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Sunday, May 15, 2022

Brother Orchid (1940)

When an attempt to bump him off by a rival gangster (Humphrey Bogart) almost kills him, a racketeer (Edward G. Robinson) hides out in a monastery till he can get his revenge. Based on a short story by Richard Connell and directed by Lloyd Bacon (42ND STREET). This congenial comedic sendup of the gangster movie may be lightweight but it has a certain charm thanks to Robinson. Has there ever been a movie star who by all odds should never been a movie star? The frog faced Robinson and his rat-a-tat-tat speech pattern would seem an unlikely candidate for a leading man but throughout most of the 1930s and 1940s, he was. Robinson had the unique ability to be both skin crawling (think KEY LARGO) and a brash likable mug (like he is here) and his brassy mobster has us rooting for him. The movie plays out as sort of a SISTER ACT of its day. The strong supporting cast includes Ann Sothern, Ralph Bellamy (once again the third wheel but he comes out okay here), Donald Crisp, Allen Jenkins and Cecil Kellaway.

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1 comment:

  1. Mike's Movie RoomMay 30, 2022 at 3:11 PM

    I watched this film recently for the first time during a Humphrey Bogart marathon, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I never thought of the comparison to Sister Act, but you're right. The monastery in this film didn't seem all that religious, but more humanist. You make good points about Robinson's leading man status. According to Bette Davis, most of his leading ladies weren't crazy about having to kiss him. Still, he was a terrific actor.

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