Bank Robberies, Luggage Salesman, and Schemes on Christmas Eve

What says Christmas more than convicted felons, bank robbery, and a luggage store fronting a mob operation? The 1942 Warner Brothers’ film Larceny, Inc. combines the two hit genres of gangster films and comedy to create a hilarious story of mafia schemes gone awry near Christmas. It was based on a play called “The Night Before Christmas”, written by S.J. Perelman. The film has an all star cast and is a great Christmas movie that isn’t really a Christmas movie.

After he gets out of prison, J. Chalmers “Pressure” Maxell (Edward G. Robinson) turns down an offer from fellow con Leo Dexter (Anthony Quinn) because wants to move to go straight and move to Florida with his adopted daughter Denny (Jane Wyman) and his two friends Weepy Davis (Edward Brophy) and Jug Martin (Broderick Crawford). Learning he needs some dough after prison, Pressure stages a car accident, giving him insurance money to buy a luggage store. Salesman Jeff Randolph (Jack Carson) persuades Weepy to buying a boatload of luggage and Denny, unaware of her father’s intentions, persuades him to turn the store into a success. Pressure ends up cleaning up the streets, turning the luggage store into a profitable business, and robbery plans are all but forgotten until Leo brings them back up. Pressure wants to see the store back to former owner, Homer Bigelow (Harry Davenport), but Leo insists on going through with the original plan, leading to a climatic, suspense filled Christmas Eve like no other.

Edward G. Robinson took the part of the comedic gangster in this film because he felt he was being typecast and getting a bad reputation from the “tough guy” image of the police officers and gangsters he had portrayed in previous films. The studio system was still functioning in these days and many “stock characters” make appearances. If you watch closely, you can see legendary comedian Jackie Gleason in a cameo role as a soda jerk in this film. Woody Allen’s film Small Time Crooks has been compared to this film because of their similarity in plot.

Several sites have given their own personal reviews of this film. The Classic Film Guide has a review that you can read here. The Mystery Site did another good review, which can be read here. And the third review from The Serious Comedy Site can be read here. With a fantastic cast and a combining of two great genres, Larceny Inc. is a great film not just during the holidays but all year round.