HARD TO HANDLE.
James Cagney & Ruth Donnelly,
Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Claire Dodd.
Dir: Mervyn Le Roy, 1933, Warner Bros.

SYNOPSIS:
The success story of an undefeatable PR guy. It's main attraction is the portrayal of 30s fads such as marathon dances and (suitably enough) grapefruit diets.

"What is usually not realised is that most of the scripts we were forced to do were acutely dreadful. Once I got such a script and asked the producer if he had read it. 'Of course I've read it' he said. Genuinely incredulous, I said 'Do you really want to do it?' and he said 'We've got to do it. The picture is already sold. We've got a million dollar profit in the kitty already - before the first camera rolls. What are you going to do - argue with a million bucks?' "
- Jimmy Cagney.

REVIEWS:
"Hokum this time instead of the realism that boosted him to stardom."
- Variety.
"A violent, slangy, down-to-the-pavement affair which has many a mirthful moment."
- Mordaunt Hall.