Lady Killer (1933)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Rosalind Keating Shaffer (story)
Ben Markson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 December 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Is Hollywood howling ! at this inside story of The Screen Idol Who Threw -?- -?- -?- Out Of His -?- -?- -?- On Her -?- !

Plot:

When a movie theater usher is fired, he takes up with criminals and finds himself quite adept at various illegal activities...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Blackmail | Usher | Rehabilitation | Jail

Cast

James Cagney	...	Dan Quigley
Mae Clarke	...	Myra Gale
Margaret Lindsay	...	Lois Underwood
Leslie Fenton	...	Duke
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Spade Maddock (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Russell Hopton	...	Smiley
Raymond Hatton	...	Pete
Henry O'Neill	...	Ramick
Robert Elliott	...	Detective Joe Brannigan
Marjorie Gateson	...	Mrs. Marley
Willard Robertson	...	Detective Conroy
William B. Davidson	...	Director Williams (as William Davidson)
Douglas Cosgrove	...	Detective Jones

Also Known As:

Finger Man (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

76 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1934) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) (1940)

Filming Locations:

Cocoanut Grove Nightclub, Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Both George Blackwood as "Escort" and John Marsden as "Kendall" are listed in studio records/casting call lists, but they did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. A modern source lists 'Sam Ash' as "Hood,' but that role was played by Lew Harvey.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Cagney's character asks film reviewer "Mr. Blair" into the men's room at The Cocoanut Grove to "discuss" his latest review, all of the stall doors are closed. After Cagney forces him to eat his review, the third stall door is open (no one enters or exits the room during this scene).

Quotes:

Spade Maddock: [admiring an 8 x 10 of Lois Underwood] Friend a yours? You been rubbing noses with all the big shots in the picture business.
Dan Quigley: [chuckling] We'll call it noses if you like.

Movie Connections:

References Dark Hazard (1934)

Soundtrack:

Dancing with Tears in My Eyes

a bit difficult to believe but lots of fun

Jimmy Cagney plays a gangster in this film. However, despite having seen him play such a role in countless other films, this one is unique and well worth seeing because it STILL dares to be different.

Cagney is a wanted man back East, so he gets the idea of going to the West Coast to hang out and wait for things to die down. However, once there he is discovered by Hollywood and stars in gangster films because he is "so natural and believable". Well, despite his very shady past, Cagney tries to go straight and likes the life of a star. However, old associates realize who he is and try to blackmail him.

The film is a light comedy that invigorates the standard gangster genre. For its uniqueness and excellent acting and writing, the film gets an 8.