Edward Robinson Autograph Photo Signed 1930'S Ganster Actor Vintage Golden Age
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EDWARD ROBINSON AUTOGRAPH PHOTO SIGNED 1930'S GANSTER ACTOR VINTAGE GOLDEN AGE. Classical Hollywood cinema is a term used in film criticism to describe both a narrative and visual style of filmmaking that first developed in the 1910s to 1920s during the latter years of the silent film era. It then became characteristic of American cinema during the Golden Age of Hollywood, between roughly 1927 (with the advent of sound film) and 1960.[1] It eventually became the most powerful and pervasive style of filmmaking worldwide.[2] Similar or associated terms include classical Hollywood narrative, the Golden Age of Hollywood, Old Hollywood, and classical continuity.[3] The period is also referred to as the studio era, which may also include films of the late silent era.[1] History 1910s–1927: Silent era and emergence of the classical style For millennia, the only visual standard of narrative storytelling art was the theatre. Since the first narrative films in the mid-late 1890s, filmmakers have sought to capture the power of live theatre on the cinema screen. Most of these filmmakers started as directors on the late 19th-century stage, and likewise, most film actors had roots in vaudeville (e.g. The Marx Brothers[4]) or theatrical melodramas. Visually, early narrative films had adapted little from the stage, and their narratives had adapted very little from vaudeville and melodrama. Before the visual style which would become known as "classical continuity", scenes were filmed in full shot and used carefully choreographed staging to portray plot and character relationships. Editing technique was extremely limited, and mostly consisted of close-ups of writing on objects for their legibility. Still from the silent film The Birth of a Nation (1915), starring Lillian Gish (second from right) Though lacking the reality inherent to the stage, film (unlike the stage) offers the freedom to manipulate apparent time and space, and thus create the illusion of realism – that is temporal linearity and spatial continuity. By the early 1910s, when the Lost Generation was coming of age, filmmaking was beginning to fulfill its artistic potential. In Sweden and Denmark, this period would later be known as the "Golden Age" of the film; in America, this artistic change is attributed to filmmakers like D. W. Griffith finally breaking the grip of the Edison Trust to make films independent of the manufacturing monopoly. Films worldwide began to noticeably adopt visual and narrative elements which would be found in classical Hollywood cinema. 1913 was a particularly fruitful year for the medium, as pioneering directors from several countries produced films such as The Mothering Heart (D. W. Griffith), Ingeborg Holm (Victor Sjöström), and L'enfant de Paris (Léonce Perret) that set new standards for the film as a form of storytelling. It was also the year when Yevgeni Bauer (the first true film artist, according to Georges Sadoul[5]) started his short, but prolific, career.[6] Theatrical release poster for Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) In the world generally and America specifically, the influence of Griffith on filmmaking was unmatched. Equally influential were his actors in adapting their performances to the new medium. Lillian Gish, the star of film short The Mothering Heart, is particularly noted for her influence on on-screen performance techniques. Griffith's 1915 epic The Birth of a Nation also starring Gish was ground-breaking for film as a means of storytelling – a masterpiece of literary narrative with numerous innovative visual techniques.[7] The film initiated so many advances in American cinema that it was rendered obsolete within a few years.[8] Though 1913 was a global landmark for filmmaking, 1917 was primarily an American one; the era of "classical Hollywood cinema" is distinguished by a narrative and visual style which began to dominate the film medium in America by 1917.[9] 1927–1960: Sound era and the Golden Age of Hollywood See also: Pre-Code Hollywood and Hays Code This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Classical Hollywood cinema" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) The narrative and visual style of classical Hollywood style developed further after the transition to sound-film production. The primary changes in American filmmaking came from the film industry itself, with the height of the studio system. This mode of production, with its reigning star system promoted by several key studios,[10] had preceded sound by several years. By mid-1920, most of the prominent American directors and actors, who had worked independently since the early 1910s, had to become a part of the new studio system to continue to work. The beginning of the sound era itself is ambiguously defined. To some, it began with The Jazz Singer, which was released in 1927, when the Interbellum Generationers became of age and increased box-office profits for films as sound was introduced to feature films.[11] To others, the era began in 1929, when the silent age had definitively ended.[12][better source needed] Most Hollywood pictures from the late 1920s to 1960s adhered closely to a genre — Western, slapstick comedy, musical, animated cartoon, and biopic (biographical picture) — and the same creative teams often worked on films made by the same studio. For instance, Cedric Gibbons and Herbert Stothart always worked on MGM films; Alfred Newman worked at 20th Century Fox for twenty years; Cecil B. DeMille's films were almost all made at Paramount Pictures;[13] and director Henry King's films were mostly made for Twentieth Century Fox. Similarly, actors were mostly contract players. Film historians and critics note that it took about a decade for films to adapt to sound and return to the level of artistic quality of the silents, which they did in the late 1930s when the Greatest Generationers became of age.[citation needed] Many great works of cinema that emerged from this period were of highly regimented filmmaking. One reason this was possible is that, as so many films were made, not every one had to be a big hit. A studio could gamble on a medium-budget feature with a good script and relatively unknown actors. This was the case with Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles and regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Other strong-willed directors, like Howard Hawks, Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra, battled the studios in order to achieve their artistic visions. The apogee of the studio system may have been the year 1939, which saw the release of such classics as The Wizard of Oz; Gone with the Wind; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; Stagecoach; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Destry Rides Again; Young Mr. Lincoln; Wuthering Heights; Only Angels Have Wings; Ninotchka; Beau Geste; Babes in Arms; Gunga Din; The Women; Goodbye, Mr. Chips; and The Roaring Twenties.[14] Style The visual-narrative style of classical Hollywood cinema, as elaborated by David Bordwell,[15] was heavily influenced by the ideas of the Renaissance and its resurgence of mankind as the focal point. It is distinguished at three general levels: devices, systems, and the relations of systems. Devices The devices most inherent to classical Hollywood cinema are those of continuity editing. This includes the 180-degree rule, one of the major visual-spatial elements of continuity editing. The 180-degree rule keeps with the "photographed play" style by creating an imaginary 180-degree axis between the viewer and the shot, allowing viewers to clearly orient themselves within the position and direction of action in a scene. According to the 30-degree rule, cuts in the angle that the scene is viewed from must be significant enough for the viewer to understand the purpose of a change in perspective. Cuts that do not adhere to the 30-degree rule, known as jump cuts, are disruptive to the illusion of temporal continuity between shots. The 180-degree and 30-degree rules are elementary guidelines in filmmaking that preceded the official start of the classical era by over a decade, as seen in the pioneering 1902 French film A Trip to the Moon. Cutting techniques in classical continuity editing serve to help establish or maintain continuity, as in the cross cut, which establishes the concurrence of action in different locations. Jump cuts are allowed in the form of the axial cut, which does not change the angle of shooting at all, but has the clear purpose of showing a perspective closer or farther from the subject, and therefore does not interfere with temporal continuity.[16] Systems Narrative logic Classical narration progresses always through psychological motivation, i.e., by the will of a human character and its struggle with obstacles towards a defined goal. This narrative element is commonly composed of a primary narrative (e.g. a romance) intertwined with a secondary narrative or narratives. This narrative is structured with an unmistakable beginning, middle and end, and generally there is a distinct resolution. Utilizing actors, events, causal effects, main points, and secondary points are basic characteristics of this type of narrative. The characters in classical Hollywood cinema have clearly definable traits, are active, and very goal oriented. They are causal agents motivated by psychological rather than social concerns.[2] The narrative is a chain of cause and effect with causal agents – in classical style, events do not occur randomly. Cinematic time and space Time in classical Hollywood is continuous, linear, and uniform, since non-linearity calls attention to the illusory workings of the medium. The only permissible manipulation of time in this format is the flashback. It is mostly used to introduce a memory sequence of a character, e.g., Casablanca.[17] The greatest rule of classical continuity regarding space is object permanence: the viewer must believe that the scene exists outside the shot of the cinematic frame to maintain the picture's realism. The treatment of space in classical Hollywood strives to overcome or conceal the two-dimensionality of film ("invisible style") and is strongly centered upon the human body. The majority of shots in a classical film focus on gestures or facial expressions (medium-long and medium shots). André Bazin once compared classical film to a photographed play in that the events seem to exist objectively and that cameras only give us the best view of the whole play.[18] This treatment of space consists of four main aspects: centering, balancing, frontality, and depth. Persons or objects of significance are mostly in the center part of the picture frame and never out of focus. Balancing refers to the visual composition, i. e., characters are evenly distributed throughout the frame. The action is subtly addressed towards the spectator (frontality) and set, lighting (mostly three-point lighting, especially high-key lighting), and costumes are designed to separate foreground from the background (depth). Legacy The New Hollywood of the mid-1960s to early 1980s was influenced by the romanticism of the classical era,[19] as was the French New Wave.[20] Major figures from classical Hollywood cinema Main article: AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars These were recognized on the American Film Institute's list ranking the top 25 male and 25 female greatest screen legends of American film history.[21] As of 2024, Sophia Loren (89) is the only living star listed. Chico Marx (1887–1961) Harpo Marx (1888–1964) Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) Groucho Marx (1890–1977) Mary Pickford (1892–1979) Edward G. Robinson (1893–1973) Mae West (1893–1980) Lillian Gish (1893–1993) Buster Keaton (1895–1966) Fred Astaire (1899–1987) James Cagney (1899–1986) Humphrey Bogart (1899–1957) Spencer Tracy (1900–1967) Clark Gable (1901–1960) Gary Cooper (1901–1961) Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992) Zeppo Marx (1901–1979) Claudette Colbert (1903–1996) Cary Grant (1904–1986) Greta Garbo (1905–1990) Henry Fonda (1905–1982) Joan Crawford (190?