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The Widow From Chicago

1930, Movie, NR, 64 mins

The Widow From Chicago: Review

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A weak gangster epic that doesn't show off Robinson or anyone else. Elliott and Goodwin are New York police officers who have learned that Hamilton, a hood from the Windy City, is coming to New York to do some work for Robinson, a gangland vice czar. Elliot and Goodwin want to get to Hamilton before he gets off the train and is lost in the crowded city. The train is coming into New York when the cops board and Hamilton apparently leaps off as it goes over a bridge. With Hamilton presumed dead, the cops think they've done their job. Goodwin sends a story to the papers that Hamilton has eluded the cops, then he assumes Hamilton's identity because nobody in New York knows what the killer is supposed to look like. Goodwin joins Robinson's gang and is immediately accepted. Goodwin is waiting in a doorway for one of Robinson's cars to pick him up when he is suddenly shot down in cold blood. The killing is seen by Goodwin's sister, White, and she swears to wreak revenge on whoever pulled the trigger. She arrives at Robinson's nightclub and says that she is Goodwin's widow. That's good enough for the gangster, and she is given a job to tide her over. Now we learn that Hamilton never died at all. He arrives and White gets to him before he can spill the beans. She prevails on him to keep mum, and he is soon in love with her, so much so that he is planning to go straight. Robinson and his boys have been having trouble with a rival nightclub and decide to put it out of business with a holdup. When a detective tries to shoot Hamilton, White gets her hands on a gun and shoots the man, thereby allowing Robinson and his men to flee. Later, Robinson admits that he's killed his share of cops in his day, including her late brother. White had fixed the phone so that the cops could hear the entire conversation at the local police station. After he finishes his bragging, Robinson notes that the phone is off the hook and tries to make a getaway, but the cops have already surrounded his place. Robinson uses White's curvy body as a shield against police bullets and he almost escapes, but Hamilton arrives and there's a gun battle. Robinson eventually gives up, and White and Hamilton leave to start their life afresh. This is almost the plot of JOHNNY DANGEROUSLY, and it borders on parody. Even Robinson's snarl was out of place, and Hamilton, who had always been a matinee idol before aging gracefully into a character actor, is not well cast. Too much coincidence in the script and too much emoting from top-billed White. Her rise to stardom was swift, but her fall to bit parts was even swifter. leave a comment
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