Smart Money (1931)

Directed by Alfred E. Green. Starring Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Noel Francis, Ralf Harolde, Evalyn Knapp, Margaret Livingston, Morgan Wallace.

The one and only big screen pairing of Cagney and Robinson may disappoint those who tune in for that reason alone—filmed between the releases of Robinson’s breakthrough Little Caesar and Cagney’s star-making turn in The Public Enemy, Cagney is second fiddle almost to the point of afterthought compared to Robinson. Edward G. plays a barber who’s also a tremendously lucky gambler, but thanks in part to his weakness for blondes, he falls victim to cheating con artists when he tries taking that luck to the big city gambling dens. Although Cagney’s wings are clipped, Robinson is in his element and carries the picture by pure style and inimitable charisma. Pity there’s not much story, the ending is rushed and anti-climactic, and the “good girl” character (Knapp) is so forgettable compared to femme fatale Francis. The condescending treatment of the black help is also hard to take, even from a historical perspective. Look for an unbilled Boris Karloff near the beginning.

64/100