Watchingwell 

                                         Curated classic films

Starring

Edward G. Robinson

     

     With the dying words, "Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico?" in the 1931 film, Little Caesar, directed by Mervyn Leroy, Edward G. Robinson, in his portrayal of Rico Bandello, established himself as the iconic American gangster, see? -- which is ironic since in real life, Robinson was a sophisticated and serious man, a  thoughtful actor, an art lover and passionate collector.  Born  Emanuel Goldenberg in Bucharest, Romania in 1893, he came to New York with his family at the age of ten, and later attended City College, where he abandoned other career ambitions for acting.

     Although, for many, he would always be identified with the snarling gangster persona of  Rico Bandello, he was convincing in many kinds of roles in his career.  I recently watched one of my favorites, A Slight Case of Murder (1938), and admired once again his skills in comedy. In this story, based on the Damon Runyan/Howard Lindsay play, Robinson plays Remy Marco, a bootlegger who decides to go legit after prohibition is repealed. By spoofing his own gangster roles, he presides over a loyal crew of henchmen who try to protect him from the true reason he is going broke:  his beer is awful. This is one hilarious romp, with bodies being shifted to hide from the daughter's prospective in-laws, a charity orphan from hell, an assassin on the loose, and the loot from an armored car robbery, all expertly combined by director, Lloyd Bacon.



     Robinson made an earlier comedy, The Little Giant from 1933, a gem of pre-code Hollywood with a similar role as a bootlegger without a business after prohibition ends.  In this case, the character, Bugs Ahern, decides to start a completely new life in California with plans to move into high society. Playing the former tough guy as a fish out of water with the upper crust types, Robinson becomes the exploited in the power dynamics of his new milieu.  Mary Astor plays an ex-heiress who coaches Robinson on how to fit into legit society, and finds herself falling for him.  Directed by Roy Del Ruth.



     As luck would have it, Turner Classic Movies is honoring Robinson this month and I was able to watch another  favorite, Robinson as the Nazi hunter after Orson Welles in the 1946

film, The Stranger.  Also starring Loretta Young in a strong performance, Robinson's character quietly convinces her that the man she has just married has another identity -- that of a wanted ex-Nazi, and makes Welles' character increasingly desperate to escape. Directed with a thrilling finish by Orson Welles.

   Another non-gangster dramatic role was the character, Barton Keyes, the insurance pro closing in on his colleague, Walter Neff, played by Fred MacMurray, in Double Idemnity from 1944. Whereas most people focus on the top-billed MacMurray and costar, Barbara Stanwyck, and the expert direction of Billy Wilder, I thought Robinson's character and his relentless pursuit of his suspicions, which finally drove MacMurray's character over the edge, was central to the success of the film.



     Back to comedy and a particular favorite, Brother Orchid,  from 1940, was another gangster role for Robinson. This time he was the victim of a "hostile takeover" from the number 2 man in his organization, played by Humphrey Bogart, who was still in pre-Maltese Falcon career mode. Running for his life, Robinson is given shelter by a group of monks who raise flowers for their income and lead a monastic life that completely baffles him. Finally, he is won over by their kindness and generosity and realizes he can no longer defend his former life against their moral certainty. Also starring the dependable moll, Joan Blondell who helps him make things right. Directed by Lloyd Bacon.

    Larceny, Inc. (1942) is a comedy gem, where Robinson, again, is a gangster who buys a leather goods shop because it shares a wall with a bank his gang is planning to rob by drilling through from the cellar. To evade detection, boss, Robinson, limits the drilling to nights, which requires that the shop stays open, doing business, as long as the  process takes.  It happens that this is the Christmas season and business is brisk.  Robinson, who has no interest in the shop or making a profit, begins giving customers whatever they want just to get rid of them.  In a short time, he realizes he is being incredibly successful in his leather business, and rethinks the bank plan, to the dismay of the gang. Also starring Jane Wyman, Jack Carson, Broderick Crawford, and Anthony Quinn.  Directed by Lloyd Bacon.

     Robinson was back as the gangster in Key Largo from 1948 in an all-star cast led by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, with Lionel Barrymore and Claire Trevor.  Directed by John Huston, Johnny Rocco was as mean and demented a character as Rico Bandello, although more likely to direct his thugs to do the dirty work, and Robinson played him with sinister bravado. The gang takes everyone hostage in Barrymore's hotel while waiting for their escape boat, and things get pretty tense as a hurricane makes landfall.



     

In the film adaptation of Arthur Miller's All My Sons (1948), Robinson excels as the man who knowingly sold defective airplane parts to the government during the war. Worse, he framed his partner to take the blame, sending him  to prison. Things become unraveled for him when his surviving son, played by Burt Lancaster, (the other son is presumed lost in action) announces that he is marrying the daughter of his wrongly imprisoned partner. In spite of his unforgivable choices, Robinson allows us to see his pain as his family realizes the inescapable consequences of his crime. Directed by Irving Reis.





     

Robinson's 101st and last role (he died right after the filming ) was in the cult classic, Soylent Green, from 1973. Directed by Richard Fleischer, and starring Charlton Heston, Robinson is poignant as Sol Roth, Heston's old partner, who remembers when life was better.  The science fiction story plays like a mystery, scattering clues which the audience probably puts together by the end. The dystopian view of what life will be like in 2022. EEEK!