–1977) Laurence Olivier (1907–1989) Katharine Hepburn (1907–2003) John Wayne (1907–1979) Barbara Stanwyck (1907–1990) Bette Davis (1908–1989) Carole Lombard (1908–1942) James Stewart (1908–1997) Jean Harlow (1911–1937) Ginger Rogers (1911–1995) Gene Kelly (1912–1996) Vivien Leigh (1913–1967) Burt Lancaster (1913–1994) Orson Welles (1915–1985) Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) Gregory Peck (1916–2003) Kirk Douglas (1916–2020) Robert Mitchum (1917–1997) William Holden (1918–1981) Rita Hayworth (1918–1987) Judy Garland (1922–1969) Ava Gardner (1922–1990) Lauren Bacall (1924–2014) Marlon Brando (1924–2004) Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) Sidney Poitier (1927–2022) Shirley Temple (1928–2014) Audrey Hepburn (1929–1993) Grace Kelly (1929–1982) James Dean (1931–1955) Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011) Sophia Loren (born 1934) See also Film portal 1920s portal 1930s portal 1940s portal 1950s portal 1960s portal Animation in the United States during the silent era Golden age of American animation Golden Age of Radio Golden Age of Television Maximalist and minimalist cinema Modernist film New Hollywood Poverty Row – B-movies during this era References "Music and Cinema, Classical Hollywood". Oxford Bibliographies Online. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2019. Goldburg, Michael. "Classical Hollywood Cinema (Internet Archive)". Archived from the original on May 31, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2007. The Classic Hollywood Narrative Style at the Department of History, University of San Diego. "The Marx Brothers – Vaudeville Shows". Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. Georges Sadoul. Всеобщая история кино. Moscow, Iskustvo, 1958. Т. 3. p. 178 Evgenii Bauer (1865-1917) by William M. Drew Archived August 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Evgenii Bauer (1865–1917) Niderost, Eric (October 2005). "'The Birth of a Nation': When Hollywood Glorified the KKK". HistoryNet. Retrieved February 4, 2023. Brownlow, Kevin (1968). The Parade's Gone By..., University of California Press, p. 78. ISBN 0-520-03068-0. "1917: The Year That Changed The Movies — The San Francisco Silent Film Festival". Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. "The Star – Annenberg Learner". Annenberg Learner. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. "Golden Age of Hollywood: Movies, Actors and Actresses ***". www.american-historama.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018. Pier, Lucia Maria (2008). Expressive Experimentalism in Silent Cinema, 1926–1929 (BA thesis). Wesleyan University. doi:10.14418/wes01.1.208. Retrieved March 14, 2023. "The Studio System – Annenberg Learner". Annenberg Learner. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. "The Top 25 Films Of 1939: A Look Back At "The Greatest Year In Movies"|Film Inquiry". June 3, 2019. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. Bordwell, David; Staiger, Janet; Thompson, Kristin (1985): The Classical Hollywood Cinema. Film Style & Mode of Production to 1960. New York: Columbia University Press. 1–59 "Continuity Editing in Hitchcock's Rear Window". slideshare.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2010. "The Hollywood Style – Annenberg Learner". Annenberg Learner. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021. Bordwell: 24 "New Hollywood - JT Esterkamp – Medium". Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved January 29, 2020. "French New Wave: The Influencing of the Influencers – The Film Stage". May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars: The 50 Greatest American Screen Legends". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 10, 2019. Further reading Bordwell, David; Staiger, Janet; Thompson, Kristin (1985). The Classical Hollywood Cinema. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-06055-6. Davis, Blair (2012). The Battle for the Bs: 1950s Hollywood and the Rebirth of Low-Budget Cinema. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0813552538. Dixon, Wheeler Winston (2013). Cinema at the Margins. Anthem Press. ISBN 978-0-85728-186-9. Fawell, John (2008). The Hidden Art of Hollywood. Westport Conn.: Praeger Press. McGilligan, Patrick (1985). Backstory 1: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood's Golden Age (No. 1). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520056893.EDWARD G. ROBINSON SIGNED 7 X 9.5 INCHES PHOTOGRAPH AUTOGRAPH HOLLYWOOD GOLDEN AGE ACTOR Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays, and more than 100 films, during a 50-year career, and is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo
Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays,[1] and more than 100 films, during a 50-year career,[2] and is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo. During his career, Robinson received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in House of Strangers. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, which were growing in strength in Europe in the years which led up to World War II. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations that were involved in war relief, along with contributions to cultural, educational, and religious groups. During the 1950s, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare, but he was cleared of any deliberate Communist involvement when he claimed that he was "duped" by several people whom he named (including screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, according to the official Congressional record, "Communist infiltration of the Hollywood motion-picture industry".[3][4] As a result of being investigated, he found himself on Hollywood's graylist, people who were on the Hollywood blacklist maintained by the major studios, but could find work at minor film studios on what was called Poverty Row. Robinson's roles included an insurance investigator in the film noir Double Indemnity, Dathan (the adversary of Moses) in The Ten Commandments, and his final performance in the science-fiction story Soylent Green.[5] Robinson received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in the film industry, which was awarded two months after he died in 1973. He is ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited him as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[6][7] Early years and education Robinson was born Emmanuel Goldenberg (Yiddish: עמנואל גאלדבערג) on December 12, 1893, in a Yiddish-speaking Romanian Jewish family in Bucharest, the fifth son of Sarah (née Guttman) and Yeshaya Moyshe Goldenberg (later called Morris in the U.S.), a builder.[8] According to the New York Times, one of his brothers was attacked by an anti-semitic gang during a "schoolboy pogrom".[9] In the wake of that violence, the family decided to emigrate to the United States.[2] Robinson arrived in New York City on February 21, 1904.[10] "At Ellis Island I was born again," he wrote. "Life for me began when I was 10 years old."[2] In America, he assumed the name of Emanuel. He grew up on the Lower East Side,[11]: 91 and had his Bar Mitzvah at First Roumanian-American Congregation.[12] He attended Townsend Harris High School and then the City College of New York, planning to become a criminal attorney.[13] An interest in acting and performing in front of people led to him winning an American Academy of Dramatic Arts scholarship,[13] after which he changed his name to Edward G. Robinson (the G. standing for his original surname).[13] He served in the United States Navy during World War I, but was never sent overseas.[14] Career Robinson in his breakout role, Little Caesar (1931) Robinson in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944) Robinson and Lynn Bari in Tampico (1944) All My Sons (1948): Louisa Horton, Robinson, Chester Erskine (producer) and Burt Lancaster Florence Henderson and Robinson on the set of Song of Norway (1969) Theatre In 1915, Robinson made his Broadway debut in Roi Cooper Megrue's "Under Fire".[15] He made his film debut in Arms and the Woman (1916). In 1923, he made his named debut as E. G. Robinson in the silent film, The Bright Shawl.[2] The Racket He played a snarling gangster in the 1927 Broadway police/crime drama The Racket, which led to his being cast in similar film roles, beginning with The Hole in the Wall (1929) with Claudette Colbert for Paramount. One of many actors who saw their careers flourish rather than falter in the new sound film era, he made only three films prior to 1930, but left his stage career that year and made 14 films between 1930 and 1932. Robinson went to Universal for Night Ride (1930) and MGM for A Lady to Love (1930) directed by Victor Sjöström. At Universal he was in Outside the Law and East Is West (both 1930), then he did The Widow from Chicago (1931) at First National. Little Caesar At this point, Robinson was becoming an established film actor. What began his rise to stardom was an acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little Caesar (1931) at Warner Bros. Robinson signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros., casting him in another gangster film, Smart Money (1931), his only movie with James Cagney. He was reunited with Mervyn LeRoy, director of Little Caesar, in Five Star Final (1931), playing a journalist, and played a Tong gangster in The Hatchet Man (1932). Robinson made a third film with LeRoy, Two Seconds (1932) then did a melodrama directed by Howard Hawks, Tiger Shark (1932). Warner Bros. tried him in a biopic, Silver Dollar (1932), where Robinson played Horace Tabor; a comedy, The Little Giant (1933); and a romance, I Loved a Woman (1933). Robinson was then in Dark Hazard (1934) and The Man with Two Faces (1934). He went to Columbia for The Whole Town's Talking (1935), a comedy directed by John Ford. Sam Goldwyn borrowed him for Barbary Coast (1935), again directed by Hawks. Back at Warner Bros. he did Bullets or Ballots (1936) then he went to Britain for Thunder in the City (1937). He made Kid Galahad (1937) with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. MGM borrowed him for The Last Gangster (1937), then he did a comedy A Slight Case of Murder (1938). Again with Bogart in a supporting role, he was in The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) and then he was borrowed by Columbia for I Am the Law (1938). World War II At the time World War II broke out in Europe, he played an FBI agent in Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), the first American film that portrayed Nazism as a threat to the United States. He volunteered for military service in June 1942 but was disqualified due to his age which was 48,[16] although he became an active and vocal critic of fascism and Nazism during that period.[17] MGM borrowed him for Blackmail, (1939). Then, to avoid being typecast, he played the biomedical scientist and Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), and played Paul Julius Reuter in A Dispatch from Reuters (1940).[18] Both films were biographies of prominent Jewish public figures. In between, he and Bogart starred in Brother Orchid (1940).[18] Robinson was teamed up with John Garfield in The Sea Wolf (1941), and George Raft in Manpower (1941). He went to MGM for Unholy Partners (1942), and made a comedy Larceny, Inc. (1942). Post-Warner Bros. Robinson was one of several stars in Tales of Manhattan (1942) and Flesh and Fantasy (1943). He did war films: Destroyer (1943) at Columbia, and Tampico (1944) at Fox. At Paramount, he was in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944), with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, where his riveting soliloquy on insurance actuarial tables (written by Raymond Chandler) is considered a career showstopper;[clarification needed] and at Columbia, he was in Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944). He then performed with Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea in Fritz Lang's The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945), where he played a criminal painter. At MGM, he was in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), and then Orson Welles' The Stranger (1946), with Welles and Loretta Young. Robinson followed it with another thriller, The Red House (1947), and starred in an adaptation of All My Sons (1948). Robinson appeared for director John Huston as the gangster Johnny Rocco in Key Largo (1948), the last of five films that he made with Humphrey Bogart, and the only one in which Robinson played a supporting role to Bogart's character in the film. It is also the only film with Bogart where Bogart's character killed Robinson's character in a gunfight, instead of the opposite. Around the same time, he was cast in starring roles for Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) and House of Strangers (1949). Greylisting Robinson found it hard to get work after his greylisting.