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Little Caesar
- 164 statements
- 31 feature instances
- 11 referencing feature instances
| Little Caesar | type |
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Little Caesar | |
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LittleCaesar | |
| Little Caesar | comment |
This classic crime film, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and released by Warner Bros. in 1931, chronicles the rise and fall of a hardened criminal in Prohibition Era Chicago. The legendary Edward G. Robinson plays Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello, a small time crook that rises to the top of the big city underworld. He quickly comes to realize that nothing lasts forever.Star-Making Role for Robinson, which also led to him being typecast in gangster roles for years after this. A Trope Maker for the gangster genre. | |
| Little Caesar | fetched |
2023-11-22T11:00:24Z | |
| Little Caesar | parsed |
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| Little Caesar | processingComment |
Dropped link to TheMuppets2011: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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DBTropes | |
| Little Caesar / int_1282bf4f | type |
No Celebrities Were Harmed | |
| Little Caesar / int_1282bf4f | comment |
No Celebrities Were Harmed: Contrary to popular belief, Rico wasn't based on Al Capone. He was based on Salvatore "Sam" Cardinella, a violent Chicago gangster who operated in the early years of Prohibition. Joe Massara was based on actor George Raft, who was associated with Owney Madden, the man who organized the taxi racket in New York City. Diamond Pete Montana was modeled on Jim Colosimo, who was murdered under the orders of Johnny Torrio, Capone's mentor and predecessor; and "The Big Boy" was based on corrupt politician William 'Big Bill' Thompson, Mayor of Chicago. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_18d15922 | type |
Title Drop | |
| Little Caesar / int_18d15922 | comment |
Title Drop: Rico's nickname. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_18d15922 | |
| Little Caesar / int_1aecaf6c | type |
DrowningHisSorrows | |
| Little Caesar / int_1aecaf6c | comment |
Drowning His Sorrows: Rico, who doesn't drink at all for most of the film, drinks straight from the bottle at the flophouse, leading to his fatal Revenge Before Reason moment. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_26d1f65f | type |
Verbal Tic | |
| Little Caesar / int_26d1f65f | comment |
Verbal Tic, see? Edward G. Robinson practically invented the stereotypical gangster voice. Became iconic enough that 80 years later, Walter from The Muppets (2011) imitated criminals by talking like that. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_2bb06191 | type |
Adaptational Sexuality | |
| Little Caesar / int_2bb06191 | comment |
Adaptational Sexuality: In the book, Rico was explicitly heterosexual. The film adds homosexual subtext. | |
| Little Caesar / int_2bb06191 | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_2bb06191 | |
| Little Caesar / int_30d4f2a | type |
Narcissist | |
| Little Caesar / int_30d4f2a | comment |
Narcissist: Rico. He's an egomaniac who is ruthlessly devoted to his own advancement. | |
| Little Caesar / int_30d4f2a | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_30d4f2a | |
| Little Caesar / int_32da548d | type |
Arch-Enemy | |
| Little Caesar / int_32da548d | comment |
Arch-Enemy: Rico to Sergeant Flaherty | |
| Little Caesar / int_32da548d | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_32da548d | |
| Little Caesar / int_35f57671 | type |
Minion with an F in Evil | |
| Little Caesar / int_35f57671 | comment |
Minion with an F in Evil: Tony, one of Rico's goons, has an attack of conscience and tries to confess to a priest. Rico shoots him for it. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_35f57671 | |
| Little Caesar / int_5e68bb61 | type |
Gayngster | |
| Little Caesar / int_5e68bb61 | comment |
Gayngster: Rico never shows a hint of interest at any woman over the course of the film, but he's sure fond of and friendly with Joe. He gets angry and jealous when Joe starts a relationship with Olga. And when Joe finally chooses Olga over a life of crime, Rico decides to kill him—but Rico, who has been brutal and coldly evil throughout the whole film, suddenly starts getting upset and emotional at the prospect of murdering Joe. The Homoerotic Subtext is very thick. Then there's Otero, who practically worships Rico as a god and always looks at him in a fawning, admiring way that strongly suggests homoeroticism as well. | |
| Little Caesar / int_5e68bb61 | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_6056f853 | type |
Homoerotic Subtext | |
| Little Caesar / int_6056f853 | comment |
Homoerotic Subtext: It is not hard at all to interpret the film this way. Rico's lack of interest in women. Rico's obvious fondness for Joe and jealousy of Joe's relationship with Olga. Rico, who is usually very hard-boiled, being emotionally upset when faced with the necessity of killing Joe. Apparently the author of the source novel, who had no such intention, wrote a letter of protest to Warner Brothers. Otero's fawning admiration for Rico can also be seen this way. | |
| Little Caesar / int_6056f853 | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_6056f853 | |
| Little Caesar / int_60fa92ac | type |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast | |
| Little Caesar / int_60fa92ac | comment |
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: "Little Caesar" is a good name for a brutal, murderous crime lord. | |
| Little Caesar / int_60fa92ac | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_60fa92ac | |
| Little Caesar / int_635e1bff | type |
Sycophantic Servant | |
| Little Caesar / int_635e1bff | comment |
Sycophantic Servant: Otero worships Rico. See Homoerotic Subtext above. | |
| Little Caesar / int_635e1bff | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_635e1bff | |
| Little Caesar / int_73e152ad | type |
"Rise and Fall" Gangster Arc | |
| Little Caesar / int_73e152ad | comment |
