Baby Face Harrington (1935)

Baby Face Harrington Film Details

Overview: Willie Harrington is a wimpy small-town bookkeeper at a bank who unwittingly gets involved with the country’s toughest gangster and his gang, and he gets suspected of being the leader of …

Tagline: The Laugh-Riot of a Timid Soul!

Review: 1935 was an interesting year because two very similar movies came out at about the same time–THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING and BABY FACE HARRINGTON. Both are about a nice but mousey little man who is accidentally pulled into the world of crime but in the end they both end up becoming, rather accidentally, heroes. While THE WHOLE TOWN TALKING is a vastly superior film (thanks to John Ford’s direction and exceptional acting by Edward G. Robinson), both are well worth your time and are funny little films. The eternally befuddled Charles Butterworth stars as an ineffectual and rather daft man. While his wife (Una Merkle) loves him, she is upset that Butterworth has so little ambition and strength–being the supreme milquetoast. However, all this changes when Butterworth accidentally robs a man in a very clever scene. When in jail, once again through a series of mistakes, he is taken to be a dangerous criminal. This is all egged on by the local newspaper who convinces everyone that Butterworth should be on the FBI’s most wanted list! There’s much more to the film than this, but it’s cute how no matter what Butterworth does, it’s misinterpreted and problem upon problem occur–making his life a disaster. Thankfully, by the end of the film, things miraculously work out (after all, it IS a movie) and Butterworth is once again welcomed home–this time as a hero! Cute, inventive and worth a look. After seeing this film, try to get a copy of THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING–both are terrific films.

Country: USA

Language: English

Duration: 62 min

Genre: Comedy, Crime

Also known as: Bancando o Herói,Un pobre diablo,Baby-ansigt,Baby Face Harrington,Public Enemy No. 2,Something to Brag About,Harrington faccia-di-bambino