I Am the Law

Little Caesar himself, Edward G. Robinson, is one of the good guys in "I Am the Law" in this 1938 film also starring Barbara O'Neill, Otto Kruger, John Beal, and Wendie Barrie.

Robinson plays John Lindsay, a professor on sabbatical, looking forward to his first vacation with his wife (O'Neill) in a long time. But at the last minute, he's asked to become special prosecutor and fight the corruption taking place in the town, as the authorities haven't been successful. He asks his best student, Paul Ferguson (Beal) to work with him. It soon becomes apparent that there is a leak in his staff, as they finally get a witness willing to talk and he's killed. Before Lindsay can get rid of the corruption in town, he needs to get rid of it in his own office.

This is a fairly routine film with a good cast. Robinson was a little man but a wonderful actor with a powerful voice. He could play the most pathetic weakling or the toughest, meanest guy on earth. Here he's plenty tough but with a lot of warmth. Robinson is well thought of as an actor from the classic period, certainly, but I wonder sometimes if he isn't a little underrated.

As far as the other actors, Otto Kruger plays Paul Ferguson's father and gives his usual smooth performance. John Beal got the star buildup at RKO, but after RKO, he signed with MGM. He was young, handsome, and had a kind of earnestness. When the Gable-Harlow deal to do "In Old Chicago" at Fox as a trade for Tyrone Power doing "Madame X" fell through, Beal was given the part of the son. He never achieved stardom. He was, however, a very prolific Broadway actor particularly after World War II, and continued to do films and television until 1993. I had the pleasure of meeting him in the '80s, and he was very charming.

This is an okay film, enjoyable for the performances. The story is fairly routine.

I Am the Law (1938)

** (out of 4)

Disappointing crime/drama from Columbia has Edward G. Robinson playing a law professor who is hired by civic leaders to try and bring down gangsters as a special prosecutor. The prosecutor thinks this will be an easy job but soon he realizes that no one wants to testify and if anyone agrees to then they end up dead. I had high hopes going into this film but the end results were pretty disappointing as we've seen this story countless times before and this one doesn't offer up anything new. I'm really not sure why Robinson would leave Warner to do this film as this one has a lot to do in common with the various crime pictures he was doing already. Considering Columbia wasn't known for their crime pictures it goes without saying that this one comes off rather bland and watered down as the screenplay doesn't have any real gut to it. The screenplay goes from one cliché moment to the next and I honestly didn't see one surprise throughout the entire thing. Robinson is pretty good in his role but it's certainly far from one of his best performances. The highlight of the film is a scene where we get Robinson on the dance floor, which has to be seen to be believed. The supporting players are pretty rich with John Beal, Otto Kruger, Wendy Barrie and Barbara O'Neil offering up nice work.

I just caught this movie during TCM's Edward G Robinson marathon. It may not be a "classic", but I found this film to be entertaining and well written/directed. It's the sort of gangster movie that is light and simple enough that you don't have to pay much attention to it -- you can be doing other things while you're watching the movie and still be able to follow the plot. Just suspend belief for a while -- some of his tactics wouldn't be exactly tolerated in real life -- he would be disbarred and arrested! Also, I had a hard time buying EGR as a pipe-smoking, ivy-league, absent-minded professor; still, I found his performance engaging and enjoyable. This movie has lots of pretty people, wearing expensive clothes, in opulent settings, so that aspect of it is pleasant to watch. Unlike most "formula" gangster flicks, the ending is especially satisfying and may in fact be the best part of this movie.

Law professor John Lindsay (Edward G. Robinson) is asked by a civic leader (Otto Kruger) to become a special prosecutor to go after the racketeers in town. He doesn't know he's being duped by the civic leader until a man he promises protection to is killed by the man's henchmen. After realizing that gangsters have infiltrated his staff, he recruits his law students to form an army of law enforcers.

Robinson is excellent in a "good man" role and Barbara O'Neil is radiant as his supportive wife. John Beal is a little too enthusiastic in his supporting role as Kruger's son but Wendy Barrie makes an interesting impression as a glamorous and ruthless gang moll.

Although the script is full of improbabilities, it's a tense and tidy little programmer, and this time Edward G. is working at Columbia instead of Warner Bros. Despite that fact, the film has the look of the kind of gritty crime melodramas Warners produced in those days--which is a compliment.

As the title suggests, Edward G. Robinson plays a man on the right side of the law this time around. No more gangsters for him! In fact, he's such a well-respected professor that he gets asked by the district attorney to help scourge out the organized crime of the city. He wants a group of men to testify against the gangsters who sold them protection of their stores, but the men are too frightened of getting killed. Eddie G finds out how serious their fears are, and he's outraged! Add in the subplot of John Beal as Eddie G's law student protégé and John's father Otto Kruger as the head of the evil organization, and you've got a ticking time bomb embedded in the story.

By far and away, though, the highlight of the movie is the nightclub scene. While out on the town with Wendy Barrie, they tear up the floor with the "big apple" dance. It's a sort of jitterbug, and with his huge grin, eyes crinkled in merriment, and finger waving in the air as he wiggles his hips, it's the cutest scene of his career. I loved seeing Eddie flirt around in this movie, not only with Wendy, but with his wife, Barbara O'Neil. They have separate beds, but she crooks her finger and says, "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. . ." As Eddie kisses her and buries his head in her bosom (yes, he really does that!) she tells him there's a present for him in the dresser drawer. He whines and grumbles, not wanting to leave her bed; it's very funny.

There is a healthy balance of comedy and drama in I Am the Law. Family relationships are tested, policemen plan elaborate schemes, and courage is rewarded in usual ways. Eddie G has tons of energy, and John is great as a "Franchot Tone's younger brother" type. For more Eddie G in similar types of roles, check out The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse and Five Star Final.