King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein

David Janssen is Arnie Rothstein, running the bookie racket with Burke ( Mickey Rooney is grown-up Burke. and keep an eye out for his son Tim, as a young Burke.) the awesome Jack Carson, who could play anything, is in here as Mister Big. William Demarest and Regis Toomey are here in supporting roles. Keenan Wynne. the usual gangsta antics of the 1920s and 1930s. in this one, we see how bored his wife is, while Rothstein is busy raking in the dough, or getting busted. Original novel by Leo Katcher. Directed by twice-nominated Joe Newman. based on the the real Arnie Rothstein. it's okay. and LONG.

With a screenplay by Jo Swerling, this should have been a dynamite movie. However, with direction by Joseph M. Newman, it winds up being a pointless B movie. No action, no movement, not even really any clear character....

Given a desire to portray an enigmatic character, David Janssen was a potentially perfect choice for the role of Arnold Rothstein, boss gambler and the man who may have fixed the 1919 World Series. Janssen had a striking ability to show an intelligent character clearly engaged in the moment even as he evaluates the situation disinterestedly, an acting ability that he used to perfection on the small screen in both THE FUGITIVE and HARRY O. Yet, except for his scenes with Mickey Rooney (who finally got the chance in this movie to stretch himself in a real acting assignment and comes off as the best in the cast), we get little of that. Instead we get a movie in which each plot point is mechanically foreshadowed and then shown in a rather dull fashion.

There are a few standout performances: Dan O'Herlihy as the corrupt cop is great, but all he does is make you wish the movie is about him. What's going on in his mind and why? Joseph Schildkraut handles his couple of scenes with dignity and care. Jack Carson slides through his role as the head gangster in his typical bluff, understated manner. But the center of this movie starts nowhere, leads nowhere and takes no advantage of any of the strengths of the talents involved.

When I first started going to the movies, I found many actors who had such charisma, I found I was overwhelmed with their persona. Thus it was when I came to select, David Janssen as my all time favorite star. I have seen every movie he has ever made. The good, the bad and the ones I believe, he should have passed by. This is one such film. I so admire Janssen that he is super cool as a private detective, like Richard Diamond, crafty as O'Hara Treasury Agent and he is ultra believable as the innocent escapee, in the TV series, The Fugitive. But although he portrayed 1920's gangster Arnold Rothstein, he is far from threatening enough to personify the infamous double dealing, backstabbing hoodlum who became notorious during the age of the flapper. Furthermore, his sidekick Johnny Burke (Mickey Rooney) played his role as an ignorant stooge and thus garnered more sympathy, than admiration. Finally there was Dan O'Hererlihy, terrific as many an Irishman, but overbearing as a corrupt cop. Ultimately, the story of Arnold Rothstein, social criminal and despicable character, will have to wait until, Hollywood finds somebody, deplorable enough to be hated for what he really was. That surely was not my favorite thespian. **

Before watching "King of the Roaring 20's: The Story of Arnold Rothstein", I decided to read up on the man. After all, I'd heard very little about him and had just seen a small amount about him in the Ray Danton film "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond"...so I wanted to know more about his exploits. Well, I am glad I did because as I watched the movie I realized that the script often had little to do with the real Rothstein and even portrayed his murder incorrectly....so I knew to take the film with a grain of salt.

So, if you realize it's mostly fiction, is the film worth seeing? Not especially, as for a gangster film it really didn't have much action nor violence....so you are bound to be disappointed. Also, while I like David Janssen, here he just seemed as if he was tranquilized. My feeling is that if you are going to fictionalize a guy's life, couldn't you ficitonalize a bit of excitement into the script and acting as well??

Is it a buddy picture? A romance? A rise-and-fall story of a big time operator in Prohibition era America? Impossible to tell, because it keeps going back and forth between the different genres. I actually like crime and mystery, so I was hoping to see a crime story in early 60s spartan black and white. But no, this ultimately meaningless romance between Arnold Rothstein and his wife just keeps eating up celluloid.

I don't expect consistency in films about Arnold Rothstein. I've seen four films tackle this material so far, and from the script you couldn't tell that any of them were talking about the same person, but I'm OK with that as long as the script is compelling and coherent. This one is neither. Rothstein takes actions, in particular in regards to his childhood friend grown to partner, Burke (Mickey Rooney) that just make no sense. Even when he tries to explain his actions they make no sense.

The performers are what saves this from being a four out of ten. Even if the director can't seem to convey to the players who exactly they are supposed to be, it is interesting to see them try.