Getting a release from San Quentin hasn't changed crooked gambler Broderick Crawford much. He's only hiding behind the honorable title of fatherhood. The cops don't trust him; his old cronies think that he's gone soft, but in helping out single mother Virginia Bruce, Crawford can't help but see the light even if he becomes a patsy for acting like a dope in order to good by the adorable toddler he confides his crooked deals to.
Welcome back to Damon Runyon territory, the world of dolls, dice men, dupers, and dirty deals. It's Little Pinks, the Lemon Drop Kid, Sorrowful Jones and Nicely Nicely Johnson, all creators of a wonderfully cartoonish Times Square and lower east side that never was. Those characters aren't there, but all their archetypes are. Crawford is perfect as the tough talking but soft as mush reforming crook that goes on a racket ride with baby bells in his pocket, chases around an unruly goat and breaks into baby talk while contemplating his next move in a heist.
Of course, there's tension mixed in with the comedy because as funny as this gets, there's always the fear that the baby will somehow get caught in the crossfire. A perfect supporting cast surrounds Crawford as the not so gentlemanly dudes who break English beyond repair and motherly neighbors who bring old style European no- nonsense to the raising of this adorable baby. Too bad this didn't become a series; it seems to have every indication that the plans were intended to be one.
Welcome back to Damon Runyon territory, the world of dolls, dice men, dupers, and dirty deals. It's Little Pinks, the Lemon Drop Kid, Sorrowful Jones and Nicely Nicely Johnson, all creators of a wonderfully cartoonish Times Square and lower east side that never was. Those characters aren't there, but all their archetypes are. Crawford is perfect as the tough talking but soft as mush reforming crook that goes on a racket ride with baby bells in his pocket, chases around an unruly goat and breaks into baby talk while contemplating his next move in a heist.
Of course, there's tension mixed in with the comedy because as funny as this gets, there's always the fear that the baby will somehow get caught in the crossfire. A perfect supporting cast surrounds Crawford as the not so gentlemanly dudes who break English beyond repair and motherly neighbors who bring old style European no- nonsense to the raising of this adorable baby. Too bad this didn't become a series; it seems to have every indication that the plans were intended to be one.