Review of Lady Killer (1933) by Michael G — 13 Mar 2010

3: It starts out almost exactly like the Robinson/Cagney picture Smart Money from a couple years earlier, but they weren't so lazy as to completely remake the picture., as it becomes rather strikingly original after a bit.

It haven't seen too many films from the 1930's that so readily poke fun at Hollywood and expose its artificiality, which the scenes in which Cagney is discovered and rises through the ranks of Hollywood actors.

Cagney was definitely a different kind of star from what audiences were typically offered. He is no Barrymore, Fairbanks, Valentino, etc. I can't quite imagine Cary Grant, or many other stars of the day, pulling a woman across the floor by her hair and then kicking her out the door.

And of course Cagney doesn't reserve the face pushes for women alone, as more than one male falls victim here. The swiveling of car's steering wheels back and forth is so ridiculous though. I'll never get over it.

This is an extremely entertaining picture though. It works the entire way through and went places I scarcely anticipated.