During the late 30s and early 40s, Frankie Darro was a most unusual sort of leading man. He was tiny by most standards...jockey-sized even. And yet, in so many of his films he played an honest but tough guy who was good with his fists. There really isn't anyone like him today. In "Tough to Handle" he stars with Kane Richmond, a man known mostly for starring in serials like "Spy Smasher" and other B-movies...and "Tough to Handle" is clearly a B, running at just short of an hour like most of these pictures.
The story begins with an old man realizing he's just won the Irish Sweepstakes. However, what he doesn't know is that the ticket he bought was a forgery...and the real winner already has claimed her purse. The problem is that when he tries to redeem it, he'll learn the truth...and so the gang that sold it to him go to him to get that ticket. In the process, the man is killed and the guys don't find the ticket. That's because his grandson (Darro) is holding the ticket for safekeeping.
A nice guy reporter (Richmond) thinks that the old man didn't die of a heart attack or old age but thinks the gang killed him. However, the old man's grandson and granddaughter can't believe that nice Mr. Franco is behind all this and try as he might, the reporter cannot convince them. Only time will tell...and by then it might be too late, as Franco is more than willing to use muscle or murder to make all this just go away. But the big boss is angry....and wants Franco to just pay off the grandkids and be done with it. What's next?
This film has a decent plot and a few nice story elements, such as the fake drunk. It also, unfortunately, has an ending that is just a bit too clever to be believable...but it's still not enough to ruin the picture. Worth seeing if you get a chance.