Killer Dill (DVD)

Meek lingerie salesman Johnny Dill escapes the mire of the Great Depression in seedy speakeasies. Night after night, lonesome Dill grows frustrated watching thrill-seeking, high society dames worship low-life, bootlegging gangsters.

Inspired by the popular movie Public Enemy No. 2, Dill pretends to be a tough guy to get attention from the ladies. A curvy, champagne-besotted floozy swoons as Dill sneers at the waiters and is surly to the bartender. During his rash fit of posturing, Dill slaps Big Nick Maronie - Public Enemy No. 21!

So begins an uproarious mob feud between crime boss Maronie and Dill. Johnny's accident-prone nature combined with his uncanny ability to bluff his way into and out of danger lands him in the middle of an underworld war. When Big Nick is murdered, the press attribute the slaying to Johnny and christen him "Killer Dill."

Often cast as a likable lout, Stuart Erwin was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the musical comedy Pigskin Parade (1936). Television beckoned in 1950 with the series "Trouble with Father" (a.k.a. "The Stu Erwin Show") in which he co-starred with wife June Collyer. Anne Gwynne appeared in several Universal horror films, including The Black Cat, The Strange Case of Dr. Rx and House Of Frankenstein, as well as the serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe. A towering college athlete turned big screen villain, Mike Mazurki's menacing features made him instantly recognizable throughout a five decade career playing thugs in such films as Murder, My Sweet and Some Like It Hot.

• comedy