Smart Money (1931)

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Edward G. Robinson is flashy but vulnerable as a lucky barber who aspires to become a big city gambler. Encouraged by his success in the backroom dice game in his barber shop, Robinson convinces his friends that he's got the touch, borrows a stake, and heads off to make his fortune. The obstacles he encounters include crooked hotel gamblers as well as a cigarette girl who tricks him out of a $100 bill. However, persistence and some shady tricks of his own eventually land Edward G. at the top of his profession: Nick the Barber runs the biggest gambling joint in town. Unfortunately, the D.A. looks askance at gamblers, however charismatic, and while the first section of the story shows Nick's rise to fame, the bulk of the picture deals with the personal and legal dangers that threaten to bring him down. James Cagney is fine in what is definitely a secondary role as Robinson's friend and chief assistant. Evalyn Knapp turns up late in the story as a depressed young woman who is rescued and taken in by Robinson. Cagney is sure she's a spy working for the D.A. and looking for evidence; Robinson trusts her completely. How will it all shake out? Whom can you trust, anyway?Like many of these early 30s dramas, this film offers no pat ending or definite moral message...it's a tale about taking a shot and stopping at nothing. Edward G. Robinson's performance, self-assured and stubbornly optimistic, makes it worth watching.Quick cast note: Boris Karloff has a bit as a shadowy figure who loses $100 to Edward G. early in the picture. Interesting that during this same year both Karloff and Cagney would see their careers take off.

Fluffy and Breezy Pre-Code Star-Combo Featuring Robinson and Cagney in a Somewhat Whimsical Tale of a Small Town Gambler Pooling Friends and Money to Score Big Time. Made on the Coat Tails of Little Caesar (1931) and Shot Simultaneously with Public Enemy (1931) Robinson was a "Shooting" Star and Cagney's Signature Role was Yet to be Released. Their On Screen Scenes are a Joy to Watch and the Movie isn't Bad Either. It's All Handled with Such a Soft Touch it is "Gangster Lite". It Emphasizes Character and Both Cagney and Robison Bring It All Home, Supported by a Bevy of Blondes and Some Sharp Story Turns.Pre-Code Stuff is Evident Throughout, the Most Glaring is the Racial Rubbing of a Negroes Head for Luck, Not Once, Not Twice, but Three Times. Another is the More Subtle, but Hardly Unnoticeable, Homo-Erotic Relationship Between the Two Leads that is Presented as a Maybe, but Maybe Not, Depending.Overall, Definitely Worth a Watch as an Artifact of its Time Featuring a Number of Popular Culture Flourishes, like Poker Dice at Checkout Counters for Customers to "Gamble" for Merchandise. There are Other Neat Surprises, but the Star Billing is the Main Attraction.Note...The Story was nominated for an Oscar.

Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Cagney team up in their only picture together(strangely enough). Robinson plays Nick, an immigrant Greek barber who loves to gamble and can't stay away from a poker game or betting. Cagney plays Jack, his good friend who is amused by him, and he and their other friends bankroll him in a big betting game in the city, though Nick's weakness for women gets him cleaned out in a rigged game, Nick decides to get even by joining in on the racket, which makes him rich at first, but of course things later go wrong, though Jack does what he can to help. The two top actors are once again the whole show in otherwise familiar picture that works because of their star-power.

It seems that several cast members sneak a lot of Yiddish within some of the quick dialog. I know that Cagney, brought up in the lower East Side, did actually insert Yiddish into some of his finished product. Seems odd that this would happen. Appreciate it if someone might elaborate as to if mixtures of different languages/dialects were actually permitted in final takes. Obviously this would save funds on retakes and let a well done scene pass through. Perhaps since this film was done in '31,it didn't matter too much. Yet, much of the dialog is hard to decipher in spots. I enjoyed the film. A cute piece of height of the depression era entertainment.