"Rise and Fall" Gangster Arc: Rico joins Sam Vettori's gang, quickly seizes control of the organization, and bests rival mob boss Little Arnie in a mob war, seizing control of Chicago's northside. However, Rico's impulsiveness, paranoia, and pride ultimately lead to the police crushing his organization, before Rico himself gets shot dead by a police officer. | |
| Little Caesar / int_73e152ad | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Little Caesar / int_73e152ad | |
| Little Caesar / int_7860d036 | type |
Get It Over With | |
| Little Caesar / int_7860d036 | comment |
Get It Over With: Said when Rico tries to force Joe to join him. | |
| Little Caesar / int_7860d036 | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_7febc23b | type |
Establishing Character Moment | |
| Little Caesar / int_7febc23b | comment |
Establishing Character Moment: In the first scene, Rico robs a gas station, killing the attendant. | |
| Little Caesar / int_7febc23b | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_88e5066d | type |
Trigger-Happy | |
| Little Caesar / int_88e5066d | comment |
Trigger-Happy: Before the nightclub robbery, Rico is specifically ordered not to shoot anyone, in order to avoid extra attention being focused on the mob. What does Rico do? Shoot someone. Whom does he shoot? The police commissioner. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_89897126 | type |
New Year Has Come | |
| Little Caesar / int_89897126 | comment |
New Year Has Come: The robbery of the nightclub takes place during the New Year's celebration. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_898ff050 | type |
Villain Protagonist | |
| Little Caesar / int_898ff050 | comment |
Villain Protagonist: Rico, again, who is indisputably the protagonist and indisputably the villain, being a homicidal gangster. | |
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| Little Caesar / int_8c681acc | type |
Third-Person Person | |
| Little Caesar / int_8c681acc | comment |
Third-Person Person: Rico has a habit of doing this, even when he's dying, as shown by his last words. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
| Little Caesar / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: Rico is basically both the protagonist and the main villain of the film. | |
| Little Caesar / int_970c790a | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_97d97c28 | type |
Revenge Before Reason | |
| Little Caesar / int_97d97c28 | comment |
Revenge Before Reason: Rico so prideful and arrogant that after escaping from the police, he comes out of hiding when Sergeant Flaherty keeps calling him a coward in the newspaper. This was Flaherty plan all along and this leads to Rico's death. | |
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| Little Caesar / int_9fbe06a5 | type |
Badass in a Nice Suit | |
| Little Caesar / int_9fbe06a5 | comment |
Badass in a Nice Suit: Rico is a snappy dresser. | |
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| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
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| Little Caesar / int_bb040b01 | type |
Cool Guns | |
| Little Caesar / int_bb040b01 | comment |
Cool Guns: This movie featured the first usage of the Thompson machine gun, the famous "Tommy gun" that became iconically associated with gangsters (in the movies, anyway). | |
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| Little Caesar / int_beb9a361 | type |
Anti-Hero | |
| Little Caesar / int_beb9a361 | comment |
Anti-Hero: Rico is a brutal, murderous gangster, and the film makes no attempt to hide that fact. | |
| Little Caesar / int_beb9a361 | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar / int_c23525d4 | type |
Character Title | |
| Little Caesar / int_c23525d4 | comment |
Character Title: "Little Caesar" is Rico's nickname. | |
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| Little Caesar / int_d0b60f23 | type |
GoshDangItToHeck | |
| Little Caesar / int_d0b60f23 | comment |
Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Rico's last words were originally meant to start "Mother of God," but the line was vetoed by the censors. | |
| Little Caesar / int_d0b60f23 | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar / int_d46a809e | type |
Gangland Drive-By | |
| Little Caesar / int_d46a809e | comment |
Gangland Drive-By: Tony gets shot like this after it seems like he's going to squeal on Rico. | |
| Little Caesar / int_d46a809e | featureApplicability |
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| Little Caesar / int_ebb900a7 | type |
Resignations Not Accepted | |
| Little Caesar / int_ebb900a7 | comment |
Resignations Not Accepted: Rico refuses to let Joe leave the gangster life, deciding instead to kill him. | |
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| Little Caesar / int_ecc8b108 | type |
Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster! | |
| Little Caesar / int_ecc8b108 | comment |
Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Rico certainly seems to be having fun. | |
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| Little Caesar / int_eedee4d | type |
The Starscream | |
| Little Caesar / int_eedee4d | comment |
The Starscream: Rico is this throughout the film, continually plotting to overthrow whoever he's working for. He supersedes Vettori through sheer alpha-male agression. He's plotting to overthrow the city crime boss (the "Big Boy") but his empire collapses before he gets the chance. | |
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Little Caesar |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Badass in a Nice Suit / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Badbutt / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Film Noir Index / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Films Noirs Index / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Gangster Fiction / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Gayngster / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | seeAlso |
Little Caesar | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
"Rise and Fall" Gangster Arc / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist / int_d221a5cd | |
| Little Caesar | hasFeature |
The Roaring '20s / int_d221a5cd | |
| Looney Tunes | seeAlso |
Little Caesar |
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Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.