A Slight Case of Larceny (1953)

Director:

Don Weis

Writers:

Jerry Davis, James Poe (story)

Stars:

Mickey Rooney, Eddie Bracken, Elaine Stewart

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mickey Rooney	...	Augustus 'Geechy' Cheevers
Eddie Bracken	...	Frederick Winthrop Clopp
Elaine Stewart	...	Beverly Ambridge
Marilyn Erskine	...	Mrs. Emily Clopp
Douglas Fowley	...	Mr. White, Circle Star Gas Stations
Robert Burton	...	Police Captain
Charles Halton	...	Willard Maibrunn, Magna Gold Oil Co.
Henry Slate	...	Motor Cop
Rudy Lee	...	Tommy Clopp
Mimi Gibson	...	Mary Ellen Clopp

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

rivalry | rival | gas station | competition

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Taglines:

They'll steal everything but your funny-bone!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 June 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

É Melhor Ser Pobre

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

User Reviews

Rooney Showcase

Slight is right. But somehow it doesn't matter. It's still a rather enjoyable little movie. There just isn't much going on at all here, but it's bright and brisk and agreeable. It offers up some token conflict from time to time, but it's almost as if it's envisioning an audience with heart problems - it doesn't want to do anything that might upset them or cause them undue stress.

The key here is Mickey Rooney. He is just a human dynamo; his immense self-confidence is exhilarating, contagious. He wings through each scene without a trace of doubt or indecision. His timing, his uncanny sense of pacing, his delivery, are impeccable. He is precision incarnate. It's a very, very strong, potent characterization.

Wasn't quite so impressed with Eddie Bracken. You want him to supply some legitimate resistance to Rooney's brazen scheming, some spark. He isn't necessarily a good comic match for him. Bracken is never as lovable as he's supposed to be. He doesn't complement Rooney in an ingenious enough way - the way a good, seasoned straight man really should.

Other assets would have to be the clean, crisp photography and gorgeous Elaine Stewart as Rooney's love interest. More than the curves, he admires the dollar signs in her eyes. Cute film.