[citation needed] He starred in modest-budget films: Actors and Sin (1952), Vice Squad (1953), with brief appearances by second-billed Paulette Goddard, Big Leaguer (1953) with Vera-Ellen, The Glass Web (1953) with John Forsythe, Black Tuesday (1954) with Peter Graves, The Violent Men (1955) with Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwyck, in the well-received Tight Spot (1955) with Ginger Rogers and Brian Keith, A Bullet for Joey (1955) with George Raft, Illegal (1955) with Nina Foch, and in Hell on Frisco Bay (1956) with Alan Ladd. His career's rehabilitation received a boost in 1954, when the anti-communist film director Cecil B. DeMille cast him as the traitorous Dathan in The Ten Commandments. The film was released in 1956, as was his psychological thriller Nightmare. After a subsequent short absence from the screen, Robinson's film career — augmented by an increasing number of television roles — re-started in 1958/1959, when he was second-billed, after Frank Sinatra, in the 1959 release A Hole in the Head. Supporting actor Robinson went to Europe for Seven Thieves (1960). He had support roles in My Geisha (1962), Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), Sammy Going South (1963), The Prize (1963), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), and The Outrage (1964). He was second-billed, under Steve McQueen, with his name above the title, in The Cincinnati Kid (1965). McQueen had idolized Robinson while growing up, and opted for him when Spencer Tracy insisted on top billing for the same role. Robinson was top-billed in The Blonde from Peking. He also appeared in Grand Slam (1967), starring Janet Leigh and Klaus Kinski. Robinson was originally cast in the role of Dr. Zaius in Planet Of The Apes (1968) and he even went so far as to film a screen test with Charlton Heston. However, Robinson dropped out of the project before its production began due to heart problems and concerns over the long hours that he would have needed to spend under the heavy ape makeup. He was replaced by Maurice Evans. His later appearances included The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968) starring Robert Wagner and Raquel Welch, Never a Dull Moment (1968) with Dick Van Dyke, It's Your Move (1968), Mackenna's Gold (1969) starring Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif, and the Night Gallery episode “The Messiah on Mott Street" (1971). The last scene that Robinson filmed was a euthanasia sequence, with his friend and co-star Charlton Heston, in the science fiction film Soylent Green (1973); he died 84 days later. Heston, as president of the Screen Actors Guild, presented Robinson with its annual award in 1969, "in recognition of his pioneering work in organizing the union, his service during World War II, and his 'outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession.'"[11]: 124 Robinson was never nominated for an Academy Award, but in 1973 he was awarded an honorary Oscar in recognition that he had "achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts and a dedicated citizen ... in sum, a Renaissance man".[2] He had been notified of the honor, but he died two months before the award ceremony took place, so the award was accepted by his widow, Jane Robinson.[2] Radio From 1937 to 1942, Robinson starred as Steve Wilson, editor of the Illustrated Press, in the newspaper drama Big Town.[19] He also portrayed hardboiled detective Sam Spade for a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of The Maltese Falcon. During the 1940s he performed on CBS Radio's "Cadena de las Américas" network broadcasts to South America in collaboration with Nelson Rockefeller's cultural diplomacy program at the U.S. State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs.[20] Political activism During the 1930s, Robinson was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949. He was host to the Committee of 56, which gathered at his home on December 9, 1938, signing a "Declaration of Democratic Independence," which called for a boycott of all German-made products.[17] After the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, while he was not a supporter of Communism, he appeared at Soviet war relief rallies in order to give moral aid to America's new ally, which he said could join "together in their hatred of Hitlerism".[11]: 107 Although he attempted to enlist in the military when the United States formally entered World War II, he was unable to do so because of his age;[16] instead, the Office of War Information appointed him as a Special Representative based in London.[11]: 106 From there, taking advantage of his multilingual skills, he delivered radio addresses in over six languages to European countries that had fallen under Nazi domination.[11]: 106 His talent as a radio speaker in the U.S. had previously been recognized by the American Legion, which had given him an award for his "outstanding contribution to Americanism through his stirring patriotic appeals".[11]: 106 Robinson was also an active member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, serving on its executive board in 1944, during which time he became an "enthusiastic" campaigner for Roosevelt's reelection that same year.[11]: 107 During the 1940s, Robinson also contributed to the cultural diplomacy initiatives of Roosevelt's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs in support of Pan-Americanism through his broadcasts to South America on the CBS "Cadena da las Américas" radio network.[20] In early July 1944, less than a month after the Invasion of Normandy by Allied forces, Robinson traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO.[11]: 106 [21] He personally donated $100,000 ($1,500,000 in 2015 dollars) to the USO.[11]: 107 After returning to the U.S., he continued his active involvement in the war effort by going to shipyards and defense plants in order to inspire workers, in addition to appearing at rallies in order to help sell war bonds.[11]: 107 After the war ended, Robinson publicly spoke out in support of democratic rights for all Americans, especially in demanding equality for Black workers in the workplace. He endorsed the Fair Employment Practices Commission's call to end workplace discrimination.[11]: 109 Black leaders praised him as "one of the great friends of the Negro and a great advocator of Democracy".[11]: 109 Robinson also campaigned for the civil rights of African Americans, helping many to overcome segregation and discrimination.[22] During the years when Robinson spoke out against fascism and Nazism, he was not a supporter of Communism, but he did not criticize the Soviet Union, which he saw as an ally against Hitler. However, the film historian Steven J. Ross observes "activists who attacked Hitler without simultaneously attacking Stalin were vilified by conservative critics as either Communists, Communist dupes, or, at best, as naive liberal dupes."[11]: 128 In addition, Robinson learned that 11 out of the more than 850 charities and groups that he had helped over the previous decade were listed as Communist front organizations by the FBI.[23] As a result, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1950 and 1952, and he was also threatened with blacklisting.[24] As shown in the full House Un-American Activities Committee transcript for April 30, 1952, Robinson repudiated some of the organizations that he had belonged to in the 1930s and 1940s.[24][25] and stated that he felt he had been duped or made use of unawares "by the sinister forces who were members, and probably in important positions in these [front] organizations."[11]: 121 When asked whom he personally knew who might have "duped" him, he replied, "Well, you had Albert Maltz, and you have Dalton Trumbo, and you have ... John Howard Lawson. I knew Frank Tuttle. I didn't know [Edward] Dmytryk at all. There are the Buchmans, that I know, Sidney Buchman and all that sort of thing. It never entered my mind that any of these people were Communists."[26] Despite accusing these persons of being duplicitous towards him about their political aims, Robinson never directly accused anyone of being a Communist. His own name was cleared, but in the aftermath, his career noticeably suffered; he was offered smaller roles infrequently. In October 1952, he wrote an article titled "How the Reds made a Sucker Out of Me", and it was published in the American Legion Magazine.[27] The chair of the committee, Francis E. Walter, told Robinson at the end of his testimonies that the Committee "never had any evidence presented to indicate that you were anything more than a very choice sucker."[11]: 122 Personal life Robinson and his son Manny in a 1962 episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Robinson married stage actress Gladys Lloyd Cassell in 1927. The couple had a son, Edward G. Robinson, Jr., known as Manny, (1933–1974), and a daughter from Robinson's wife's first marriage.[28] The couple divorced in 1956. In 1958, Robinson married Jane Bodenheimer, a dress designer professionally known as Jane Arden. He lived in Palm Springs, California.[29] In contrast to the gangsters he portrayed in film, Robinson was a soft-spoken and cultured man.[2] He was a passionate art collector, eventually building up a significant private collection. In 1956, however, he was forced to sell his collection to pay for his divorce settlement with Gladys Robinson; his finances had also suffered due to underemployment in the early 1950s.[11]: 120 Death Robinson died of bladder cancer at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles[30] on January 26, 1973. Services were conducted at Temple Israel in Los Angeles where Charlton Heston delivered the eulogy.[2] More than 1,500 friends of Robinson attended, with another 500 people outside.[11] His body was flown to New York where it was entombed in a crypt in his family's mausoleum at Beth-El Cemetery in Brooklyn.[31] His pallbearers were Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, Mervyn Leroy, George Burns, Sam Jaffe, Frank Sinatra, Jack Karp and Alan Simpson.[2] In popular culture This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) Robinson as a gangster in Little Caesar (1931) In October 2000, Robinson's image was imprinted on a U.S. postage stamp, the sixth in its Legends of Hollywood series.[11]: 125 [32] Robinson has been the inspiration for a number of animated television characters, usually caricatures of his most distinctive 'snarling gangster' guise. An early version of the gangster character Rocky, featured in the Bugs Bunny cartoon Racketeer Rabbit, shared his likeness. This version of the character also appears briefly in Justice League, in the episode "Comfort and Joy", as an alien with Robinson's face and non-human body, who hovers past the screen as a background character. Similar caricatures also appeared in The Coo-Coo Nut Grove, Thugs with Dirty Mugs and Hush My Mouse. Another character based on Robinson's tough-guy image was The Frog (Chauncey "Flat Face" Frog) from the cartoon series Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse. The voice of B.B. Eyes in The Dick Tracy Show was based on Robinson, with Mel Blanc and Jerry Hausner sharing voicing duties. The Wacky Races animated series character 'Clyde' from the Ant Hill Mob was based on Robinson's Little Caesar persona. Voice actor Hank Azaria has noted that the voice of Simpsons character police chief Clancy Wiggum is an impression of Robinson.[33] Robinson was portrayed by actor Michael Stuhlbarg in the 2015 biographical drama film Trumbo.[34] Selected filmography Year Title Role Co-stars Notes 1916 Arms and the Woman Factory Worker Uncredited, some sources only[35] 1923 The Bright Shawl Domingo Escobar Richard Barthelmess, William Powell and Mary Astor Credited as E.G. Robinson 1929 The Hole in the Wall The Fox Claudette Colbert 1930 Outside the Law Cobra Collins A Lady to Love Tony East Is West Charlie Yong Lupe Vélez and Lew Ayres Night Ride Tony Garotta Joseph Schildkraut Die Sehnsucht jeder Frau Tony German language version of A Lady to Love[36] The Kibitzer co-written original play only An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Brothers Silver Jubilee Himself Short subject The Widow from Chicago Dominic Neil Hamilton 1931 How I Play Golf by Bobby Jones No. 10: Trouble Shots Himself Short subject Uncredited Little Caesar Little Caesar – Alias 'Rico' Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The Stolen Jools Gangster Wallace Beery and Buster Keaton Segment "At the Police Station" Short subject Smart Money Nick Venizelos James Cagney and Boris Karloff Five Star Final Randall Boris Karloff 1932 The Hatchet Man Wong Low Get Loretta Young Two Seconds John Allen Tiger Shark Mike Mascarenhas Richard Arlen Silver Dollar Yates Martin Bebe Daniels 1933 The Little Giant Bugs Ahearn Mary Astor I Loved a Woman John Mansfield Hayden Kay Francis 1934 Dark Hazard Jim 'Buck' Turner The Man with Two Faces Damon Welles / Jules Chautard Mary Astor 1935 The Whole Town's Talking Arthur Ferguson Jones/"Killer" Mannion Jean Arthur Barbary Coast Luis Chamalis Miriam Hopkins, Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, Brian Donlevy and Harry Carey 1936 Bullets or Ballots Detective Johnny Blake Joan Blondell and Humphrey Bogart 1937 Thunder in the City Dan Armstrong Ralph Richardson A Day at Santa Anita Himself Short subject Uncredited Kid Galahad Nick Donati Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and Harry Carey The Last Gangster Joe Krozac James Stewart 1938 A Slight Case of Murder Remy Marco The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse Dr. Clitterhouse Claire Trevor, Humphrey Bogart, Donald Crisp, Maxie Rosenbloom and Ward Bond I Am the Law Prof. John Lindsay 1939 Verdensberømtheder i København Himself Documentary Confessions of a Nazi Spy Edward Renard George Sanders, Paul Lukas and Ward Bond Blackmail John R. Ingram Gene Lockhart 1940 Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet Dr. Paul Ehrlich Ruth Gordon and Donald Crisp Brother Orchid 'Little' John T. Sarto Ann Sothern, Humphrey Bogart, Donald Crisp and Ralph Bellamy A Dispatch from Reuter's Julius Reuter Eddie Albert and Gene Lockhart 1941 The Sea Wolf 'Wolf' Larsen Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart and Barry Fitzgerald Manpower Hank McHenry Marlene Dietrich, George Raft and Ward Bond Polo with the Stars Himself – Watching Polo Match Short subject Uncredited Unholy Partners Bruce Corey Edward Arnold 1942 Larceny, Inc. Pressure' Maxwell Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn and Jackie Gleason Tales of Manhattan Avery L. 