January 26 1965

The Theodore Huff Memorial Film Society

Two Comedies from the 30's

LITTLE GIANT (1933) with Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor
BONNIE SCOTLAND (1935) with Laurel and Hardy

It's surprising how soon after his success as Little Caesar Robinson was already kidding his own genre; and perhaps more surprising, when one takes time to consider how relatively few gangster roles Robinson actually played. There are a handful at most, with most of them concentrated in the 40’s and 50's (Key Largo, Hell on Frisco Bay, Black Tuesday). Little Giant, which bears no relation to the same titled property filmed by Universal two or three times, is very much in the Damon Runyon mould, and actually far more "authentic" Runyon than many of the films officially based on Runyon tales. The theme of the tough guy in society has never been a particularly productive one, either for drama or comedy, and too often the plotting is heavy-handed and obvious, and the gagging labored. Certainly some of this criticism can be leveled at Little Giant too, and it is never quite as smart as it thinks it is, but it has so much going for it that it does manage to remain good and sprightly fun. For one thing of course, there's the cast: Robinson delivering his lines with fine aplomb, Mary Astor serenely lovely, Helen Vinson as enjoyably bitchy as always, and Burton Churchill thundering and ranting and cajoling in his time-honored manner. The gangster elements are both exciting and amusing, and even quite touching in the sequence where Robinson ditches his long-time mistress. Being a pre-Code movie of course, there are the usual cracks about racial minorities (in this case, Greeks!), homosexuals and dope addicts, with modern art appropriately added to the list of things to be kidded and debunked. There’s a whale of a wild party, a couple of inside gags (relating to The Public Enemy) which show that this sort of thing was good fun before the New Wave was ever heard of, and the old Vitaphone orchestra is in there sawing away at recognisable themes from Blessed Event, One Way Passage, and other contemporary Warner films. It's a thoroughly typical and representative early 30's movie, snappy, loud and fast-paced, and while neither a major Del Ruth nor a major Robinson, it's one that neither of them need hang their heads over.

- Intermission -

Even admitting that the romantic sub-plot is not intended to be taken too seriously, it still gets too much in the way. And the whole film rather suggests the modus operandi of many of the boys' shorts: they start out with a simple story-line, and then spend so much time (profitably) on detail that they wind up with actually about a third of the original story completed. In shorts, the system often worked beautifully; in features it’s a different matter. Here they suddenly seem to run out of time, so that the expected big climax is rather a fizzle, and done in a cheap fashion that disappoints after the carefully done earlier sequences, and especially the excellent atmospheric establishing shots of "Bonnie" Scotland. However, there are marvellous moments, and if it disappoints, it certainly also entertains. Hardy’s underwater sneezing gag is fine, as is the garbage collecting routine so patently borrowed from The Music Box. (The sequence was badly damaged in the recent Big Parade of Comedy through the elimination of most of the original music incidentally). There’s a neat twist in the initial introduction of their theme music, "The Cuckoos," and a glorious moment when the evil Khan finds out that L&H are not, after all, high-ranking officers. "Who are you?" he shouts, and the anticipated but still quite wonderful reply, accompanied by the inevitable tie-twiddle, is the time-honored, "Why, I'm Mr. Hardy, and this is my friend, Mr. Laurel!" Daphne Pollard, with her haughty "Well, toss me over the hurdles!" is seen too briefly, but Anne Grey – stooge villainess or not – is as appealing as always. Economy watchers will have fun spotting the old Roach props and sets – e.g. that chiming clock that invariably falls on Mr. Hardy’s head, and the mansion and pool set (from Midnight Patrol etc.) here disguised as an Indian palace! Some of the dialogue genially spoofs "Gunga Din" traditions, and all told it is certainly a diverting and amusing 80 minutes, if rarely hilarious.