Smart Money (1931)

Immigrant Greek barber has uncommon skills in playing poker and soon rises in the seedy world of illegal gambling, but pretty blondes remain his Achilles' heel.

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Kubec Glasmon (screen story and dialogue), John Bright (screen story and dialogue),

Stars:

Edward G. Robinson, James Cagney, Evalyn Knapp

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edward G. Robinson	...	Nick Venizelos
James Cagney	...	Jack
Evalyn Knapp	...	Irene Graham
Ralf Harolde	...	Sleepy Sam
Noel Francis	...	Marie
Margaret Livingston	...	District Attorney's Girl
Maurice Black	...	Greek Barber
Billy House	...	Irontown Salesman (as William House)
Paul Porcasi	...	Alexander Amenoppopolus
Gladys Lloyd	...	Second Cigar Stand Clerk
Polly Walters	...	Lola

Storyline

Nick Venizelos, an immigrant Greek barber, has an uncommon affinity for poker and other sorts of wagering and a group of his friends bankroll him in a big game, where his weakness for pretty blondes is taken advantage of by sleazy operator Sleepy Sam who cleans him out in a rigged game. Nick accepts help from his buddy Jack as they turn the tables on the grifters, but triumph soon changes to tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

barber | poker | blonde | gambling | revenge | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 July 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Mulheres Enganam Sempre

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the time the movie was made, James Cagney had appeared in several movies but was not yet a big star. During the making of Smart Money, Cagney was simultaneously filming The Public Enemy with director William A. Wellman. (Screenwriters Kubec Glasmon and John Bright were re-writing dialogue for "Public Enemy" while working on the set of "Smart Money.") Knowing that his friend Edward G. Robinson was already a star, Cagney deferred to Robinson in most of their scenes together. But by the time "Smart Money" was released, "The Public Enemy" had been out for several months and had made Cagney a star as well, so Warner Brothers put Cagney and Robinson's faces together on posters for the film, and gave them equal billing.

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Goofs

According to video commentators Ursini and Silver, Robinson starred as Luis Pasteur, a role that was played by Paul Muni. Also they credit "Scarface" as a Universal picture. It was actually a Caddo Picture released by United Artists.

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Quotes

Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos: [inquiring at cigar stand] Say, uh, what are those things for?
Marie: Poker dice.
Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos: Oh, you gamble with them?
Marie: Yes, sir, it's a dollar if you lose, and if you win, you get $2 worth of merchandise.
Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos: [looking at her laciviously] Anything behind the counter?
Marie: [coyly] Anything in merchandise.
Nick 'The Barber' Venizelos: Heh, heh, well, you're a cute little package.
[he chuckles]

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Connections

Referenced in James Cagney: Top of the World (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Auld Lang Syne"
(uncredited)
Traditional Music
Played on accordion by a blind man at the end

User Reviews

Very watchable even after all these years

This is not exactly the sort of film you'd expect from Edward G. Robinson in 1931. While he was well-known for his gangster roles, this character isn't a saint by any stretch, but he's far from vicious or deadly like "Little Caesar". In addition, this early film is the only film that ever paired him with Jimmy Cagney. Cagney, at this point, was the lesser star and has a rather small role in the film as Robinson's right-hand man. The breakout film, THE PUBLIC ENEMY, was released just before SMART MONEY and at the point of making this second film, the studio didn't know that he was now a mega-star.

Robinson is a barber with an uncanny ability to gamble and win. Eventually, he and his friends pool their money and send him to "the big city" and even though he at first is bankrupted, he eventually becomes the biggest and most famous gambler around the country. The only problems are that he's a lousy judge of women AND the District Attorney is out to get him no matter what it takes! The film is pretty well written and interesting--not the usual gangster stuff. Plus, there are a few neat scenes that took place since the film was created before the strict Production Code was created--so you get to see Eddie kick a woman in the rear as well as have another lady try to offer him sex to pay off her debt to him! Pretty risqué here and there, but in general this isn't really that violent or salacious a film. Just a good drama with some nice twists and decent acting.

PS--When you watch the film, look for a brief cameo by Boris Karloff. He does have a few speaking lines, but he has a rather odd accent--a Brit trying to sound like an American mug.