Larceny, Inc (1942)

(On Cable TV, December 2022) You wouldn’t necessarily expect a gangster movie featuring Edward G. Robinson, Anthony Quinn and Broderick Crawford to be any funny, but that’s exactly the kind of bet Warner Brothers made when it went forward with Larceny, Inc. A small-scale comic caper in which the plans of criminals are threatened by a carnival of freak occurrences, the film was another attempt to capitalize on Robinson’s impeccable credentials playing criminals. The narrative features three hoodlums with a simple plan: Occupy a building next to a bank, and set up some plausible front that will allow them to dig into the neighbouring vault without being disturbed. Except that the drilling hits snags (such as an oil line), and that the front, a luggage store, proves conventionally profitable by itself. (If this sounds familiar, it’s that other films have used more or less the same comic premise.)  It all escalates, of course, and the film being set during the Christmas period allows for some unusual sights. It’s not great material, but director Lloyd Bacon knew what he was playing with, and the film he delivers is entertaining enough. Robinson is very good here and the film’s expansiveness of gags masks its origin as a theatrical play. While Larceny, Inc isn’t a holiday classic, it’s decently enjoyable—and a great showcase for Robinson in a slightly different persona.