Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

drjgardner Edward G Robinson (1893-1973) was one of Warner's biggest stars of the 1930s, usually playing a gangster. The 1940s would see him expand with films like "The Sea Wolf" (1941), "Double Indemnity" (1944), "The Woman in the Window" (1945), "Scarlet Street" (1946) and "House of Strangers" (1949) and later he would do such notable films as "The Ten Commandments" (1956), "Hole in the Head" (1959), "The Cincinnati Kid" (1965), and "Soylent Green" (1973). He also took a brief tour into comedy with films like "The Little Giant" (1933) and 'The Whole Town's Talking" (1935), and this one "Larceny Inc." was one more attempt. While he was an excellent actor, comedy was not his forte, and this film shows it. The dialogue is snappy, but neither Robinson nor Broderick Crawford carry it off. Crawford, if you recall was best as a heavy, winning the Oscar for "All the King's Men" (1949) and spending years on TV on "Highway Patrol".It's a great cast. Look for a very young Jackie Gleason as a bartender and an equally young Anthony Quinn as a prisoner. Jane Wyman and Jack Carson appear in their first of several films together.Though the cast is talented, the film is not very funny. In addition, the film never exceeds its origins as a play.1942 was a good year in films – "Yankee Doddle Dandy" and "Mrs. Miniver" were the clear Oscar winners and at the box office. Other popular films included "Casablanca", "Woman of the Year", Alan Ladd's "This Gun for Hire", Gary Cooper's "Pride of the Yankees", and "Road to Morocco"

PamelaShort Top-notch comedic performances are finely delivered by Edward G. Robinson, Broderick Crawford and Edward Brophy in this hilarious story about three ex-cons, who buy a Luggage Shop that is next door to a bank. The shop is used as a clever front, while they try to tunnel into the the banks vault. The comical antics are endless and the crooks soon discover selling the luggage is profitable and much easier, until the unsavoury Anthony Quinn discovers their plan, and the three are forced to resume breaking into the bank. With very funny situations and witty dialogue, all the performers mesh perfectly which helps this story to move along at a pleasing pace, creating a very rewarding comedy gem. A full synopsis cannot compare to the fulfilling enjoyment brought by watching this 1942 film, and I highly suggest the viewing is well worthwhile.

kenjha Three criminals buy a luggage store next to a bank so they can tunnel their way to riches, but the luggage business takes off. It takes a while to hit its stride, but it is an enjoyable comedy. The only problem is that it has a tendency to sink to the level of The Three Stooges, with Robinson playing the Moe role. Crawford is amusing as a lovable lug, and Brophy fits in well as the third member of this motley crew. It is not clear if Wyman is Robinson's girlfriend or his "stepdaughter," as he puts it. Anyway, it is Carson and Wyman who provide the romantic subplot. Gleason is hilarious in a bit role as a nosy soda jerk.

blanche-2 "Larceny, Inc." is a 1942 film starring Edward G. Robinson, Broderick Crawford, Jane Wyman, Anthony Quinn, Jack Carson, Ed Brophy, Jackie Gleason and Henry Davenport. The idea behind this film consciously or subconsciously may have inspired Woody Allen's "Small Time Crooks." Gangsters buy a luggage shop situated next to a bank in order to break through the wall into the bank vault; instead, they find themselves dragged kicking and screaming into legitimacy.Edward G. Robinson is "Pressure," an ex-con who at first tries to keep customers out of the store ("if a customer comes in, blow him off") - but when he tells the young woman like a daughter to him (Wyman) that he's sincere, she starts working with a luggage salesman (Carson) on big promotions. Soon the store is jumping with customers. The merchants on the street ask for Pressure's support - the street is being torn up, and it's right before Christmas; he becomes their hero. However, when an ex con comes into the store to borrow money, he realizes the store is a front for a bank robbery and goes back and tells a scary prisoner, Leo (Quinn) who escapes and decides to do the job himself.The funniest scene is the aggravated Robinson wrapping a suitcase when a customer asks for gift-wrapping. Robinson is hilarious - he could be doing Little Ceasar, he takes it so seriously, and he's all the funnier for it. Broderick Crawford did some comedy before "All the King's Men" - he's excellent as a dumb associate of Pressure's who's digging the hole to the bank. Jackie Gleason plays a soda jerk - and makes the most of it. Wyman and Carson don't have much to do, alas. The rest of the cast is uniformly delightful.This is a real gem - "Small Time Crooks" takes the basic plot and goes in another direction with it - both are wonderful films. Try and catch this one on TCM.