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Brother Orchid (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   781 votes
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Director:
Lloyd Bacon
Writers:
Richard Connell (story)
Earl Baldwin (writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Brother Orchid on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
8 June 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance more
Tagline:
We'd like youse to meet Brother Orchid!
Plot:
When retired racket boss John Sarto tries to reclaim his place and former friends try to kill him, he finds solace in a monastery and reinvents himself as a pious monk. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
A Versatile Robinson, An Irrelevant Bogart more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Edward G. Robinson ... Little John T. 'Johnny' Sarto

Ann Sothern ... Florence 'Flo' Addams

Humphrey Bogart ... Jack Buck
Donald Crisp ... Brother Superior
Ralph Bellamy ... Clarence P. Fletcher
Allen Jenkins ... Willie 'The Knife' Corson
Charles D. Brown ... Brother Wren
Cecil Kellaway ... Brother Goodwin
Morgan Conway ... Philadelphia Powell
Richard Lane ... Mugsy O'Day
Paul Guilfoyle ... Red Martin
John Ridgely ... Texas Pearson
Joseph Crehan ... Brother MacEwen
Wilfred Lucas ... Brother MacDonald
Tom Tyler ... Curley Matthews
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Additional Details

Runtime:
88 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #6203)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Of the five films that Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart made together, this is the only one in which neither is killed. more
Goofs:
Boom mic visible: When Edward G. Robinson returns to Ann Sothern's former rooming house and the landlady tell him she's moved, the boom mic is visible in the door's glass panel. more
Quotes:
Little Johnny Sarto: [riding with Flo in Clarence's back seat] What's that whistlin' I hear?
Flo Addams: That's Clarence makin' birdcalls. He's awful good.
Clarence P. Fletcher: [makes a hooting sound]
Flo Addams: Want him to impersonate a robin?
Little Johnny Sarto: What'll he do? Eat a worm?
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Bullets Over Hollywood (2005) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Largo al factotum more

FAQ

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful:-
A Versatile Robinson, An Irrelevant Bogart, 3 May 2002

Worth renting or catching on late night TV, "Brother Orchid" is a 1940 hybrid, a film that uneasily coasts between comedy and drama. With both Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart capturing theater marquees with both violent crime and some serious drama roles this film is sort of a detour but it's a good one.

Robinson plays a gangster chief who quits the mob to undertake a long and financially ruinous Grand Tour of Europe. Returning to the U.S. he is astounded to discover that he can't pick up the reins he once held firmly and that his former underboss, Bogart, wants him out of the way - permanently. Bogart's talent is not very much on display in this movie.

Robinson winds up hiding in a friary populated by gentle souls and, of course, his condition is gentled under their patient ministration.

Ann Sothern is terrific as his "fiancee," a gang moll waiting long and patiently for the march to the altar. Ralph Bellamy is amusing as a Western rancher who exudes a patience and understanding more often associated with saints than cowboys.

For those who enjoy the pre-World War II Hollywood crime films this one is just different enough from the formula, and very violent, ones.

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Drama-comedy has a certain charm suel41452
'Ya See' or 'See' andywho2002
DVD Release-- March 25, 2008 dnscal
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