Lady Killer (1933)

When a movie theater usher is fired, he takes up with criminals and finds himself quite adept at various illegal activities. Eventually though, the police catch up with him, and he runs to ... See full summary »

Director:

Roy Del Ruth

Writers:

Ben Markson (screen play), Lillie Hayward (screen play),

Stars:

James Cagney, Mae Clarke, Margaret Lindsay

Cast

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

Storyline

When a movie theater usher is fired, he takes up with criminals and finds himself quite adept at various illegal activities. Eventually though, the police catch up with him, and he runs to hide out in Los Angeles. There he stumbles into the movie business and soon rises to stardom. He has gone straight, but his newfound success arouses the interest of his old criminal associates, who are not above blackmail...

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Plot Keywords:

blackmail | police | usher | train | gangster | 

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Taglines:

Warner Bros. screen scoop of the year teaming Jimmie again with the girl he slapped all the way from obscurity to fame in "Public Enemy"

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

9 December 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Finger Man

Filming Locations:

Warner Brother Theatre, Hill Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min 76 min (Turner library print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

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).

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Quotes

Lois Underwood: How long have you been in the business?
Dan Quigley: Four days... which just about makes me a supervisor.

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Connections

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Isn't It Heavenly"
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Joseph Meyer
Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg
Played when Myra invites Dan into her apartment.

User Reviews

Fast-paced, exciting Cagney comedy!

If you like James Cagney, and I sure do, you'll love this comedy melodrama from the pre-code years at Warner Brothers. Cagney portrays a cheap hoodlum who falls in with a gang of petty con artists, gets wrapped on the knucklesl by the long arm of the law, and winds up becoming a movie matinee idol. It's fun all the way, with enough wise-cracking dialogue, rapid action, car chases, gunfire, and double-dealing to satisfy any fan of the early gangster films, yet it's a lively, tongue-in-cheek comedy from start to finish. Enjoy!