'Larry' Browne Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton Moscow Strikes Back Narrator Documentary 1943 Magic Bullets Narrator Short subject Documentary Destroyer Steve Boleslavski Glenn Ford Flesh and Fantasy Marshall Tyler Charles Boyer and Barbara Stanwyck Episode 2 1943 Tampico Capt. Bart Manson Victor McLaglen Double Indemnity Barton Keyes Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck Mr. Winkle Goes to War Wilbert Winkle The Woman in the Window Professor Richard Wanley Joan Bennett and Raymond Massey 1945 Our Vines Have Tender Grapes Martinius Jacobson Agnes Moorehead Journey Together Dean McWilliams Richard Attenborough Scarlet Street Christopher Cross Joan Bennett 1946 American Creed Himself Short subject The Stranger Mr. Wilson Loretta Young and Orson Welles 1947 The Red House Pete Morgan 1948 All My Sons Joe Keller Burt Lancaster Key Largo Johnny Rocco Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore and Claire Trevor Night Has a Thousand Eyes John Triton 1949 House of Strangers Gino Monetti Susan Hayward, Richard Conte and Efram Zimbalist, Jr. It's a Great Feeling Himself Doris Day and Jack Carson Uncredited 1950 Operation X George Constantin 1952 Actors and Sin Maurice Tillayou Segment "Actor's Blood" 1953 Vice Squad Capt. 'Barnie' Barnaby Paulette Goddard Big Leaguer John B. 'Hans' Lobert Carl Hubbell The Glass Web Henry Hayes John Forsythe 1954 Black Tuesday Vincent Canelli Peter Graves For the Defense Matthew Considine TV movie 1955 The Violent Men Lew Wilkison Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwyck Tight Spot Lloyd Hallett Ginger Rogers A Bullet for Joey Inspector Raoul Leduc George Raft Illegal Victor Scott Jayne Mansfield 1956 Hell on Frisco Bay Victor Amato Alan Ladd Nightmare Rene Bressard The Ten Commandments Dathan Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, John Derek and Vincent Price 1957 The Heart of Show Business Narrator Short subject 1959 A Hole in the Head Mario Manetta Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker and Thelma Ritter 1960 Seven Thieves Theo Wilkins Rod Steiger and Joan Collins "The Devil and Daniel Webster" Daniel Webster NBC-TV movie The Right Man Theodore Roosevelt TV movie Pepe Himself 1962 My Geisha Sam Lewis Shirley MacLaine Two Weeks in Another Town Maurice Kruger Kirk Douglas and Claire Trevor) 1963 Sammy Going South Cocky Wainwright Alternative title: A Boy Ten Feet Tall The Prize Dr. Max Stratman Paul Newman 1964 Robin and the 7 Hoods Big Jim Stevens Rat Pack and Bing Crosby Uncredited Good Neighbor Sam Simon Nurdlinger Jack Lemmon and Neil Hamilton Cheyenne Autumn Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Ricardo Montalbán and James Stewart The Outrage Con Man Paul Newman, Claire Bloom and William Shatner 1965 Who Has Seen the Wind? Captain TV movie The Cincinnati Kid Lancey Howard Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Joan Blondell and Cab Calloway 1966 Batman Cameo 1967 All About People Narrator Short subject The Blonde from Peking Douglas – chef C.I.A. Grand Slam Prof. James Anders Janet Leigh Operation St. Peter's Joe Ventura 1968 The Biggest Bundle of Them All Professor Samuels Robert Wagner and Raquel Welch Never a Dull Moment Leo Joseph Smooth Dick Van Dyke It's Your Move Sir George McDowell 1969 Mackenna's Gold Old Adams Gregory Peck U.M.C. Dr. Lee Forestman Alternative title: Operation Heartbeat TV movie 1970 The Old Man Who Cried Wolf Emile Pulska Martin Balsam and Ed Asner TV Movie Song of Norway Krogstad Florence Henderson 1971 Mooch Goes to Hollywood Himself – Party guest Uncredited Night Gallery Abe Goldman Season 2, episode 13a "The Messiah on Mott Street" Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Cameo 1972 Neither by Day Nor by Night Father 1973 Soylent Green Sol Roth Charlton Heston and Joseph Cotten Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1940 Screen Guild Theatre Blind Alley[37] 1946 Suspense The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson aka The Man Who Thought He Was Edward G. Robinson[38][39] 1946 This Is Hollywood The Stranger[40] 1950 Screen Directors Playhouse The Sea Wolf[40] See also List of posthumous Academy Award winners and nominees Edward G. Robinson (born December 12, 1893, Bucharest, Romania—died January 26, 1973, Hollywood, California, U.S.) American stage and film actor who skillfully played a wide range of character types but was best known for his portrayals of gangsters and criminals. Robinson was born in Romania but emigrated with his parents at age 10 and grew up on New York’s Lower East Side. He gave up early dreams of becoming either a rabbi or a lawyer and, while a student at City College, settled on acting. After winning a scholarship (1911) to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he made his stage debut in Paid in Full (1913). His knowledge of many languages helped him win a multilingual part in Under Fire (1915), his Broadway debut. He continued acting each Broadway season for the next decade, and in 1927 he had his first starring role, in the play The Racket. Two years later he appeared in The Kibitzer, a three-act comedy he wrote with Jo Swerling. USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Britannica Quiz Pop Culture Quiz Though he had appeared in two silent films—Arms and the Woman (1916) and The Bright Shawl (1923)—it was not until the advent of sound that Robinson’s movie career began in earnest. After a few undistinguished dramas, he starred as the trigger-happy gangster Enrico Bandello in Little Caesar (1931). It was the perfect part for Robinson and made him an instant star. Robinson’s dynamic performance, like that of James Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931), made the film stand apart from the usual underworld story, and both films marked the start of a long series of gangster pictures with which the Warner Brothers studio would become most associated throughout the 1930s and ’40s. Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney in Smart Money Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney in Smart Money Edward G. Robinson (left) and James Cagney in Smart Money (1931), directed by Alfred E. Green. Short, chubby, with “the face of a depraved cherub and a voice which makes everything he says seem violently profane,” as Time magazine described him in 1931, Robinson was content that his career would consist of rough-and-tumble roles and character parts; he was happy to turn what would have otherwise been physical drawbacks into instantly identifiable trademarks. He continued playing “tough mugs” in film after film: a con man in Smart Money (1931), a cigar-chomping newspaper editor in Five Star Final (1931), a convicted murderer in Two Seconds (1932), and a spoof of his own Little Caesar image in The Little Giant (1933). The Whole Town’s Talking (1935), in which he played the dual roles of a timid bank clerk and a ruthless hoodlum, showed Robinson capable of fine understated comedy, whereas in Bullets or Ballots (1936) he at last got to play somebody on the right side of the law, an undercover policeman. In 1937 he began a five-year run on the popular radio series Big Town, playing a newspaper editor. Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo (1948), directed by John Huston. Robinson considered his title role in Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet (1940) to be his best performance. The story of the doctor who found the cure for syphilis, the film was further proof that Robinson could give a distinguished performance even without a gun in his hand or a cigar in his mouth. His other well-received films included A Dispatch from Reuters (1940), The Sea Wolf (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1944), Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), All My Sons (1948), and Key Largo (1948). In the 1950s Robinson suffered a series of personal setbacks. He testified several times for the House Committee on Un-American Activities before he was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, and a divorce settlement in 1956 forced him to sell off most of his private art collection, which was considered one of the finest in the world. Still, he kept working in films and returned to Broadway in Paddy Chayefsky’s Middle of the Night (1956). By the 1950s he was no longer a major star, though he continued to deliver fine performances in notable films such as The Ten Commandments (1956), A Hole in the Head (1959), and The Cincinnati Kid (1965). He enjoyed television work and guest-starred in many dramas and specials, including Ford Theatre, Playhouse 90, and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. Robinson died in 1973 shortly after completing his final film, Soylent Green. He was posthumously awarded a special Academy Award for his contributions to the art of motion pictures. Special offer for students! Check out our special academic rate and excel this spring semester! The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen. Double Indemnity Table of Contents Introduction Production notes and credits Cast Academy Award nominations References & Edit History Related Topics Images Double Indemnity (1944)MacMurray, Fred Quizzes USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Pop Culture Quiz Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Classic Closing Lines Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma Famous Hollywood Film Characters Quiz Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema). Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies) Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz Related Questions What are some of the major film festivals? Read Next Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? 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American bison (Bison bison) also known as buffalo or plains buffalo on the prairie, western U.S. What’s the Difference Between Bison and Buffalo? Homemade fruit jam in the jar, jelly, preserves What’s the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, and Preserves? Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics 10 Best Hockey Players of All Time King George V of Britain, c. 1910, shortly after his accession to the throne How Did King George V Really Die? Ancient Mayan Calendar Our Days Are Numbered: 7 Crazy Facts About Calendars Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Movies Arts & Culture Double Indemnity film by Wilder [1944] Written by Fact-checked by Article History Double Indemnity (1944) Double Indemnity (1944) Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (1944). Double Indemnity, American film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. It followed the time-honoured noir plotline of a man undone by an evil woman. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Britannica Quiz Classic Closing Lines MacMurray, Fred MacMurray, Fred Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (1944). The film was adapted by director Billy Wilder and writer Raymond Chandler from the 1935 novella by James M. Cain. Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is an insurance representative whose obsession with bombshell femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) allows her to manipulate him into helping murder her husband so she can collect on his lucrative insurance policy. (“Double indemnity” refers to the insurance policy clause that calls for the beneficiary to be paid twice the face value of the policy in case of the policyholder’s accidental death.) The scheme seems to be going perfectly until Neff’s boss, insurance investigator Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), suspects foul play and launches an investigation into the case. Though this classic suspense drama weaves elements of lust, murder, and intrigue, it is not a “whodunit”—the viewer knows precisely who committed the crime and why. In the role of the unscrupulous insurance agent, leading man MacMurray played against type for the first time in his career, and film scholars cite the chemistry between him and the other leads as the central reason for Double Indemnity’s popularity and acclaim. Along with The Postman Always Rings Twice, this film pushed censorship rules in the area of sex. Both movies have obvious similarities: namely, self-centred women with torrid sex drives lure impressionable men into committing murder on their behalf. In both cases there is the inevitable “crime doesn’t pay” finale that was a necessary element of any film in this genre. Production notes and credits Studio: Paramount Pictures Director: Billy Wilder Writers: Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler Music: Miklós Rózsa Running time: 107 minutes Cast Fred MacMurray (Walter Neff) Barbara Stanwyck (Phyllis Dietrichson) Edward G. Robinson (Barton Keyes) Porter Hall (Mr. Jackson) Jean Heather (Lola Dietrichson) Tom Powers (Mr. Dietrichson) Academy Award nominations Picture Director Lead actress (Barbara Stanwyck) Screenplay Cinematography Music Sound Lee Pfeiffer Key Largo Table of Contents Introduction Production notes and credits Cast Academy Award nominations (* denotes win) References & Edit History Related Topics Images Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Quizzes USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Pop Culture Quiz Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Classic Closing Lines Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma Famous Hollywood Film Characters Quiz Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema). Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies) Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz Related Questions What are some of the major film festivals? Read Next Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? 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A Dakhma, also known as the Tower of Silence, is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation How Have Zoroastrians Been Treated in Muslim Iran? Homemade fruit jam in the jar, jelly, preserves What’s the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, and Preserves? Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Movies Arts & Culture Key Largo film by Huston [1948] Written by Fact-checked by Article History Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo (1948), directed by John Huston. Key Largo, American film noir, released in 1948, that is widely considered a classic of the genre. It was directed by John Huston, stars married actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and was loosely based on a 1939 play by Maxwell Anderson. Bogart played against type as Frank McCloud, a cynical army veteran who visits a hotel on Florida’s Key Largo owned by the father (played by Lionel Barrymore) and young widow (Bacall) of one of his military comrades. McCloud finds himself among the captives in the hotel when it is taken over by notorious gangster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) and his gang of thugs, who are hoping to hide out until they can escape to Cuba. Although he initially seems nonheroic and maintains a stance of noninvolvement, McCloud comes to despise Rocco for his cruelty, and he decides to fight back. The drama is heightened by the violent hurricane battering the island. Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Britannica Quiz Classic Closing Lines Though the plot and characters are hardly original, the interactions between Rocco and the eclectic group of hotel residents held against their will generate suspense. John Huston directed an impressive cast, highlighted by Robinson’s brutal on-the-lam crime kingpin and Claire Trevor in an Academy Award-winning role as his abused and humiliated mistress. A scene in which Robinson forces Trevor’s character, an alcoholic and former nightclub entertainer, to sing for a drink is memorable for its heartbreaking pathos. Production notes and credits Studio: Warner Brothers Director: John Huston Writer: Richard Brooks and John Huston Music: Max Steiner Running time: 100 minutes Cast Humphrey Bogart (Frank McCloud) Edward G. Robinson (Johnny Rocco) Lauren Bacall (Nora Temple) Lionel Barrymore (James Temple) Claire Trevor (Gaye Dawn) Academy Award nominations (* denotes win) Supporting actress* (Claire Trevor) Lee Pfeiffer Little Caesar Table of Contents Introduction Production notes and credits Cast Academy Award nominations References & Edit History Related Topics Images Edward G. Robinson Quizzes USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Pop Culture Quiz Publicity still from the motion picture film "The Terminator" (1984); directed by James Cameron. (cinema, movies) Match the Quote to the Movie Quiz Related Questions What are some of the major film festivals? Read Next Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? 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(reptile) 9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt. 11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name? Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Movies Arts & Culture Little Caesar film by LeRoy [1931] Written by Fact-checked by Article History Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931). Little Caesar, American gangster film, released in 1931, considered a classic of the genre. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Britannica Quiz Pop Culture Quiz In a critically acclaimed performance, Edward G. Robinson plays Rico Bandello, a petty crook who ultimately schemes his way to the top of a Chicago mob. His newfound status, however, puts him at odds with his boyhood friend Joe (played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), and the resulting conflict leads to his downfall. With a face curled into a perennial scowl and his “School of Hard Knocks” charisma, Robinson’s Rico (known to intimates as Little Caesar) epitomized the contemporary urban gangster stereotype. Although it was speculated that the Rico character was based on Al Capone, no hard evidence exists to support the claim. Undisputed, however, is that director Mervyn LeRoy broke new ground with his tale of crime and betrayal. Particularly notable was the film’s violence, which was unprecedented for the time. The box office success of Little Caesar led to a number of popular gangster films, many of which were produced by Warner Brothers. It also brought stardom to Robinson, who became known for his portrayals of gangsters and criminals. Production notes and credits Studio: Warner Brothers Director: Mervyn LeRoy Producers: Hal B. Wallis and Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited) Writers: Francis Edward Faragoh and Robert N. Lee Music: David Mendoza (uncredited) Running time: 79 minutes Cast Edward G. Robinson (Enrico [“Rico”] Bandello [also known as Little Caesar]) Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (Joe Massara) Glenda Farrell (Olga Stassoff) William Collier, Jr. (Tony Passa) Sidney Blackmer (Big Boy) Academy Award nominations
Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays,[1] and more than 100 films, during a 50-year career,[2] and is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo. During his career, Robinson received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in House of Strangers. During the 1930s and 1940s, he was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, which were growing in strength in Europe in the years which led up to World War II. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations that were involved in war relief, along with contributions to cultural, educational, and religious groups. During the 1950s, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare, but he was cleared of any deliberate Communist involvement when he claimed that he was "duped" by several people whom he named (including screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, according to the official Congressional record, "Communist infiltration of the Hollywood motion-picture industry".[3][4] As a result of being investigated, he found himself on Hollywood's graylist, people who were on the Hollywood blacklist maintained by the major studios, but could find work at minor film studios on what was called Poverty Row. Robinson's roles included an insurance investigator in the film noir Double Indemnity, Dathan (the adversary of Moses) in The Ten Commandments, and his final performance in the science-fiction story Soylent Green.[5] Robinson received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in the film industry, which was awarded two months after he died in 1973. He is ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited him as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[6][7] Early years and education Robinson was born Emmanuel Goldenberg (Yiddish: עמנואל גאלדבערג) on December 12, 1893, in a Yiddish-speaking Romanian Jewish family in Bucharest, the fifth son of Sarah (née Guttman) and Yeshaya Moyshe Goldenberg (later called Morris in the U.S.), a builder.[8] According to the New York Times, one of his brothers was attacked by an anti-semitic gang during a "schoolboy pogrom".[9] In the wake of that violence, the family decided to emigrate to the United States.[2] Robinson arrived in New York City on February 21, 1904.[10] "At Ellis Island I was born again," he wrote. "Life for me began when I was 10 years old."[2] In America, he assumed the name of Emanuel. He grew up on the Lower East Side,[11]: 91 and had his Bar Mitzvah at First Roumanian-American Congregation.[12] He attended Townsend Harris High School and then the City College of New York, planning to become a criminal attorney.[13] An interest in acting and performing in front of people led to him winning an American Academy of Dramatic Arts scholarship,[13] after which he changed his name to Edward G. Robinson (the G. standing for his original surname).[13] He served in the United States Navy during World War I, but was never sent overseas.[14] Career Robinson in his breakout role, Little Caesar (1931) Robinson in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944) Robinson and Lynn Bari in Tampico (1944) All My Sons (1948): Louisa Horton, Robinson, Chester Erskine (producer) and Burt Lancaster Florence Henderson and Robinson on the set of Song of Norway (1969) Theatre In 1915, Robinson made his Broadway debut in Roi Cooper Megrue's "Under Fire".[15] He made his film debut in Arms and the Woman (1916). In 1923, he made his named debut as E. G. Robinson in the silent film, The Bright Shawl.[2] The Racket He played a snarling gangster in the 1927 Broadway police/crime drama The Racket, which led to his being cast in similar film roles, beginning with The Hole in the Wall (1929) with Claudette Colbert for Paramount. One of many actors who saw their careers flourish rather than falter in the new sound film era, he made only three films prior to 1930, but left his stage career that year and made 14 films between 1930 and 1932. Robinson went to Universal for Night Ride (1930) and MGM for A Lady to Love (1930) directed by Victor Sjöström. At Universal he was in Outside the Law and East Is West (both 1930), then he did The Widow from Chicago (1931) at First National. Little Caesar At this point, Robinson was becoming an established film actor. What began his rise to stardom was an acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in Little Caesar (1931) at Warner Bros. Robinson signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros., casting him in another gangster film, Smart Money (1931), his only movie with James Cagney. He was reunited with Mervyn LeRoy, director of Little Caesar, in Five Star Final (1931), playing a journalist, and played a Tong gangster in The Hatchet Man (1932). Robinson made a third film with LeRoy, Two Seconds (1932) then did a melodrama directed by Howard Hawks, Tiger Shark (1932). Warner Bros. tried him in a biopic, Silver Dollar (1932), where Robinson played Horace Tabor; a comedy, The Little Giant (1933); and a romance, I Loved a Woman (1933). Robinson was then in Dark Hazard (1934) and The Man with Two Faces (1934). He went to Columbia for The Whole Town's Talking (1935), a comedy directed by John Ford. Sam Goldwyn borrowed him for Barbary Coast (1935), again directed by Hawks. Back at Warner Bros. he did Bullets or Ballots (1936) then he went to Britain for Thunder in the City (1937). He made Kid Galahad (1937) with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. MGM borrowed him for The Last Gangster (1937), then he did a comedy A Slight Case of Murder (1938). Again with Bogart in a supporting role, he was in The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938) and then he was borrowed by Columbia for I Am the Law (1938). World War II At the time World War II broke out in Europe, he played an FBI agent in Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939), the first American film that portrayed Nazism as a threat to the United States. He volunteered for military service in June 1942 but was disqualified due to his age which was 48,[16] although he became an active and vocal critic of fascism and Nazism during that period.