The film was advertised as a gangster picture, a genre which had become very popular with the public.

And while gangster pictures were claimed to corrupt the morals of young boys, vice films were blamed for threatening the purity of adolescent women.

Two main types of crime films were released during the period: the gangster picture and the prison film.

Exacerbating the problem, local theater owners advertised gangster pictures with a singular irresponsibility.

As gangster pictures go-if they do- it's a perfect epilogue.

It was also a gangster picture, once a staple at Warners.

Following Little Caesar, the studio agreed to cast Edward Robinson in a wave of gangster pictures.

As much as the film's heavies measure themselves against gangsters past and present, the movie will play against a long tradition of gangster pictures.

The role of the Italian mobster is as old as the gangster picture itself, and there have long been New Yorkers who play the type.

The backlash against gangster pictures was swift.