The Little Giant

Like every great First National picture, this one starts off quickly, with Edward G. Robinson in full, glorious gangster mode, speaking the classic language of the Prohibition movie gangsters, words like "mugs" and "rods" ornamenting his lines. But there is a twist here: Robinson (as "Bugs" Ahearn, the "Beer Baron"), is going to quit the illegal beer business (since Prohibition has ended), and go straight. In fact, Bugs has a dream: to become successful in high society.

The script is very fast paced and delightful, and in a couple of places, quite shocking, reminding us of how progressive pre-Code Hollywood could be; I almost fell out of my chair when Robinson's flunky and companion Al, when asked by Robinson whether he ever saw a painting like the one in his living room, responds with, "not since I stopped using cocaine"!! Another shocker comes later when Robinson refers to some slimy society people as "fags". Oh dear!

Robinson was an amazing actor. He constantly shifts back and forth between the know-it-all wiseguy bully, and a would be high society snob, who is very unsure of himself. This uncertain, unconfident Robinson, a tough guy who swallows his pride and grovels before his betters, is pleasing to see, and he does it very well. Perhaps one of the great Robinson scenes of all time is when Mary Astor seduces an unsuspecting EGR on a couch. Robinson plays it beautifully, as he has no idea that he is being seduced; and in a delightful moment, when Mary Astor has shyly moved away, sudden realization hits EGR as to what might have just happened. He turns to the camera, and I swear he makes exactly the kind of faces, registering surprise and possible comprehension to the audience, exactly as Oliver Hardy famously did a thousand times in his career. A priceless and lovely moment.

There are many satisfying moments in this film, and I highly recommend this. The early EG Robinson movies are gifts to be treasured, and this is one of the best.

Prohibition ends and gangster boss Bugsy Ahearn, like so many during the depression, finds himself unemployed. What to do? Fortunately, he has laid aside much of his ill-gotten gains and has no money worries. So he decides to improve himself, to acquire some culture and move in elite circles. And therein lies a very funny story.

Edward G. Robinson shows a flair for comedy and shows off some of his immense talent as a social climber who decides to shoot the moon. He moves from Chicago to the West Coast, buys a mansion and falls for a lady from a family of swindlers, and generally falls into a series of mishaps, each one funnier than the last. He gets excellent support from Mary Astor, who becomes his guide to the finer points of becoming 'quality'.

You will gain great respect for Robinson if you've only seen him in tough-guy roles, as he carries the picture as a society naif in this written-for-the-screen comedy. There are no dead spots, either, as the story moves along briskly in an enjoyable 75 minutes. It was shown at Cinefest, Columbus, O., 6/13.

The Little Giant is so adorable, and so entertaining, I accidentally watched it twice without recognizing it until halfway through! I love Edward G. Robinson, so it was no hardship to sit through one of his classically touching films about a gangster who wants to go straight and find class in high society. If you loved him in Brother Orchid, check out The Little Giant.

When Eddie G and his faithful sidekick Russell Hopton go to Santa Barbara after their bootlegging days are over, they're snubbed by high society. Only after his wealth becomes apparent does Eddie G get noticed, and unfortunately by the wrong woman: Helen Vinson. She's a gold-digger and seduces Eddie G while the rest of her family tries to swindle him out of money. This sounds depressing, but like I said, if you liked Brother Orchid, watch this movie. It's cuter and more heart-warming than it sounds. There are tons of jokes as he tries to come across as high class, like calling Plato 'Pluto' and asking what state California is in. Plus, it's always sweet to see Eddie G in a romance, and this time around he gets to fall in love with both Helen and Mary Astor!

How can one not love a great Edward G. Robinson flick? Here he plays a Chicago gangster named 'Bugs' looking to go straight, with a seemingly unhealthy obsession with mingling with "high society" people.

Of course he gets out to California with his buddy, and while keeping his old gangster life a secret, gets involved with a woman who, along with her family, wants to swindle him out of his money. Like a fish out of water, Bugs is out of his element and can't see the scam against him, so blinded by the pretty woman.

The real hilarious thing about "The Little Giant" is that after Bugs realizes he's been scammed, the gangsters then turn into the good guys to make things right. This being a comedy, we laugh as the gangsters even use torture (!) to set things straight, all while cracking jokes. Bugs even refers to the ones who swindled him as (insert gay slur here). Talk about pre-code!

As always, Edward G. Is non-stop, and the film is a tour-de-force for him to showcase his quick wit and razor-sharp delivery. Definitely worth a viewing.

My main reason for seeing 'The Little Giant' was to see fine actor Edward G. Robinson, who was in many great films and always a bright spot, in an early role. A role that was also a relatively different one, with him in comedy it was very different from his tough guy image, so it was interesting to see how he would fare in this regard. Another interest point was the film being one of the first gangster comedies.

'The Little Giant' turned out to be something of a little gem, nothing little about it. Found myself really entertained and relaxed watching it, with the odd shock/surprise thrown into the mix, and it is a shame that 'The Little Giant' is not known more than it is. It won't be one of my favourite films any time soon and won't consider it one of the greats, but it is not very well known at all these days, when there are films that are not particularly good yet make a lot of money and in some cases are popular, and obscurity is where it should be nowhere near close to being near or in. There is so much right with 'The Little Giant' and the not so good things are both barely any and not big at all.

Would have liked 'The Little Giant' to have been longer, an hour and a quarter seemed rather too on the brief side.

Helen Vinson is ever so slightly on the bland side but only in comparison with everybody else.

Robinson however is terrific, he is immensely gifted when it comes to the comic timing and he also gives the right amount of intensity when necessary. He has great chemistry with the cast, namely the very charming and zesty Mary Astor and with Russell Hopton, also very good. The characters are both interesting in personality and worth investing with. Roy DelRuth directs briskly, never allowing the energy or tension of the storytelling to slip (the film being full of both).

Just as good was the tightly structured and sharply witty script, that also had some remarkably ahead of its time content that one is shocked is in the film, the amoral tone likewise. The production values are slick and don't look as though they were made without enthusiasm or care. The film is always engaging and with never a dull spot.

Overall, a little gem. 8/10 Bethany Cox