Product Description

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...Running Time: 76 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/ROMANTIC COMEDY UPC: 883929002733 Manufacturer No: 1000035748

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38311 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-03-25
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Original language: English, Yiddish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 75 minutes

Customer Reviews

Unbeatable pre-code Cagney - great package
"Lady Killer" is now available on DVD and what an entertaining film it is. This film was released just before the imposition of the Hays Code and we can be grateful.

The film stars the magnetic Jimmy Cagney as a bellhop who becomes a con man, flees the police and winds up in Hollywood as a film star. This gives the script the opportunity to satirise a number of genres and the swipes at the studio system are hilarious. Mae Clarke, of the grapefruit from "Public Enemy", stars opposite Cagney as a moll and she is terrific. The film is very well directed by Roy del Ruth and the pace never lets up.

The print is excellent and the DVD comes with some entertaining extras. Drew Casper's commentary centres fully on Cagney and rightly so but he also makes some enlightening remarks about the filming techniques, illustrating how the Warner's product was able to maintain such hectic pacing without spoiling the narrative. Warner's night at the movies is included too and for those who may be interested, the musical short is a rotten short operetta but it stars Jane Froman, immortalised later by Susan Hayward in the musical "With a Song in My Heart".

The DVD is good value but even better if purchased as part of the Gangster Collection Volume 3.

fantastic--but overlooked--vehicle for Jimmy Cagney
Lady Killer is a marvelous, much overlooked vehicle for the great Jimmy Cagney to showcase his numerous talents. Cagney does comedy, his typical gangster type role, a little bit of drama and more in this snappy motion picture.

The action starts when Dan Quigley (Cagney) gets fired from his job as a movie theater usher; and when he gets taken by a group of small time con artists he joins them rather than getting even with them. Soon we meet Mae Clarke as Myra Gale, Duke (Leslie Fenton) and Spade Maddock (Douglas Dumbrille) along with a few more shady characters in the group of con artists.

Things go bad when an accidental murder takes place during a jewel heist; and they eventually all flee to California to escape the heat. Things aren't easy; the cops are still after them but at least in California they have a little breathing room. Just by chance, a couple of studio headhunters find Quigley and offer him a bit part in a movie. Things get even more interesting when Dan Quigley rises to stardom and meets a woman he truly loves, Lois Underwood (Margaret Lindsay).

Of course, the plot can go anywhere from here. Will Quigley and Underwood become a couple? Will the police catch Quigley and his former con artist friends? What if the con artist group catches up with Quigley after he becomes a Hollywood star? No spoilers here, folks--you'll have to watch the movie to find out!

The choreography is very well done in the scenes where Cagney is acting in a film within the film; and the cinematography works well, too.

Overall, this fine Jimmy Cagney vehicle stands the test of time as a very good and underappreciated movie. I highly recommend this film for fans of the great Jimmy Cagney; and people who enjoy classic movies will love this one, too!

Gangster film based somewhat on a true story
The product information on this film lists everyone in the cast but the real star and the reason to watch this film - James Cagney.
1933's "Lady Killer" reteams James Cagney with Mae Clarke, their previous teaming being in Cagney's star vehicle "The Public Enemy". Cagney plays Dan Quigley, a movie usher who gets fired and then falls in with a gang of hoodlums to make ends meet and plus he likes the excitement. However, when a robbery at a mansion goes very wrong, Quigley leaves town and heads for California. There he does well as an actor in the movies until his old gang hears about his success and his past deeds come back to haunt him. Here poor Mae Clarke gets slapped around again, just as she had been in "Public Enemy". No wonder that she looks so worriedly at that grapefruit in the California travel brochure. For those of you who have seen "Public Enemy" you know what I mean. The extra features on this DVD are:
Two exclusive WB shorts: The Camera Speaks and Kissing Time
Original theatrical trailer
WB cartoon: The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives

I'd tell you about the true story this film is based on, but it might be perceived as giving away the ending. This film is part of the larger third volume of The Warner Gangsters, which is a boxed set that is released on the same day as this movie.