Directed By: Alfred E. Green
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp
Line from the film: "Well, you're a cute little package"
Trivia: While appearing in this movie, James Cagney was simultaneously filming The Public Enemy
Smart Money was Edward G. Robinson’s follow-up to Little Caesar, the 1931 crime film that made him a household name. But more than this, Smart Money marks the only time that Warner’s two most recognizable gangsters, Robinson and James Cagney, shared the big screen.
The proprietor of a barber shop in a small backwater town, Nick "The Barber" Venizelos (Robinson) is also one hell of a gambler. He’s so good, in fact, that his friends, including co-worker Jack (Cagney), stake him $10,000 to send Nick to the big city, where he can sit in on some real action.
Once there, Nick meets Marie (Noel Francis), an employee of the hotel where he’s staying, and she tells him that big-time gambler Hickory Short is hosting a poker game later that night. Hoping to strike it rich, Nick sits in for a few hands, only to lose the entire $10,000 to Hickory and his pals. The next day, Nick makes a startling discovery: the man claiming to be Hickory Short is, in reality, Sleepy Sam (Ralf Harolde), a con man and notorious cheater.
Nick does eventually get even with Sleepy, but has bigger fish to fry, and within a few months, has set up his own illegal gambling parlor. A careful man, Nick ensures there’s no paper trail linking him to the establishment, but that won’t stop District Attorney Black (Morgan Wallace), who is bound and determined to run Nick out of town.
Despite what the posters may lead you to believe, Smart Money is, start to finish, Edward G. Robinson’s movie. At the same time he was making this film, James Cagney was smack-dab in the middle of shooting his own breakout picture The Public Enemy. So he wasn’t yet the star that Robinson had become.
With the character of Nick the Barber, Eddie G. got a chance to play a more sympathetic gangster than Rico in Little Caesar (Nick is quick to hand over money to those in need, and makes sure his friends are always taken care of). Though Nick does prove on occasion he’s not to be trifled with (he is ruthless as hell when taking his revenge on Sleepy Sam), he remains a decent enough guy through most of the picture, and we can’t help but root for him.
As an added bonus, keep an eye out for a pre-Frankenstein Boris Karloff, who shows up briefly as a degenrate gambler.
With a strong story and an ending that’s far from upbeat, Smart Money proved the perfect vehicle for Robinson, who, in the span of less than a year, showed the world he could play vicious hoods and nice guys, and do both equally well.
1 comment:
I once asked my dad why he liked Edward G Robinson so much. And he said, "You've got to love a guy who's that ugly who can become a top movie star."
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