'Paul Cain' was the pseudonym George Carrol Sims, who also used the name Peter Ruric for his screenwriting work. He grew up on the rough streets of Chicago and claimed to have travelled extensively in his early life through central and South America, Europe and north Africa, but little concrete information is available about him apart from the fact that he dated Hollywood actress Gertrude Michael, upon whom the character of Granquist in Fast One is based.