Back home

Tall, Dark and Handsome

10 votes

Robin Hoodish gangster in 1929 Chicago is an object of affection, kind to New York hood and bad to a bad crook.

Status: Released

Released Date: 1941-01-24

Runtime: 78 mins

Director: H. Bruce Humberstone

Spoken language: English

Genres: Crime, Comedy

Original title: Tall, Dark and Handsome

Production Companies: 20th Century Fox

Production Countries: United States of America

Cast

Cesar Romero

Virginia Gilmore

Milton Berle

Charlotte Greenwood

Pretty Willie Williams

Sheldon Leonard

Detroit Harry Morrison Jr.

Stanley Clements

Frank Jenks

Barnett Parker

Marc Lawrence

Paul Hurst

Frank Bruno

Anthony Caruso

Marion Martin

Leon Belasco

Reviews

Geronimo1967

With “Shep” (Cesar Romero) ruling one side of Chicago and “Pretty Willie” (Sheldon Leonard) the other, a sort of peace prevails amongst the gangsters. This equilibrium is endangered, though, when “Shep” encounters “Judy” (Virginia Gilmore) and to keep her close he offers her a position as his nanny. Nanny to whom, though? He hasn’t any children so enter the stroppy young “Harry” (Stanley Clements) who is playing along without knowing the true identity of his “dad”. Of course, “Willie” immediately takes a shine to her too, but amidst their brief rutting the latter man discovers something fairly significant about his opposite number. It’s so significant that it will change the balance of power - but what can “Shep” do? It’s quite a fun comedy drama, this one, but boy are there holes in the plot. To be fair, that isn’t a predictable one and there are a few (implausible) twists along the way as we head to the spectre of a conclusion that offers just desserts all round. Romero puts on his usual charm but Gilmore doesn’t really make much impact. For that we really need to look at Milton Berle’s “Frosty” - the right hand man who likes a bottle or two, and to the engagingly attitudinal Clements who clearly went to the Jimmy Cagney school of mobster lingo. It’s all perfectly enjoyable to watch with a solid underlying story, but is really too sloppily put together and I doubt I’ll ever remember it.

2025-07-20

Recommendations

3.1

Death Wish II

1982-02-20

Paul Kersey is again a vigilante trying to find five punks who murdered his housekeeper and daughter

3.8

The Big Heat

1953-10-14

After the suspicious suicide of a fellow cop, tough homicide detective Dave Bannion takes the law in

3.3

Undisputed

2002-07-17

Monroe Hutchens is the heavyweight champion of Sweetwater, a maximum security prison. He was convict

3.7

Election 2

2006-04-27

As election time nears, current Triad chairman Lok faces competition from his godsons. At the same t

2.4

Stiletto

2008-04-29

The seemingly random killings of an assassin puzzle her former lover, a wealthy Greek crime boss who

2.9

Made

2001-07-13

Two aspiring boxers and lifelong friends get involved in a money-laundering scheme through a low-lev

3.8

White Heat

1949-09-02

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and then leads his ol

3.5

Suburban Cowboy

2019-08-05

Suburban Cowboy follows a drug dealer on Long Island who finds himself over his head when one of his

3.2

City Hunter

2019-02-06

Nicky Larson is tasked to recover the perfume of Cupid, a perfume that would make anyone who uses it

3.5

The Petrified Forest

1936-02-08

Gabby, the waitress in an isolated Arizona diner, dreams of a bigger and better life. One day pennil

3.4

The General

1998-05-01

The real-life story of Dublin folk hero and criminal Martin Cahill, who pulled off two daring robber

City Royale

2017-10-04

3.6

The Long Good Friday

1980-11-01

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate propert

3.5

It's Always Fair Weather

1955-08-30

Three World War II buddies promise to meet at a specified place and time 10 years after the war. The

3.6

The Public Enemy

1931-04-23

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life

Robin and the 7 Hoods

1964-06-24

Set in Prohibition era Chicago, bootlegger Robbo and his cronies refuse to pay the greedy Guy Gisbor

3.5

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse

1938-07-20

A wealthy society doctor decides to research the medical aspects of criminal behaviour by becoming o

3.4

Rough Cut

2008-09-11

Gang-pae is #2 gangster in his organization who longs to become an actor. Su-ta is a superstar actor

Sharky's Machine

1981-12-18

Police officer Tom Sharky gets busted back to working vice, where he happens upon a scandalous consp

2.6

Havoc

2005-10-16

A wealthy Los Angeles teen and her superficial friends wants to break out of suburbia and experience