small time con artist Lefty Merrill has co-organized a crooked dance marathon and set-up his girlfriend to win the prize money...
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Plot Keywords:
Dance
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Dance Marathon
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Model
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Grapefruit
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Publicist
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User Reviews:
Precode features the boundless energy of James Cagney
See more (8 total) »
Cast
(in credits order) (verified as complete) | James Cagney | ... | Myron C. 'Lefty' Merrill |
 | Mary Brian | ... | Ruth Waters |
| Allen Jenkins | ... | Marathon Radio Announcer |
| Ruth Donnelly | ... | Lil Waters |
| Claire Dodd | ... | Marlene Reeves |
| Robert McWade | ... | Charles G. Reeves |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Don Brodie | ... | Sound Man (uncredited) |
| Berton Churchill | ... | Col. H.D.X. Wells (uncredited) |
| Davison Clark | ... | Federal Man #2 (uncredited) |
| Clay Clement | ... | Federal Man #1 (uncredited) |
| G. Pat Collins | ... | Dance Judge (uncredited) |
| Jack Crawford | ... | Ralph Blackman - Band Leader (uncredited) |
 | Mary Doran | ... | Dance Contestant (uncredited) |
| Lester Dorr | ... | Ed - Photographer (uncredited) |
| Douglass Dumbrille | ... | District Attorney (uncredited) |
| Emma Dunn | ... | Mrs. Hawks (uncredited) |
| Charles Eaton | ... | Hotel Bellboy (uncredited) |
| Bess Flowers | ... | Merrill's Secretary (uncredited) |
| June Gittelson | ... | Fat Girl with Hamburger (uncredited) |
| Gavin Gordon | ... | John Hayden (uncredited) |
| Grace Hayle | ... | Fat Lady with Vanishing Cream (uncredited) |
| Sterling Holloway | ... | Andy Heaney (uncredited) |
| Harry Holman | ... | Colonel's Associate (uncredited) |
 | Tenen Holtz | ... | Tailor (uncredited) |
| Eddie Kane | ... | Grapefruit Acres Executive (uncredited) |
| Lew Kelly | ... | Hash-Slinger (uncredited) |
| Louise Mackintosh | ... | Mrs. O.H.P. Weston-Parks (uncredited) |
| Eric Mayne | ... | Bedford College Dignitary (uncredited) |
| Larry McGrath | ... | Dance Observer (uncredited) |
| Matt McHugh | ... | Joe Goetz (uncredited) |
| Henry Otho | ... | Dance Worker Owed Three Weeks' Wages (uncredited) |
| Fred Santley | ... | Grapefruit Acres Radio Announcer (uncredited) |
| Cliff Saum | ... | Streetcar Conductor (uncredited) |
| John Sheehan | ... | Ed 'Mac' McGrath (uncredited) |
| Stanley Smith | ... | Vocalist with Ralph Blackman's Band (uncredited) |
| Harry Strang | ... | Water Sprayer (uncredited) |
| William H. Strauss | ... | Mr. Abe Goldstein (uncredited) |
| Charles Sullivan | ... | Dance Observer (uncredited) |
| Walter Walker | ... | Bedford College Representative (uncredited) |
| Charles C. Wilson | ... | Jailer (uncredited) |
| Jack Wise | ... | Florida Hotel Clerk (uncredited) |
| Allen Wood | ... | Florida Hotel Bellboy (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Mervyn LeRoy | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Houston Branch | (story) | |
| Robert Lord | (screenplay) and | |
| Wilson Mizner | (screenplay) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Cliff Hess | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Barney McGill | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| William Holmes | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Robert M. Haas | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Orry-Kelly | (gowns) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Perc Westmore | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| C.A. Riggs | .... | sound (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| John Ellis | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Kenneth Green | .... | second camera operator (uncredited) | |
| Scotty Welbourne | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| William P. Whitley | .... | assistant camera (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Eugene Joseff | .... | costume jeweller (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Leo F. Forbstein | .... | conductor | |
Production Companies
- Warner Bros. Pictures (as Warner Bros. Pictures & The Vitaphone Corporation)
- Warner Bros. Pictures (1933) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures & The Vitaphone Corporation)
Additional Details
Also Known As:
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
78 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #2786)
Company:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
'Mary Brian (I)' replaced Carole Lombard, who refused the role.See more »
Soundtrack:
Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)See more »
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.See more (8 total) »
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An 
company.
This is a great little film that demonstrates everything that was fun about the Warner Brothers precodes. There are dance marathons, scams aplenty with Cagney's character at the center of them all - sometimes knowingly sometimes not, and that precode actress you'd just love to strangle - Claire Dodd.
Ruth (Mary Brian) is in love with Cagney's character, but Ruth's gold-digging mother Lil (Ruth Donelly) wants to make sure Ruth marries money. When Cagney is doing well, Lil's all for him as a future son-in-law. When he's not, she's after a photographer - " a 25000 dollar a year man" - as she describes him. The girls dress alike and Lil is always referring to herself and her daughter as "we", as in "we love you" or "we can't marry a pauper like that". Cagney plays an advertising promoter whose ideas sometimes work and sometimes don't, but always to comic effect. This film is not on DVD or VHS, so chances are you've never heard of it. Another interesting tidbit - Ruth Donelly and Mary Brian are actually only about ten years apart in age, yet play mother and daughter pretty effectively. Highly recommended for the silliness of it all.