Gangster Comedies

There were some really great gangster comedies in the 1930's and 40's like The Little Giant, Lady Killer, Hard To Handle, Picture Snatcher, Brother Orchid and Larceny, Inc. but A Slight Case of Murder is the standard. Its the tops just like the slogan of Remy Marco's beer. This movie really had me in stitches. Watching the murderer, Joe Downing trying to avoid being detected by all the house occupants especially during the party was hilarious. Edward G. Robinson's trio of sidekicks (Edward Brophy, Allen Jenkins and Harold Huber) really added plenty of flair to the comedic interaction.

The film just clicked from beginning to end in a seamless fashion. Jane Bryan and Ruth Donnelley were swell dames as mother and daughter. Bryan's fiance being a State Trooper was another funny twist. I loved it when Marco paid off his creditors with a portion of the dead gangsters' holdup money and the last rival gangster catching a stray bullet was a riot. A very satisfying storyline.