Themes: Nothing Goes Right, Hide the Dead Body, Going Straight
Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Jane Bryan, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Willard Parker
Release Year: 1938
Country: US
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
Slight Case of Murder is a breakneck-paced comedy starring Edward G. Robinson as a tough but good-hearted bootlegger. When Prohibition is repealed, Robinson faces a financial crisis: His beer tastes so awful that no one wants to drink it legally. As an additional headache, Robinson is under scrutiny from the Law, which is waiting to slip the cuffs on him for the slightest infraction. He arrives at his rented Saratoga mansion with his wife (Ruth Donnelly), daughter (Jane Bryan) and adopted son (Bobby Jordan), only to discover that a killer has left four corpses in his bedroom. Robinson and his stooges are forced to hide the bodies before his future son-in-law (Willard Parker), who happens to be a cop, tumbles to the dilemma. Based on a stage play by Howard Lindsay and Damon Runyon, A Slight Case of Murder a just as entertaining in the 1990s as it was fifty years ago (please ignore a tepid 1953 musical remake titled Stop, You're Killing Me). Surprisingly, this film was not a favorite of star Edward G. Robinson, who felt that director Lloyd Bacon rushed through the material without taking full advantage of its comic potential. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A Slight Case of Murder is a non-stop laugh riot and a brilliant parody of the classic Hollywood gangster film. Blessed with a screenplay that is not only flawlessly constructed but also drop-dead funny, Murder also benefits from a peculiar, quirky and, at times, surreal sensibility that makes it stand out from many other studio comedies of the period. The hand of Damon Runyon is clearly evident in much of the dialogue, but the trio of writers who collaborated with him on the screenplay have kept many of Runyon's bad habits -- such as an occasional willingness to go for cheap sentiment -- in check. Director Lloyd Bacon is operating in top form, almost as if he were competing with Howard Hawks to keep things moving in the most crackling manner possible. In the demanding lead role, Edward G. Robinson is delightful, a presumed tough guy who can't help but be a cuddly softie; no one handles the fish-out-of-water routines in quite the same way, and his offhanded way with a punch line is delicious. Ruth Donnelly is a stitch as his wife and Bert Hanlon has an amusing turn as Sad Sam the bookie. Unlike Robinson's cheap, bootleg booze, Murder just gets better with age. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Max Parker - Art Director, Lloyd Bacon - Director, James Gibbon - Editor, Jack Scholl - Composer (Music Score), M.K. Jerome - Composer (Music Score), Leo F. Forbstein - Musical Direction/Supervision, M. K. Jerome - Songwriter, Jack Scholl - Songwriter, Sidney Hickox - Cinematographer, Sam Bischoff - Producer, Hal B. Wallis - Producer, Earl W. Baldwin - Screenwriter, Howard Lindsay - Screenwriter, Damon Runyon - Screenwriter, Joseph Schrank - Screenwriter, Howard Lindsay - Play Author, Damon Runyon - Play Author
A Slight Case of Murder is a 1938 comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film is based on a play by Damon Runyon and Harold Lindsay. The offbeat comedy stars Edward G. Robinson spoofing his own gangster image as Remy Marco.
The film tells the story of bootlegger Marco who announces he's going legit with the end of Prohibition. His fortune declines because the beer he makes tastes terrible and everyone is afraid to tell him so. Nearly bankrupt four years later, he has problems in his marriage because his wife has grown used to a high standard of living. Also, his daughter comes home with a boyfriend that turns out to be a state cop. More and more problems begin to pop up in the life of the former bootlegger.
Critical reaction
The film continues to receive positive reviews. A "Classic Film Guide" review calls A Slight Case of Murder, "a satisfying comedy, which is enhanced by some great character work by veteran supporting players": Allen Jenkins, Edward Brophy, and Harold Huber as members of Remy's former gang gone legitimate; Margaret Hamilton as Mrs. Cagie; and Paul Harvey, who plays Dick the trooper's father who must approve of his son's pending marriage to Remy's daughter Mary. (Note: The Paul Harvey in this cast (1882-1955) was originally born Ron Paul Harvey—and is not to be confused with Paul Harvey, the radio commentator.) [1]
