The Widow from Chicago

A gangster film that's certainly not top-tier, but entertaining nonetheless, with a lively plot, the inimitable Edward G. Robinson, and a strong female character played by Alice White. While I loved seeing White on the screen though, unfortunately her acting was weak and not completely up to the role. It would have been interesting to see the complete film before the musical numbers were all cut, as it's kind of hard to imagine what that must have been like. As it is though, not bad if you like Robinson or White.

Alice White stars in this 1930 crime drama that also boasts an early starring role for Edward G. Robinson. He plays a nightclub owner and bootlegger; she plays the widow. She shows up in his club looking for work and claiming to be the widow of a gangster (Neil Hamilton) who was killed when he jumped off a train in an attempt to escape the cops. In reality she's the sister of the cop who was tracking Hamilton. Now she's out to track down her brother's killer.

Smart dialog and solid story here with White in a slightly different role. Although she masquerades as a floozie she's really a pretty smart cookie as she leads to police to her brother's killer. Although the setting is a nightclub, White does not do a musical number (perhaps cut from the final print?) as she usually does in her talkies.

Although White was not an actress in the way Bette Davis or Joan Crawford were, she's got a great screen presence and holds her own here in scenes with the great Robinson. Hamilton is also solid as the undead gangster who returns to cause problems for White.

Co-stars include Frank McHugh, Harold Goodwin (as the brother), Betty Francisco, Brooks Benedict, and Anne Cornwall and Dorothy Mathews as the dance hall babes.

Worth a look.

Considering that in the panoply of gangster movies this 1930 WB picture starring Edward G Robinson is usually ignored, it's surprisingly entertaining and actually pretty good. Compared with the dour LITTLE CAESAR made a couple of months later, in terms of depth and character development it's incredibly shallow but it's a lot more fun.

The story is stupid but somehow also great: sister of a murdered policeman infiltrates EGR's crime outfit to see that justice is done. Fortunately this was made at the very end of 1930; that's the post 'sound-on-disc' era, so production standards are fine with lots of dynamic camerawork giving this a lively, almost modern feel. Veteran director Edward Cline was not however one for evoking a modern feel. He doesn't do anything special with this so consequently the effect is a little pedestrian but it's lively enough to keep your interest.

Although EGR is now seen as the star of this, it was made as a vehicle for Alice White to demonstrate that she could play a serious dramatic role, an aspiration sadly unachieved. It's painful for me to admit this but Alice White is pretty awful in this. She had been fantastic portraying her iconic 'flapper' character in a series of fabulous fun films in the late 20s but with the approach of The Depression, audiences' tastes were changing. Warner Brothers/First National therefore decided to make no more musicals, no more silly Alice White films! This film bizarrely started life itself as a musical but all those numbers were edited out - thus the short running time.

Alice White needed to prove that she could act in proper dramatic films, effectively this was her auditioning for a new career. As a massive fan of her's, this film is really upsetting to watch. She looks like a dream in this, she's drop dead gorgeous and a flutter of her eyelids makes you melt into a heap but as an actress.... oh dear, she's truly awful. She just can't do it, she lacks any depth and is utterly unbelievable. Her co-star EGR described her as 'completely lacking any acting ability' and you wonder what must have been going through this trained actor's mind as he tried to do a serious scene with her.

Although she would make one more picture for WB/First National, THE NAUGHTY FLIRT, which is brilliant, this was the nail in her acting career. It's a fun, exciting, rip-roaring crime picture, albeit a bit too simplistic but it's difficult for an Alice White fan to watch this without shedding a silent tear.

Widow from Chicago, The (1930)

** (out of 4)

Early gangster film from Warner has Alice White playing Polly Henderson, a woman who sees her brother get gunned down by a bunch of thugs. The woman pretends to be the widow of another gangster who is presumed dead and she crashes in on thug Dominic (Edward G. Robinson) to try and find out who killed her brother. THE WIDOW FROM CHICAGO is a fairly entertaining film that's going to mainly play to those who want to see Robinson in the role of a gangster a year before he became a star with LITTLE CAESAR. There's really nothing to compare in terms of the two performances as it's clear Robinson was still trying to find it acting chops. He's certainly good here but it's easy to see why this film didn't make him a star. It should go without saying but there's very little going on with the screenplay other than a few twists and turns that most viewers are going to pick up on long before they happen. The screenplay itself is pretty silly as there are all sorts of wacky things that happen including the entire bit with the real gangster (Neil Hamilton) who's supposed to be dead showing back up and throwing a wrench in the plans of White. The twist in what happens to Robinson is downright silly and so far-fetched that you almost have to laugh at it. As for White, she's certainly not in the same league as the legends from this era and while her performance is far less from what I'd consider good, there's no doubt that she has a presence on the screen. Her and Robinson do fine work together and certainly help the weak material. The supporting cast offers up Frank McHugh playing the comic bit but he doesn't get a chance to do too much. In the end this is a pretty forgettable film but the addition of Robinson makes it worth viewing for fans of his or the genre.

And I'll support that conclusion. However, I must preface my commentary by acceding to a predilection for Alice White's performances. I adore her no-apologies-for-pert, straight-ahead style that was the antithesis of 'real' actors who rolled their R's and eyes at every opportunity.

We are introduced to Polly (Alice White) and Jimmy (Harold Goodwin) as new tenants by the neighbors' gossiping. Are they married? The question remains unanswered until just before Jimmy, the precinct's newbie detective, leaves for work. The clever script puts a smile on your face just as Jimmy waves at his sister, Polly from the street, and becomes a drive-by shooting victim.

The scripts' powerful counterpoints and wit are enhanced by director Edward Cline's smart pacing and Sol Polito's brilliant photography. The avenging Polly, masquerades to mob boss Dominic (Edward G. Robinson) as the widow of a dead associate of the gang. But she becomes trapped in his office when the 'widow's husband returns from the dead. When Dominic goes out to meet him, we are left with a great insert of the edge of the office door. Slightly ajar, we watch it in anticipation while Dominic meets Polly's 'dead' husband. Will she make a break for it? Will Swifty confront her? Your mind races as the camera holds on that door. It's bravura filmmaking, and Cline keeps it coming. By the way, Polly embraces her 'husband' whispering "go along, I'm on the spot". The excitement's just beginning, Swifty is only too happy to go home with his 'wife'.

Neil Hamilton handles his role as Swifty Dorgan with effective menace, and Polly goes from being on the spot in Dominic's office to being in a spot behind her own (now locked) door. Frank McHugh's got a fine bit as one of Dominic's hentchmen 'Slug', and advises his fellow thug, Mullins, to give up the girl he can't get along with. Slug's smugness melts, however, when Mullins returns the girl's key only to discover the key is to Slug's girlfriend's apartment.

Earl Baldwin's script has plenty of sparks left, and Polito takes the shootout in the dark to a new level when a spotlight is introduced: not only being shot at, but everything its prowling eye touches gets killed. You'll wonder why Little Caesar is famous after seeing this terrific gangster film.