A Slight Case of Murder

A Slight Case of Murder.
1938 Warner Bros. Pictures & Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Edward G. Robinson, Jane Bryan, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Willard Parker
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Available from Amazon as a single DVD, or as part of Warner Bros. Pictures Gangsters Collection, Volume 2 (Formerly Tough Guys).

Edward G. Robinson stars in this 1938 comedy where he spoofs his own gangster image as the reformed bootlegger Remy Marco (or Marko), who announces he's going legit upon the end of Prohibition. During those years where alcohol was illegal, Remy and his mob ran one of the biggest bootlegging operations in the country, making a fortune. Unfortunately, Remy is a teetotaler, so he has no idea just how bad his product tastes, and his gang, who are now "salesmen", are too afraid to tell him this.

Four years later, Remy is on the brink of bankruptcy because his beer just isn't selling, and his house and brewery are very close to being seized by the bank (he owes $460,000). His marriage is also suffering, because he has long provided his wife (Donnelly) with a certain high standard of living. Their daughter Mary (Bryan) returns home from college newly engaged to Dick Whitewood (Parker), who is also a policeman.

Not only that, but one of Remy's old rival gangs have just gotten away from a heist, and they are now holing up in the Marco home, where one gang member decides to eliminate his four partners, leaving their dead bodies in a bedroom for Remy and his family to discover, while the murderer is trying to find a place to hide the loot, which would cover Remy's debts.

A great screwball comedy. Highly recommended. A Slight Case of Murder also features the "Warner Night at the Movies" option, in case you were curious to see what the average moviegoer would see on a trip to the local cinema back in '38.