The Widow from Chicago (1930)

People are voting emotionally.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Edward G. Robinson certainly showed what the movie going public were destined to see in The Widow From Chicago. It was the film immediately proceeding his breakthrough and forever identifiable role as and in Little Caesar.He's got a job to do and need's some out of town talent so he imports Neil Hamilton sight unseen. But the police get wind of it and have a cop gain entree to Robinson's gang by posing as Hamilton. Then Robinson gets wise and the cop is bumped off.After that both Hamilton does show up and the sister of the slain officer shows up claiming to be Hamilton's wife. I have to say these two think fast on their feet and Hamilton decides to not expose Alice White the sister.White was very effective in her role though I think for propriety's sake her sending Hamilton out of her room was a bit much even for 1930 audiences to follow. I mean they could have done a Walls of Jericho like arrangement.It's sad what happened to Neil Hamilton who went from an A list player gradually down to some really horrid B flicks. That strong voice and clear diction should have made him a big star in talkies, bigger than the silent screen. But the man did have a thirst problem. He did bounce back as a character player later on and is now best known as the Caped Crusader's number one fan Commissioner Gordon on Batman.Still this film is Robinson's show, but he had a much bigger show just awaiting him.

I often wondered whatever happened to Alice White, one minute she was the top cutie, the next she had barely any lines in "Murder at Midnight". Then I read where she was causing all sorts of difficulties at First National, being a demanding diva, so when Warner Bros. took control she was quietly shown the door. She did make a comeback playing typical pre-code babes but in her hey day she was everything the public wanted in a movie cutie. Not only did she have the rare privilege of being billed above Edward G. Robinson, she had the rarer distinction of being probably the only person who could make a joke about his lack of height, laugh and get away with it. It all happened in "The Widow From Chicago". Things may have happened for Robinson immediately after this but for now Alice was the star.This is a snappy little movie, Edward G. Robinson is as intense and gives 100% as usual but Alice White and Neil Hamilton have great chemistry and keep the mood light. When Polly's policeman brother is killed trying to impersonate "Swifty" Dorgan, who was last seen jumping into the East River and is presumed dead, Polly becomes "the widow from Chicago" and tries to infiltrate Dominic's (Robinson) empire. The fun starts when "Swifty" (Hamilton) returns from the dead and finds his "wife", much to his surprise is "Palpitating Polly" a dance hall hostess working in Dominic's Crystal Palace Club. He plays along with it - Polly is palpitatingly cute enough to make every man's heart flutter, including Dominic's. Being a pre-coder the wise cracks fall thick and fast - "I'm going to give her a piece of my mind - don't do it, you can't spare it" and "I don't think I recognise her - you ought to you got a good look"!!! But it is surprisingly tame on risqué business - Alice isn't seen in her underwear once!!! There is a scene where "Swifty" tries to impose his husbandly duties (Hamilton is so cute) but Polly isn't having any of that - then "Swifty" spies his missing grip and realises Polly is more than just a pretty face!!!Understandably Robinson is the dominant player, it was only a small stepping stone from Dominic to Rico, all the intensity and mannerisms are there. In this movie he plays a beer baron who is all set to send Polly over to a rival club, whose manager will not buy his "poison", and set up a murder when her dear, departed "Swifty" shows up. By the time "Swifty" is sent over to the club posing as a waiter, Polly, who has learned to care about him, follows him and proves she has the guts and smarts to become either an ace reporter or even a police commissioner!! The thrilling climax has Polly using her big brown eyes to convince Dominic he is the one for her and with the phone off the hook by the aid of a matchstick, the police can all listen in as Dominic confesses to several murders.Robinson was far more relaxed and camera easy than he was in "The Hole in the Wall" and 1930 gave him a variety of roles, including a couple of gangsters, an Italian immigrant and an Oriental. After "The Widow From Chicago" he returned to Broadway for "Mr. Samuel" and after it folded he traveled to Hollywood for "Little Caesar" and didn't return to the stage for over 20 years.Mistake Alert - There is a poster advertising "Palpitating Polly" at the club long before Polly even seeks employment there.

Before his breakout role in Little Caesar Edward G. Robinson gets some practice in as a thug nightclub owner in The Widow from Chicago. Featuring the limited Alice White in the lead Robinson has little trouble in garnering all the attention in this mediocre crime pic.Polly Henderson's policeman brother is murdered while working undercover. She swears to get the man behind his murder and goes undercover herself as the wife of a supposedly dead mobster. Getting a job at Domenic's club she begins to make headway when the faux widow's husband turns up breathing.Whites high pitched squeal of a voice and cutesy mannerisms are cloying within the first reel leaving it up to Murray Hamilton and Robinson to inject the proceedings with a feeling of dead seriousness which Edward G does with aplomb in a supporting sporting role. In it you see the first vestiges of the cock sure Rico, a touch less subdued but every bit imposing. But with White occupying most of the screen time The Widow from Chicago deserves no sympathy.

A clever crime movie in which a woman seeks to put a mob boss behind bars for killing her brother, who was a cop. Polly gets inside Dominic's circle by posing as Swifty's wife, but when the real Swifty shows up things get interesting, and very unpredictable. Polly's brother was killed for impersonating Swifty, so now she is impersonating Swifty's wife for revenge. An entertaining movie that has humorous points and look out for an unusual place to see a SWATSTICKER, years before Hilter's rise.