[17] MGM borrowed him for Blackmail, (1939). Then, to avoid being typecast, he played the biomedical scientist and Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich in Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940), and played Paul Julius Reuter in A Dispatch from Reuters (1940).[18] Both films were biographies of prominent Jewish public figures. In between, he and Bogart starred in Brother Orchid (1940).[18] Robinson was teamed up with John Garfield in The Sea Wolf (1941), and George Raft in Manpower (1941). He went to MGM for Unholy Partners (1942), and made a comedy Larceny, Inc. (1942). Post-Warner Bros. Robinson was one of several stars in Tales of Manhattan (1942) and Flesh and Fantasy (1943). He did war films: Destroyer (1943) at Columbia, and Tampico (1944) at Fox. At Paramount, he was in Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity (1944), with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck, where his riveting soliloquy on insurance actuarial tables (written by Raymond Chandler) is considered a career showstopper;[clarification needed] and at Columbia, he was in Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944). He then performed with Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea in Fritz Lang's The Woman in the Window (1944), and Scarlet Street (1945), where he played a criminal painter. At MGM, he was in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), and then Orson Welles' The Stranger (1946), with Welles and Loretta Young. Robinson followed it with another thriller, The Red House (1947), and starred in an adaptation of All My Sons (1948). Robinson appeared for director John Huston as the gangster Johnny Rocco in Key Largo (1948), the last of five films that he made with Humphrey Bogart, and the only one in which Robinson played a supporting role to Bogart's character in the film. It is also the only film with Bogart where Bogart's character killed Robinson's character in a gunfight, instead of the opposite. Around the same time, he was cast in starring roles for Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) and House of Strangers (1949). Greylisting Robinson found it hard to get work after his greylisting.[citation needed] He starred in modest-budget films: Actors and Sin (1952), Vice Squad (1953), with brief appearances by second-billed Paulette Goddard, Big Leaguer (1953) with Vera-Ellen, The Glass Web (1953) with John Forsythe, Black Tuesday (1954) with Peter Graves, The Violent Men (1955) with Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwyck, in the well-received Tight Spot (1955) with Ginger Rogers and Brian Keith, A Bullet for Joey (1955) with George Raft, Illegal (1955) with Nina Foch, and in Hell on Frisco Bay (1956) with Alan Ladd. His career's rehabilitation received a boost in 1954, when the anti-communist film director Cecil B. DeMille cast him as the traitorous Dathan in The Ten Commandments. The film was released in 1956, as was his psychological thriller Nightmare. After a subsequent short absence from the screen, Robinson's film career — augmented by an increasing number of television roles — re-started in 1958/1959, when he was second-billed, after Frank Sinatra, in the 1959 release A Hole in the Head. Supporting actor Robinson went to Europe for Seven Thieves (1960). He had support roles in My Geisha (1962), Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), Sammy Going South (1963), The Prize (1963), Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), Good Neighbor Sam (1964), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), and The Outrage (1964). He was second-billed, under Steve McQueen, with his name above the title, in The Cincinnati Kid (1965). McQueen had idolized Robinson while growing up, and opted for him when Spencer Tracy insisted on top billing for the same role. Robinson was top-billed in The Blonde from Peking. He also appeared in Grand Slam (1967), starring Janet Leigh and Klaus Kinski. Robinson was originally cast in the role of Dr. Zaius in Planet Of The Apes (1968) and he even went so far as to film a screen test with Charlton Heston. However, Robinson dropped out of the project before its production began due to heart problems and concerns over the long hours that he would have needed to spend under the heavy ape makeup. He was replaced by Maurice Evans. His later appearances included The Biggest Bundle of Them All (1968) starring Robert Wagner and Raquel Welch, Never a Dull Moment (1968) with Dick Van Dyke, It's Your Move (1968), Mackenna's Gold (1969) starring Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif, and the Night Gallery episode “The Messiah on Mott Street" (1971). The last scene that Robinson filmed was a euthanasia sequence, with his friend and co-star Charlton Heston, in the science fiction film Soylent Green (1973); he died 84 days later. Heston, as president of the Screen Actors Guild, presented Robinson with its annual award in 1969, "in recognition of his pioneering work in organizing the union, his service during World War II, and his 'outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession.'"[11]: 124 Robinson was never nominated for an Academy Award, but in 1973 he was awarded an honorary Oscar in recognition that he had "achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts and a dedicated citizen ... in sum, a Renaissance man".[2] He had been notified of the honor, but he died two months before the award ceremony took place, so the award was accepted by his widow, Jane Robinson.[2] Radio From 1937 to 1942, Robinson starred as Steve Wilson, editor of the Illustrated Press, in the newspaper drama Big Town.[19] He also portrayed hardboiled detective Sam Spade for a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of The Maltese Falcon. During the 1940s he performed on CBS Radio's "Cadena de las Américas" network broadcasts to South America in collaboration with Nelson Rockefeller's cultural diplomacy program at the U.S. State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs.[20] Political activism During the 1930s, Robinson was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, donating more than $250,000 to 850 political and charitable organizations between 1939 and 1949. He was host to the Committee of 56, which gathered at his home on December 9, 1938, signing a "Declaration of Democratic Independence," which called for a boycott of all German-made products.[17] After the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, while he was not a supporter of Communism, he appeared at Soviet war relief rallies in order to give moral aid to America's new ally, which he said could join "together in their hatred of Hitlerism".[11]: 107 Although he attempted to enlist in the military when the United States formally entered World War II, he was unable to do so because of his age;[16] instead, the Office of War Information appointed him as a Special Representative based in London.[11]: 106 From there, taking advantage of his multilingual skills, he delivered radio addresses in over six languages to European countries that had fallen under Nazi domination.[11]: 106 His talent as a radio speaker in the U.S. had previously been recognized by the American Legion, which had given him an award for his "outstanding contribution to Americanism through his stirring patriotic appeals".[11]: 106 Robinson was also an active member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, serving on its executive board in 1944, during which time he became an "enthusiastic" campaigner for Roosevelt's reelection that same year.[11]: 107 During the 1940s, Robinson also contributed to the cultural diplomacy initiatives of Roosevelt's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs in support of Pan-Americanism through his broadcasts to South America on the CBS "Cadena da las Américas" radio network.[20] In early July 1944, less than a month after the Invasion of Normandy by Allied forces, Robinson traveled to Normandy to entertain the troops, becoming the first movie star to go there for the USO.[11]: 106 [21] He personally donated $100,000 ($1,500,000 in 2015 dollars) to the USO.[11]: 107 After returning to the U.S., he continued his active involvement in the war effort by going to shipyards and defense plants in order to inspire workers, in addition to appearing at rallies in order to help sell war bonds.[11]: 107 After the war ended, Robinson publicly spoke out in support of democratic rights for all Americans, especially in demanding equality for Black workers in the workplace. He endorsed the Fair Employment Practices Commission's call to end workplace discrimination.[11]: 109 Black leaders praised him as "one of the great friends of the Negro and a great advocator of Democracy".[11]: 109 Robinson also campaigned for the civil rights of African Americans, helping many to overcome segregation and discrimination.[22] During the years when Robinson spoke out against fascism and Nazism, he was not a supporter of Communism, but he did not criticize the Soviet Union, which he saw as an ally against Hitler. However, the film historian Steven J. Ross observes "activists who attacked Hitler without simultaneously attacking Stalin were vilified by conservative critics as either Communists, Communist dupes, or, at best, as naive liberal dupes."[11]: 128 In addition, Robinson learned that 11 out of the more than 850 charities and groups that he had helped over the previous decade were listed as Communist front organizations by the FBI.[23] As a result, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1950 and 1952, and he was also threatened with blacklisting.[24] As shown in the full House Un-American Activities Committee transcript for April 30, 1952, Robinson repudiated some of the organizations that he had belonged to in the 1930s and 1940s.[24][25] and stated that he felt he had been duped or made use of unawares "by the sinister forces who were members, and probably in important positions in these [front] organizations."[11]: 121 When asked whom he personally knew who might have "duped" him, he replied, "Well, you had Albert Maltz, and you have Dalton Trumbo, and you have ... John Howard Lawson. I knew Frank Tuttle. I didn't know [Edward] Dmytryk at all. There are the Buchmans, that I know, Sidney Buchman and all that sort of thing. It never entered my mind that any of these people were Communists."[26] Despite accusing these persons of being duplicitous towards him about their political aims, Robinson never directly accused anyone of being a Communist. His own name was cleared, but in the aftermath, his career noticeably suffered; he was offered smaller roles infrequently. In October 1952, he wrote an article titled "How the Reds made a Sucker Out of Me", and it was published in the American Legion Magazine.[27] The chair of the committee, Francis E. Walter, told Robinson at the end of his testimonies that the Committee "never had any evidence presented to indicate that you were anything more than a very choice sucker."[11]: 122 Personal life Robinson and his son Manny in a 1962 episode of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Robinson married stage actress Gladys Lloyd Cassell in 1927. The couple had a son, Edward G. Robinson, Jr., known as Manny, (1933–1974), and a daughter from Robinson's wife's first marriage.[28] The couple divorced in 1956. In 1958, Robinson married Jane Bodenheimer, a dress designer professionally known as Jane Arden. He lived in Palm Springs, California.[29] In contrast to the gangsters he portrayed in film, Robinson was a soft-spoken and cultured man.[2] He was a passionate art collector, eventually building up a significant private collection. In 1956, however, he was forced to sell his collection to pay for his divorce settlement with Gladys Robinson; his finances had also suffered due to underemployment in the early 1950s.[11]: 120 Death Robinson died of bladder cancer at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles[30] on January 26, 1973. Services were conducted at Temple Israel in Los Angeles where Charlton Heston delivered the eulogy.[2] More than 1,500 friends of Robinson attended, with another 500 people outside.