IMDb > A Slight Case of Murder (1938)

A Slight Case of Murder (1938) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   575 votes
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Director:
Lloyd Bacon
Writers:
Earl Baldwin (screenplay) and
Joseph Schrank (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for A Slight Case of Murder on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 March 1938 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Crime more
Tagline:
High finance teaches a racketeer new tactics !
Plot:
Former bootlegger Remy Marco has a slight problem with forclosing bankers, a prospective son-in-law, and four hard-to-explain corpses. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Maybe Hilarious In '38, But Only Mildly Funny Now more (16 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Edward G. Robinson ... Remy Marco
Jane Bryan ... Mary Marco
Allen Jenkins ... Mike
Ruth Donnelly ... Nora Marco
Willard Parker ... Dick Whitewood
John Litel ... Post
Edward Brophy ... Lefty
Harold Huber ... Guiseppe
Eric Stanley ... Ritter
Paul Harvey ... Mr. Whitewood
Bobby Jordan ... Douglas Fairbanks Rosenbloom
Joe Downing ... Innocence
Margaret Hamilton ... Mrs. Cagle
George E. Stone ... Kirk
Bert Hanlon ... Sad Sam
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
85 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Canada:14A (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #3916) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)
Company:
Warner Bros. Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Several actors in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in this movie. These were (with their character names): William Worthington (Banker), Isabel La Mal (French Teacher), Al Bridge (Tony - Factory Worker) and John Harron (Freddie). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Remy drinks from the glass of beer from which Whitewood drank, there is inexplicably more beer in the glass. more
Quotes:
Remy Marco: Sure, I'm legit. I'm in favor of law and order. But you don't have to have it right in your own house, do you? more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (2008) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Dancing with Tears in My Eyes more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
10 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
Maybe Hilarious In '38, But Only Mildly Funny Now, 14 December 2006
6/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

I guess this was considered "hilarious" back in 1938 but I don't it would be thought of that way today. It's a good example of how humor changes through the decades. A lot of comedies from the "classic era" sound really corny and stupid to us today. I imagine folks will say the same 60 years from now about today's humor.

That isn't to say there aren't some funny moments in this movie. There are, but just not as many as I was expecting after reading the "hype" about the film. The story centers around a crook, "Remy Marco" (Edward G. Robinson supposedly spoofing his role as "Rico" in the 1930 movie "Little Caesar.") Marco is in the bootlegging business. He refers to himself in the third person all the time. When prohibition ends, "Marco" goes legit with his beer business. What he doesn't realize, because he never tastes the stuff, is that his beer stinks. Once the public has more of a choice on what to drink, his brewery sales go down the tubes.

The movie has many sidebars, if you will, such as a big heist, four dead guys in his house, a wise-guy orphan kid taken into Marco's house, Marco's daughter marrying a state trooper, on and on. Those keep things lively.

There are lots of wild and wacky scenes so I can see why this probably was a fun movie for the folks back in the '30s and even for some people today. It is entertaining, I have to give it that, but a little bit too dated for me.

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