MovieChat Forums > The Public Enemy (1931) Discussion > Was the Grapefruit scene ad-libbed?

Was the Grapefruit scene ad-libbed?

posted 13 years ago by kartoon-1
6 replies | jump to latest

According to one Hollywood rumour, the script actually called for Cagney to back-hand Mae Clarke in the face, but Cagney didn't have the heart to even pretend to slug a woman. So at the crucial moment he went for the grapefruit instead.

Which worked out well in the end anyway. It created a classic moment.
After all there were plenty of gangster movies in the day showing a woman getting manhandled.
But how many of them show a grapefruit getting shoved in her face?

[–] vice69 13 years ago

or getting dragged by the hair, kicked in the arse, and flung across a hallway like in 'lady killers'. lol. cagney disliked clark very much it seems. haha.

-Wanna Feel How Hard I Can Punch?-

[–] digitaldiva 13 years ago

Hi vice69,

I just read Cagney's autobiography, Cagney on Cagney. He said that the grapefruit scene was based on an actual occurrence, a gangster threw an omlette in his girl's face. He said Wellman decided a grapefruit was less messy. By the way, Cagney hated hitting, dragging, kicking or flinging women and fought Warner's about it. The celebration of violence towards women was one of the issues brought up by the Hays Office.

[–] Piperson 11 years ago

I think I heard Wellman say that he had fantasized doing that to his own wife over the breakfast table.

There is a wonderful TCM documentary on Wellman that is shown from time to time. I think I saw it there.

[–] MayoGalway 11 years ago

read thetrivia page for the complete story. very interesting

[–] l-condotta 10 years ago

But Cagney did slap a woman around in the film, after he spends the night "under the care" of Paddy's girl. When he comes to the breakfast table with no recollection of what happened the night before, and she informs him, he angrily slaps her across the face and storms out.

There was no fruit handy on that table, after all :)

[–] marktayloruk (2590) 3 years ago

Heard that Mae's exhusband saw the film over and over again