The Widow from Chicago (1930)

just watch it!

good back-story, and good acting

An action-packed slog

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

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

This is a very forgettable gangster film that Edward G. Robinson made a year before becoming a mega-star with his breakout movie, "Little Caesar". While he isn't bad in "The Widow From Chicago", the film itself is really ridiculous and I am sure it didn't do much for his career.When the film begins, Polly (Alice White) learns that her brother is a cop and is planning on infiltrating Dominic's gang. He's going to pretend he's Swifty--a gangster who the authorities believe is dead. However, his real identity is discovered and he's soon murdered...perhaps by Dominic (Robinson) himself. The spunky Polly decides her next course is to infiltrate Dominic's mob and she gets a job as a dance hall girl. She quickly gains Dominic's trust by pretending to be Swifty's wife but a serious glitch occurs when the REAL Swifty (Neil Hamilton) arrives! Here is where it gets REALLY hard to believe...as Swifty decides to go along with it and pretends Polly really IS his wife!! Why?? I have no idea!! The rest is exciting...but ultimately completely ridiculous due to the inexplicable relationship between Swifty and Polly. Well worth seeing but totally ludicrous.

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

Edward G. Robinson and Alice White star in this early Warner Bros. gangster flick. White is the sister of a murdered policeman, and she sets out to find her brother's killer by impersonating the widow of a dead gangster and cozying up to Robinson, a rackets boss. There are even more complications in this, frankly, badly directed film (Edward F. Cline fared much better as a comedy director at Universal later in his career), several of the supporting performances are either weak or hammy, the film tends to meander and has quite a few dead spots, but Robinson and the unjustly neglected (and very sexy) Alice White do quite well despite the convoluted plot. It's main interest is as a precursor to the classic WB '30s gangster films, and you can see the famous Warners style emerging. It's just a pity that the film itself is so mediocre. It's worth a look to see where Warners was going with the gangster genre, and you can see a lot of Joan Blondell in the vivacious Alice White, but other than that, it's nothing really special, and doesn't hold a candle to Robinson's later work in "Little Caesar" and "Smart Money," which came out a year later.