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Thursday, August 16, 2018

BROTHER ORCHID (1940)

Belatedly picking up the ball after Columbia Pictures had a big success kidding Edward G. Robinson’s gangster image in John Ford’s THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING/’35, Warners made three of their own: A SLIGHT CASE OF MURDER/’38; BROTHER ORCHID/’40; and LARCENY, INC./’42, all with journeyman director Lloyd Bacon. This middle one is best of the lot, better balanced dramatically, with the comic angle rising naturally into place. After a prologue sends protection racketeer Eddie G. off to Europe (looking for class he loses his shirt), the first act plays it more-or-less straight, and very effectively, as he tries to win back his organization from upstart Humphrey Bogart, and only saves his neck by hiding out with a crop of peaceful, flower-cultivating monks. Naturally, the last two acts have him besting Bogie and saving long-time gal Ann Southern (who’s great with Eddie G.) from rich Texan Ralph Bellamy, all while helping out the saintly Brothers. Though not quite since each plotline gets a bit of a twist. The humor is atypically gentle for Warners; the plotting clever if riddled with shortcuts; the wrap-up satisfying. It's a real charmer.

DOUBLE-BILL: This release was sandwiched between two superior bio-pics for Eddie G., that most unexpected (and unexpectedly excellent) syphilis drama DR. EHRLICH’S MAGIC BULLETS/’40 and the wire-service news drama A DISPATCH FROM REUTERS/’40.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: While it’s almost par-for-the-course that Robinson never won a competitive Oscar®, it’s still something of a shock that he also never got a nomination.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Note our Italian poster (top) gives no indication this isn't straight mob stuff.  Here's the Stateside poster, comic angle included.

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