[11] His body was flown to New York where it was entombed in a crypt in his family's mausoleum at Beth-El Cemetery in Brooklyn.[31] His pallbearers were Jack L. Warner, Hal B. Wallis, Mervyn Leroy, George Burns, Sam Jaffe, Frank Sinatra, Jack Karp and Alan Simpson.[2] In popular culture This section has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2017) Robinson as a gangster in Little Caesar (1931) In October 2000, Robinson's image was imprinted on a U.S. postage stamp, the sixth in its Legends of Hollywood series.[11]: 125 [32] Robinson has been the inspiration for a number of animated television characters, usually caricatures of his most distinctive 'snarling gangster' guise. An early version of the gangster character Rocky, featured in the Bugs Bunny cartoon Racketeer Rabbit, shared his likeness. This version of the character also appears briefly in Justice League, in the episode "Comfort and Joy", as an alien with Robinson's face and non-human body, who hovers past the screen as a background character. Similar caricatures also appeared in The Coo-Coo Nut Grove, Thugs with Dirty Mugs and Hush My Mouse. Another character based on Robinson's tough-guy image was The Frog (Chauncey "Flat Face" Frog) from the cartoon series Courageous Cat and Minute Mouse. The voice of B.B. Eyes in The Dick Tracy Show was based on Robinson, with Mel Blanc and Jerry Hausner sharing voicing duties. The Wacky Races animated series character 'Clyde' from the Ant Hill Mob was based on Robinson's Little Caesar persona. Voice actor Hank Azaria has noted that the voice of Simpsons character police chief Clancy Wiggum is an impression of Robinson.[33] Robinson was portrayed by actor Michael Stuhlbarg in the 2015 biographical drama film Trumbo.[34] Selected filmography Year Title Role Co-stars Notes 1916 Arms and the Woman Factory Worker Uncredited, some sources only[35] 1923 The Bright Shawl Domingo Escobar Richard Barthelmess, William Powell and Mary Astor Credited as E.G. Robinson 1929 The Hole in the Wall The Fox Claudette Colbert 1930 Outside the Law Cobra Collins A Lady to Love Tony East Is West Charlie Yong Lupe Vélez and Lew Ayres Night Ride Tony Garotta Joseph Schildkraut Die Sehnsucht jeder Frau Tony German language version of A Lady to Love[36] The Kibitzer co-written original play only An Intimate Dinner in Celebration of Warner Brothers Silver Jubilee Himself Short subject The Widow from Chicago Dominic Neil Hamilton 1931 How I Play Golf by Bobby Jones No. 10: Trouble Shots Himself Short subject Uncredited Little Caesar Little Caesar – Alias 'Rico' Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The Stolen Jools Gangster Wallace Beery and Buster Keaton Segment "At the Police Station" Short subject Smart Money Nick Venizelos James Cagney and Boris Karloff Five Star Final Randall Boris Karloff 1932 The Hatchet Man Wong Low Get Loretta Young Two Seconds John Allen Tiger Shark Mike Mascarenhas Richard Arlen Silver Dollar Yates Martin Bebe Daniels 1933 The Little Giant Bugs Ahearn Mary Astor I Loved a Woman John Mansfield Hayden Kay Francis 1934 Dark Hazard Jim 'Buck' Turner The Man with Two Faces Damon Welles / Jules Chautard Mary Astor 1935 The Whole Town's Talking Arthur Ferguson Jones/"Killer" Mannion Jean Arthur Barbary Coast Luis Chamalis Miriam Hopkins, Joel McCrea, Walter Brennan, Brian Donlevy and Harry Carey 1936 Bullets or Ballots Detective Johnny Blake Joan Blondell and Humphrey Bogart 1937 Thunder in the City Dan Armstrong Ralph Richardson A Day at Santa Anita Himself Short subject Uncredited Kid Galahad Nick Donati Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart and Harry Carey The Last Gangster Joe Krozac James Stewart 1938 A Slight Case of Murder Remy Marco The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse Dr. Clitterhouse Claire Trevor, Humphrey Bogart, Donald Crisp, Maxie Rosenbloom and Ward Bond I Am the Law Prof. John Lindsay 1939 Verdensberømtheder i København Himself Documentary Confessions of a Nazi Spy Edward Renard George Sanders, Paul Lukas and Ward Bond Blackmail John R. Ingram Gene Lockhart 1940 Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet Dr. Paul Ehrlich Ruth Gordon and Donald Crisp Brother Orchid 'Little' John T. Sarto Ann Sothern, Humphrey Bogart, Donald Crisp and Ralph Bellamy A Dispatch from Reuter's Julius Reuter Eddie Albert and Gene Lockhart 1941 The Sea Wolf 'Wolf' Larsen Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Gene Lockhart and Barry Fitzgerald Manpower Hank McHenry Marlene Dietrich, George Raft and Ward Bond Polo with the Stars Himself – Watching Polo Match Short subject Uncredited Unholy Partners Bruce Corey Edward Arnold 1942 Larceny, Inc. Pressure' Maxwell Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson, Anthony Quinn and Jackie Gleason Tales of Manhattan Avery L. 'Larry' Browne Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda and Charles Laughton Moscow Strikes Back Narrator Documentary 1943 Magic Bullets Narrator Short subject Documentary Destroyer Steve Boleslavski Glenn Ford Flesh and Fantasy Marshall Tyler Charles Boyer and Barbara Stanwyck Episode 2 1943 Tampico Capt. Bart Manson Victor McLaglen Double Indemnity Barton Keyes Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck Mr. Winkle Goes to War Wilbert Winkle The Woman in the Window Professor Richard Wanley Joan Bennett and Raymond Massey 1945 Our Vines Have Tender Grapes Martinius Jacobson Agnes Moorehead Journey Together Dean McWilliams Richard Attenborough Scarlet Street Christopher Cross Joan Bennett 1946 American Creed Himself Short subject The Stranger Mr. Wilson Loretta Young and Orson Welles 1947 The Red House Pete Morgan 1948 All My Sons Joe Keller Burt Lancaster Key Largo Johnny Rocco Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore and Claire Trevor Night Has a Thousand Eyes John Triton 1949 House of Strangers Gino Monetti Susan Hayward, Richard Conte and Efram Zimbalist, Jr. It's a Great Feeling Himself Doris Day and Jack Carson Uncredited 1950 Operation X George Constantin 1952 Actors and Sin Maurice Tillayou Segment "Actor's Blood" 1953 Vice Squad Capt. 'Barnie' Barnaby Paulette Goddard Big Leaguer John B. 'Hans' Lobert Carl Hubbell The Glass Web Henry Hayes John Forsythe 1954 Black Tuesday Vincent Canelli Peter Graves For the Defense Matthew Considine TV movie 1955 The Violent Men Lew Wilkison Glenn Ford and Barbara Stanwyck Tight Spot Lloyd Hallett Ginger Rogers A Bullet for Joey Inspector Raoul Leduc George Raft Illegal Victor Scott Jayne Mansfield 1956 Hell on Frisco Bay Victor Amato Alan Ladd Nightmare Rene Bressard The Ten Commandments Dathan Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter, John Derek and Vincent Price 1957 The Heart of Show Business Narrator Short subject 1959 A Hole in the Head Mario Manetta Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker and Thelma Ritter 1960 Seven Thieves Theo Wilkins Rod Steiger and Joan Collins "The Devil and Daniel Webster" Daniel Webster NBC-TV movie The Right Man Theodore Roosevelt TV movie Pepe Himself 1962 My Geisha Sam Lewis Shirley MacLaine Two Weeks in Another Town Maurice Kruger Kirk Douglas and Claire Trevor) 1963 Sammy Going South Cocky Wainwright Alternative title: A Boy Ten Feet Tall The Prize Dr. Max Stratman Paul Newman 1964 Robin and the 7 Hoods Big Jim Stevens Rat Pack and Bing Crosby Uncredited Good Neighbor Sam Simon Nurdlinger Jack Lemmon and Neil Hamilton Cheyenne Autumn Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Ricardo Montalbán and James Stewart The Outrage Con Man Paul Newman, Claire Bloom and William Shatner 1965 Who Has Seen the Wind? Captain TV movie The Cincinnati Kid Lancey Howard Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, Karl Malden, Joan Blondell and Cab Calloway 1966 Batman Cameo 1967 All About People Narrator Short subject The Blonde from Peking Douglas – chef C.I.A. Grand Slam Prof. James Anders Janet Leigh Operation St. Peter's Joe Ventura 1968 The Biggest Bundle of Them All Professor Samuels Robert Wagner and Raquel Welch Never a Dull Moment Leo Joseph Smooth Dick Van Dyke It's Your Move Sir George McDowell 1969 Mackenna's Gold Old Adams Gregory Peck U.M.C. Dr. Lee Forestman Alternative title: Operation Heartbeat TV movie 1970 The Old Man Who Cried Wolf Emile Pulska Martin Balsam and Ed Asner TV Movie Song of Norway Krogstad Florence Henderson 1971 Mooch Goes to Hollywood Himself – Party guest Uncredited Night Gallery Abe Goldman Season 2, episode 13a "The Messiah on Mott Street" Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Cameo 1972 Neither by Day Nor by Night Father 1973 Soylent Green Sol Roth Charlton Heston and Joseph Cotten Radio appearances Year Program Episode/source 1940 Screen Guild Theatre Blind Alley[37] 1946 Suspense The Man Who Wanted to Be Edward G. Robinson aka The Man Who Thought He Was Edward G. Robinson[38][39] 1946 This Is Hollywood The Stranger[40] 1950 Screen Directors Playhouse The Sea Wolf[40] See also List of posthumous Academy Award winners and nominees Edward G. Robinson (born December 12, 1893, Bucharest, Romania—died January 26, 1973, Hollywood, California, U.S.) American stage and film actor who skillfully played a wide range of character types but was best known for his portrayals of gangsters and criminals. Robinson was born in Romania but emigrated with his parents at age 10 and grew up on New York’s Lower East Side. He gave up early dreams of becoming either a rabbi or a lawyer and, while a student at City College, settled on acting. After winning a scholarship (1911) to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he made his stage debut in Paid in Full (1913). His knowledge of many languages helped him win a multilingual part in Under Fire (1915), his Broadway debut. He continued acting each Broadway season for the next decade, and in 1927 he had his first starring role, in the play The Racket. Two years later he appeared in The Kibitzer, a three-act comedy he wrote with Jo Swerling. USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Britannica Quiz Pop Culture Quiz Though he had appeared in two silent films—Arms and the Woman (1916) and The Bright Shawl (1923)—it was not until the advent of sound that Robinson’s movie career began in earnest. After a few undistinguished dramas, he starred as the trigger-happy gangster Enrico Bandello in Little Caesar (1931). It was the perfect part for Robinson and made him an instant star. Robinson’s dynamic performance, like that of James Cagney in The Public Enemy (1931), made the film stand apart from the usual underworld story, and both films marked the start of a long series of gangster pictures with which the Warner Brothers studio would become most associated throughout the 1930s and ’40s. Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney in Smart Money Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney in Smart Money Edward G. Robinson (left) and James Cagney in Smart Money (1931), directed by Alfred E. Green. Short, chubby, with “the face of a depraved cherub and a voice which makes everything he says seem violently profane,” as Time magazine described him in 1931, Robinson was content that his career would consist of rough-and-tumble roles and character parts; he was happy to turn what would have otherwise been physical drawbacks into instantly identifiable trademarks. He continued playing “tough mugs” in film after film: a con man in Smart Money (1931), a cigar-chomping newspaper editor in Five Star Final (1931), a convicted murderer in Two Seconds (1932), and a spoof of his own Little Caesar image in The Little Giant (1933). The Whole Town’s Talking (1935), in which he played the dual roles of a timid bank clerk and a ruthless hoodlum, showed Robinson capable of fine understated comedy, whereas in Bullets or Ballots (1936) he at last got to play somebody on the right side of the law, an undercover policeman. In 1937 he began a five-year run on the popular radio series Big Town, playing a newspaper editor. Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo (1948), directed by John Huston. Robinson considered his title role in Dr. Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet (1940) to be his best performance. The story of the doctor who found the cure for syphilis, the film was further proof that Robinson could give a distinguished performance even without a gun in his hand or a cigar in his mouth. His other well-received films included A Dispatch from Reuters (1940), The Sea Wolf (1941), Double Indemnity (1944), The Woman in the Window (1944), Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), All My Sons (1948), and Key Largo (1948). In the 1950s Robinson suffered a series of personal setbacks. He testified several times for the House Committee on Un-American Activities before he was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, and a divorce settlement in 1956 forced him to sell off most of his private art collection, which was considered one of the finest in the world. Still, he kept working in films and returned to Broadway in Paddy Chayefsky’s Middle of the Night (1956). By the 1950s he was no longer a major star, though he continued to deliver fine performances in notable films such as The Ten Commandments (1956), A Hole in the Head (1959), and The Cincinnati Kid (1965). He enjoyed television work and guest-starred in many dramas and specials, including Ford Theatre, Playhouse 90, and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. Robinson died in 1973 shortly after completing his final film, Soylent Green. He was posthumously awarded a special Academy Award for his contributions to the art of motion pictures. Special offer for students! Check out our special academic rate and excel this spring semester! The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen. Double Indemnity Table of Contents Introduction Production notes and credits Cast Academy Award nominations References & Edit History Related Topics Images Double Indemnity (1944)MacMurray, Fred Quizzes USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. 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American bison (Bison bison) also known as buffalo or plains buffalo on the prairie, western U.S. What’s the Difference Between Bison and Buffalo? Homemade fruit jam in the jar, jelly, preserves What’s the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, and Preserves? Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics 10 Best Hockey Players of All Time King George V of Britain, c. 1910, shortly after his accession to the throne How Did King George V Really Die? Ancient Mayan Calendar Our Days Are Numbered: 7 Crazy Facts About Calendars Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Movies Arts & Culture Double Indemnity film by Wilder [1944] Written by Fact-checked by Article History Double Indemnity (1944) Double Indemnity (1944) Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (1944). Double Indemnity, American film noir, released in 1944, that was considered the quintessential movie of its genre. It followed the time-honoured noir plotline of a man undone by an evil woman. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Britannica Quiz Classic Closing Lines MacMurray, Fred MacMurray, Fred Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (1944). The film was adapted by director Billy Wilder and writer Raymond Chandler from the 1935 novella by James M. Cain. Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) is an insurance representative whose obsession with bombshell femme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) allows her to manipulate him into helping murder her husband so she can collect on his lucrative insurance policy. (“Double indemnity” refers to the insurance policy clause that calls for the beneficiary to be paid twice the face value of the policy in case of the policyholder’s accidental death.) The scheme seems to be going perfectly until Neff’s boss, insurance investigator Barton Keyes (Edward G. Robinson), suspects foul play and launches an investigation into the case. Though this classic suspense drama weaves elements of lust, murder, and intrigue, it is not a “whodunit”—the viewer knows precisely who committed the crime and why. In the role of the unscrupulous insurance agent, leading man MacMurray played against type for the first time in his career, and film scholars cite the chemistry between him and the other leads as the central reason for Double Indemnity’s popularity and acclaim. Along with The Postman Always Rings Twice, this film pushed censorship rules in the area of sex. Both movies have obvious similarities: namely, self-centred women with torrid sex drives lure impressionable men into committing murder on their behalf. In both cases there is the inevitable “crime doesn’t pay” finale that was a necessary element of any film in this genre. Production notes and credits Studio: Paramount Pictures Director: Billy Wilder Writers: Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler Music: Miklós Rózsa Running time: 107 minutes Cast Fred MacMurray (Walter Neff) Barbara Stanwyck (Phyllis Dietrichson) Edward G. Robinson (Barton Keyes) Porter Hall (Mr. Jackson) Jean Heather (Lola Dietrichson) Tom Powers (Mr. Dietrichson) Academy Award nominations Picture Director Lead actress (Barbara Stanwyck) Screenplay Cinematography Music Sound Lee Pfeiffer Key Largo Table of Contents Introduction Production notes and credits Cast Academy Award nominations (* denotes win) References & Edit History Related Topics Images Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Quizzes USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Pop Culture Quiz Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Classic Closing Lines Al Pacino as Tony Montana in Scarface (1983), directed by Brian De Palma Famous Hollywood Film Characters Quiz Empty movie theater and blank screen (theatre, motion pictures, cinema). Oscar-Worthy Movie Trivia Publicity still with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman from the motion picture film "Casablanca" (1942); directed by Michael Curtiz. (cinema, movies) Best Picture Movie Quote Quiz Related Questions What are some of the major film festivals? Read Next Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? Bag end on Bagshot row from the movies Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in Hobbiton, New Zealand, Australia You Ought to Be in Pictures: 8 Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? Discover NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting. 10 Great Sports Rivalries Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart portrait. Austrian composer. (Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Did Mozart Write “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”? King George V of Britain, c. 1910, shortly after his accession to the throne How Did King George V Really Die? Statue of Nostradamus Nostradamus and His Prophecies The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins) New Seven Wonders of the World Towers of silence in a barren desert under clear blue skies. A Dakhma, also known as the Tower of Silence, is a circular, raised structure built by Zoroastrians for excarnation How Have Zoroastrians Been Treated in Muslim Iran? Homemade fruit jam in the jar, jelly, preserves What’s the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, and Preserves? Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Movies Arts & Culture Key Largo film by Huston [1948] Written by Fact-checked by Article History Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo (1948), directed by John Huston. Key Largo, American film noir, released in 1948, that is widely considered a classic of the genre. It was directed by John Huston, stars married actors Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and was loosely based on a 1939 play by Maxwell Anderson. Bogart played against type as Frank McCloud, a cynical army veteran who visits a hotel on Florida’s Key Largo owned by the father (played by Lionel Barrymore) and young widow (Bacall) of one of his military comrades. McCloud finds himself among the captives in the hotel when it is taken over by notorious gangster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) and his gang of thugs, who are hoping to hide out until they can escape to Cuba. Although he initially seems nonheroic and maintains a stance of noninvolvement, McCloud comes to despise Rocco for his cruelty, and he decides to fight back. The drama is heightened by the violent hurricane battering the island. Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, with her dog, Toto, from the motion picture film The Wizard of Oz (1939); directed by Mervyn LeRay. (cinema, movies) Britannica Quiz Classic Closing Lines Though the plot and characters are hardly original, the interactions between Rocco and the eclectic group of hotel residents held against their will generate suspense. John Huston directed an impressive cast, highlighted by Robinson’s brutal on-the-lam crime kingpin and Claire Trevor in an Academy Award-winning role as his abused and humiliated mistress. A scene in which Robinson forces Trevor’s character, an alcoholic and former nightclub entertainer, to sing for a drink is memorable for its heartbreaking pathos. Production notes and credits Studio: Warner Brothers Director: John Huston Writer: Richard Brooks and John Huston Music: Max Steiner Running time: 100 minutes Cast Humphrey Bogart (Frank McCloud) Edward G. Robinson (Johnny Rocco) Lauren Bacall (Nora Temple) Lionel Barrymore (James Temple) Claire Trevor (Gaye Dawn) Academy Award nominations (* denotes win) Supporting actress* (Claire Trevor) Lee Pfeiffer Little Caesar Table of Contents Introduction Production notes and credits Cast Academy Award nominations References & Edit History Related Topics Images Edward G. Robinson Quizzes USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Pop Culture Quiz Publicity still from the motion picture film "The Terminator" (1984); directed by James Cameron. (cinema, movies) Match the Quote to the Movie Quiz Related Questions What are some of the major film festivals? Read Next Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? Bag end on Bagshot row from the movies Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in Hobbiton, New Zealand, Australia You Ought to Be in Pictures: 8 Filming Locations You Can Actually Visit Orson Welles, film director, actor, and producer as Charles Foster Kane in the film "Citizen Kane" (1941) which he wrote, produced, directed and starred in. The film is based on the life of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. 100 Years of Orson Welles Tom Cruise as Maverick in Top Gun(1986) directed by Tony Scott. Can You Guess the Movie by the Scene? Discover Homemade fruit jam in the jar, jelly, preserves What’s the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, and Preserves? King George V of Britain, c. 1910, shortly after his accession to the throne How Did King George V Really Die? Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart portrait. Austrian composer. (Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) Did Mozart Write “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”? King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile) 9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt. 11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time Submerged sperm whale off east Sri Lanka coast, mammal How Did the Sperm Whale Get Its Name? Home Entertainment & Pop Culture Movies Arts & Culture Little Caesar film by LeRoy [1931] Written by Fact-checked by Article History Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson in Little Caesar (1931). Little Caesar, American gangster film, released in 1931, considered a classic of the genre. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) USA 2006 - 78th Annual Academy Awards. Closeup of giant Oscar statue at the entrance of the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hompepage blog 2009, arts and entertainment, film movie hollywood Britannica Quiz Pop Culture Quiz In a critically acclaimed performance, Edward G. Robinson plays Rico Bandello, a petty crook who ultimately schemes his way to the top of a Chicago mob. His newfound status, however, puts him at odds with his boyhood friend Joe (played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), and the resulting conflict leads to his downfall. With a face curled into a perennial scowl and his “School of Hard Knocks” charisma, Robinson’s Rico (known to intimates as Little Caesar) epitomized the contemporary urban gangster stereotype. Although it was speculated that the Rico character was based on Al Capone, no hard evidence exists to support the claim. Undisputed, however, is that director Mervyn LeRoy broke new ground with his tale of crime and betrayal. Particularly notable was the film’s violence, which was unprecedented for the time. The box office success of Little Caesar led to a number of popular gangster films, many of which were produced by Warner Brothers. It also brought stardom to Robinson, who became known for his portrayals of gangsters and criminals. Production notes and credits Studio: Warner Brothers Director: Mervyn LeRoy Producers: Hal B. Wallis and Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited) Writers: Francis Edward Faragoh and Robert N. Lee Music: David Mendoza (uncredited) Running time: 79 minutes Cast Edward G. Robinson (Enrico [“Rico”] Bandello [also known as Little Caesar]) Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (Joe Massara) Glenda Farrell (Olga Stassoff) William Collier, Jr. (Tony Passa) Sidney Blackmer (Big Boy) Academy Award nominations
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