The great Edward G. Robinson's initial role for First National Pictures sees him playing a tough-talking gangster, but the film isn't 1931's Little Caesar. Just two months before he made film history as Enrico Bandello, Robinson played an underworld boss named Dominic in director Eddie Cline's The Widow from Chicago (1930). The gangland drama is actually a dramatic showcase for Warner Bros. star Alice White, who was more accustomed to romantic musical comedies. Screenwriter Earl Baldwin sets up an unlikely tale of sisterly vengeance. Everything revolves around an expected but unseen hood named 'Swifty' Dorgan (Neil Hamilton), who is coming to New York to work for the kingpin Dominic. When the cops think Dorgan has been killed, a detective impersonates him to infiltrate the gang. The ruse doesn't work, and the detective is killed. Out for revenge, the cop's daring sister Polly (Alice White) pretends to be a dance hall girl and shows up at Dominic's hideout, claiming that she's Dorgan's widow. The unlikely reversals take one more turn when the real Swifty Dorgan shows up, alive and well. Instead of being found out, Polly enlists the Chicago hood to reform and help her get the goods on the evil Dominic. The critics were quick to find fault with The Widow from Chicago. Most felt that the virtuous Neil Hamilton was miscast as a killer, and called out Alice White's performance as little more than coy looks and eye rolling. Variety thought Robinson's performance was 'all out of proportion' but the New York Times praised his tough guy Dominic as 'agreeably despicable.' The consensus was that the intelligent and resourceful Robinson character should never have fallen into the foolish trap laid by the too-nice Hamilton and the unconvincing Ms. White. No matter: just two months later all the reviewers would be talking about Edward G.'s game-changing performance as Little Caesar; The Widow from Chicago was almost instantly forgotten.

By Glenn Erickson