About the movie:Little Caesar is a 1931 crime film made during the Pre-Code era which tells the story of a man who works his way up the ranks of the mob until he reaches its upper heights. It stars Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Glenda Farrell. The movie was adapted by Francis Edward Faragoh, Robert N. Lee, Robert Lord and Darryl F. Zanuck (uncredited) from the novel by William R. Burnett. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy.
The story centers around small-time crook Caesar Enrico Bandello (aka "Rico", played by Edward G. Robinson) and friend Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.). Both men head for Chicago to find their fortune. Joe, who wants to be a dancer, is more interested in fame and women and eventually meets Olga (Glenda Farrell). Rico joins the gang of Sam Vettori (Stanley Fields) and quickly gains control of the group. He then proceeds to push his way to the top. Rico becomes worried that his friend, Joe Massara, will betray him. He threatens Joe that he must forget about Olga and tries to bring him back into a life of crime. Rico is then shaken from his throne when Joe Massara betrays him to the cops. Hurt though he may be, Rico cannot bring himself to kill his former best friend. Desperate and alone, he retreats to the gutters from which he sprang. But when newspapers label him a coward, the defiant thug comes out of hiding with guns blasting. Escaping from the police, he is gunned down in a gutter by his archrival Sergeant Flaherty (Thomas Jackson). The film ends with a shot of a billboard showing Joe and Olga as famed dancers, whereas Rico dies poor and alone, an unspoken prophetic message that hard work will pay off, but crime will not.
Interesting trivia:It has been speculated, but never confirmed, that the anti-organized crime statutes in the United States were dubbed RICO in a sly homage to Little Caesar. The original drafter of the RICO bill has refused to confirm or deny this.