Izzy & Moe (TV 1985)

The adventures of two retired vaudeville performers who become two of the best prohibition agents in the 1920's.

Director:

Jackie Cooper

Writer:

Robert Boris

Stars:

Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Cynthia Harris

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jackie Gleason	...	Izzy Einstein
Art Carney	...	Moe Smith
Cynthia Harris	...	Dallas Carter
Zohra Lampert	...	Esther Einstein
Dick Latessa	...	Lt. Murphy
Drew Snyder	...	Agent McCoy
Jesse Doran	...	Dutch
Thelma Lee	...	Mrs. Perlman
Tom Wiggin	...	Agent Norman Harris
Rick Washburn	...	Jake
Roy Brocksmith	...	Sheriff Bledsoe
Sully Boyar	...	Fat Harry
William Hickey	...	Desk Clerk
Tracy Sallows	...	Paula
Mary Tanner Bailey	...	Lilly (as Mary Tanner)

Storyline

This is the film based on the true adventures of Izzy and Moe. They were two retired vaudeville performers who, being unemployed, decide to become prohibition enforcement agents. They are initially treated with scorn from fellow agents as old men pretending to be cops. That abuse soon stops when the pair refuse to use the standard but futile methods of the agency and instead employ their theatrical experience to use an amazing variety of disguises and tricks to become two of the most effective agents in the force. Eventually, their outstanding string of successful raids and arrests starts drawing the attention of the mob and their bought cops, who desperately plan to stop this pair.

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Plot Keywords:

prohibition | 1920s | disguise | punctuation in title | ampersand in title | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dos bribones contra el hampa

Company Credits

Production Co:

Robert Halmi

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the real-life adventures of two former vaudevillians who became Prohibition agents and used disguises and impersonations to catch bootleggers.

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Quotes

Mrs. Pearlman: [Seeing Izzy putting on a sailor's uniform] You've joined the Navy! My prayers have been answered!
Izzy Einstein: Huh! You'll have to pray a little louder. This happens to be a disguise that me and Moe are putting on to knock off a speakeasy.
Mrs. Pearlman: [Turns and walks off] Vera, I TOLD you not to marry a man who puts mayonnaise on his pastrami.
Izzy Einstein: [to himself, looking puzzled] It's delicious.

User Reviews

Great Swan Song For Gleason And Carney

Not until I came here did I know that the "Izzy And Moe" story was based on real people. Of course at the time I viewed this, I assumed the story was just fiction, and as fiction it worked out great. As history, it probably was no good-but the entertainment industry rarely depicts history accurately anyway.

The story is about two vaudevillians in the 1920's whose entertainment careers are done for, and one (Carney) has a bar, but thanks to Prohibition, he doesn't do well in that. The other (Gleason) convinces his former showbiz partner to become a Prohibition agent with him, and despite the partner's initial hostility, he agrees. At first, the police don't take them seriously, until their acting abilities turn out to make their alcohol raids far more successful. Of course, one mobster known as "Dutch" finds these new agents make him too uncomfortable, and the story's light tone turns darker as Dutch fights back violently.

The movie may not be good history, but as a story it's entertaining, and Gleason and Carney shine to the end.