The Little Giant

The era of the bootlegger is over, ya mugs, and don't let the door smack your backside on the way out. But liquor runner Bugs Ahearn has a plan for what he'll do now that Prohibition has kicked the beer bucket. "I'm going to mingle with the upper classes," he announces. His destination: California's posh, polo-playing Santa Barbara. Class and atmosphere are what Bugs wants. Swindlers, gold diggers, great fun -- they're what we all get from this not-so-little pre-Code gem. Edward G. Robinson portrays Bugs, showing his comedy-acting chops on film for the first time and delightfully paving the way for A Slight Case of Murder, Brother Orchid, Larceny, Inc. and more persona-skewering frolics. Mingle and enjoy, ya mugs.

• comedy
• crime
• drama