"A Slight Case of Murder"

A few months ago, we watched an old gangster movie and got to discussing prototypical gangster actors, throwing out names like Humphrey Bogart and Alan Ladd. Of course, the name of Edward G. Robinson came up, and I decided to put Robinson movies in our online rental queue. One that I was looking forward to was this one, because of the description: "a breakneck-paced comedy starring Edward G. Robinson as a tough but good-hearted bootlegger."

We finally got the DVD in, and we were so delighted with this movie. "Slight Case..." was a complete surprise, although the credits should have warned us of the mirth to come. The story is from a story by Damon Runyon, one of America's most gifted humorists, and his skewed look at life translates well onto the screen.

The story of Remy Marco, a bootlegger who goes legit when Prohibition is repealed, is delightfully portrayed by Robinson, who is equally at home handling drama and comedy. Marco is a man who made his fortune selling beer during Prohibition, and when Prohibition is repealed, the good-hearted gangster tells his mob that they are now salesmen for his now-legitimate brewery. The only problem is that while Marco's beer sold well during Prohibition, it is actually a pretty putrid beverage. With other beers now available, Marco's Gold Velvet beer tanks on the market, forcing him into financial crisis.

Deciding to go on vacation, Marco rents a summer home in Saratoga and takes his family away for a rest. However, the bodies of a gang that has just pulled a half-million dollar robbery are in an upstairs bedroom, waiting to be discovered, just has his daughter's fiance, a newly-minted state trooper comes to visit. The scene where Marco and his boys decide where to stash the bodies is not to be missed, as we howled at the reasoning for the apportioning of the stiffs throughout the community. One body, No-Nose Cohen, is to be put on another bootlegger's doorstep because he's ugly.

This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time, and is a treat not to be missed. (BTW: two of Hollywood's great character actors, Allen Jenkins and Ruth Donnelly give stellar performances, showing why they had such long careers in the movies.)