In 1930, she starred in the comedy short film "The Lucky Break" with Harry Fox and in July 1930, "Film Daily" announced that Farrell had been cast as the female lead, Olga Stassoff, in director Mervyn LeRoy's gangster film "Little Caesar". The movie was Farrell's first major film role, co-starring Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Afterwards, she returned to Broadway and starred in "On the Spot" at the Forrest Theater. At the time, Farrell conceded that motion pictures offered immense salaries but felt the theatre was the foundation of the actor's profession. She appeared in several more plays.