Lady Killer

One of those early madcap comedies that is acted and directed at a whirlwind pace, LADY KILLER is spritely with snappy dialog and James Cagney's irrepressible personality. It's also a grand spoof of Hollywood. The film begins, ironically enough, in New York's Strand Theater, where Cagney is an usher. When he's fired, Cagney turns to crime with Douglas Dumbrille, Russell Hopton, Leslie Fenton, Raymond Hatton, and blond moll Mae Clarke. They practice a "come-on" badger game in which Clarke entices some married sucker into a compromising position so that he'll pay off rather than be exposed. Cagney finds the work repulsive and quits when a gang member is killed. He he...