Edward G. Robinson made 14 films between 1930 and 1932. Robinson went to Universal for "Night Ride" (1930) and MGM for "A Lady to Love" (1930) directed by Victor Sjöström. At Universal he was in "Outside the Law" and "East Is West" (both 1930), then he did "The Widow from Chicago" (1931) at First National. Robinson was established as a film actor. What made him a star was an acclaimed performance as the gangster Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello in "Little Caesar" (1931) at Warner Bros. Robinson signed a long term contract with Warners. They put him in another gangster film, "Smart Money" (1931),
Edward G. Robinson the Man" (1916). In 1923 made his named debut as "E. G. Robinson" in the silent film, "The Bright Shawl". He played a snarling gangster in the 1927 Broadway police/crime drama "The Racket", which led to his being cast in similar film roles, beginning with "The Hole in the Wall" (1929) with Claudette Colbert for Paramount. Paramount then cast him in a comedy, "The Kibitzer" (1930). One of many actors who saw his career flourish in the new sound film era rather than falter, he made only three films prior to 1930, but left his stage career that year and