Little Cigars (1973)

A gangster's former mistress hooks up with a troupe of circus midgets who, as a sideline, rob banks and casinos.

Director:

Chris Christenberry

Writers:

Louis Garfinkle, Frank Ray Perilli

Stars:

Angel Tompkins, Billy Curtis, Jerry Maren

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Angel Tompkins	...	Cleo
Billy Curtis	...	Slick Bender
Jerry Maren	...	Cadillac
Frank Delfino	...	Monty
Felix Silla	...	Frankie
Emory Souza	...	Hugo
Joe De Santis	...	Travers
Jon Cedar	...	Faust
Philip Kenneally	...	Ganz
Barbara Rhoades	...	Helen (as Barbara Rhodes)
Michael Pataki	...	Garage Mechanic
Todd Susman	...	Buzz
Rayford Barnes	...	Gus
Walter Beakel	...	Lt. Garrett
Nick Benedict	...	1st Cop

Storyline

A gangster's former mistress hooks up with a troupe of circus midgets who, as a sideline, rob banks and casinos.

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Plot Keywords:

exploitation | gangster | midget | robbery | on the run | 

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Taglines:

...are hazardous to your health!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Band, of Empire Pictures and Full Moon Features fame and son of the movie producer Albert Band, got a job as production assistant as an AIP employee. He quit the job a week later after realising he wanted to make the movie and be the guy in control instead of 'running around getting coffee'.

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Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Our DVD and Blu-ray Collection (2019)

User Reviews

Strange, Fun Little Film

A gangster's former mistress (Angel Tompkins) hooks up with a troupe of circus midgets who, as a sideline, rob banks and casinos.

From producer Albert Band comes this very strange version of a gangster and/or heist film, with the criminals being midgets. That alone seems to be the selling point, and strangely enough it works. Angel Tompkins was hired on by Larry Gordon, and first-time director Chris Christenberry was a fan of hers and encouraged it. Band, oddly, seems to have been primarily the money, though he did help Gordon with casting.

I liked the attempt to give a nod to other, better films, especially the nice reference to "Dillinger" on the marquee. (I believe they were made by the same production company, but that might not be true.) And, lastly, I love how it dances around the R rating. Although there is the constant reference to sex and nudity -- and even gang rape at one point -- they never actually show anything and the language is relatively clean. So, it earns a PG despite clearly being an R-level film.

Tompkins recalls Christenberry having an alcohol problem on set, at one point almost falling off the crane. She also recalls having to teach the little people how to wash their hair, an act that earned her the unofficial title "Miss Little People". For the next thirty years, little people would approach her and thank her for making them feel normal.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

June 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Little Cigars Mob

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1