Izzy & Moe

Not until I came here did I know that the "Izzy And Moe" story was based on real people. Of course at the time I viewed this, I assumed the story was just fiction, and as fiction it worked out great. As history, it probably was no good-but the entertainment industry rarely depicts history accurately anyway.

The story is about two vaudevillians in the 1920's whose entertainment careers are done for, and one (Carney) has a bar, but thanks to Prohibition, he doesn't do well in that. The other (Gleason) convinces his former showbiz partner to become a Prohibition agent with him, and despite the partner's initial hostility, he agrees. At first, the police don't take them seriously, until their acting abilities turn out to make their alcohol raids far more successful. Of course, one mobster known as "Dutch" finds these new agents make him too uncomfortable, and the story's light tone turns darker as Dutch fights back violently.

The movie may not be good history, but as a story it's entertaining, and Gleason and Carney shine to the end.