Comedy | Crime | Romance | Pre-Code | USA | B&W | 78min | Director: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: James Cagney, Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, Claire Dood, Ruth Donnelly, Robert McWade Hard to Handle is a pre-code comedy starring James Cagney, with support from Ruth Donnelly as his gold digging future mother-in-law, and pretty Mary Brian as his girlfriend. A precode proto-screwball con-job movie with James Cagney at the centre of it. The tone is irreverent with some good depression-era populism sprinkled in.