The Re-Inforcer. 1951. Directed by Jerry Lewis. With Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Mona Freeman, Dean Martin, Danny Arnold, Shelley Winters, Tommy Farrell. DCP. 45 min.
Dean Martin is all mobbed up as pinstriped gangster Joe Lasagna in this reimagining of the 1951 Humphrey Bogart starrer The Enforcer. Joe’s reign is threatened by up-and-coming hoodlum Baffo (Tony Curtis), who eventually takes over Joe’s gang, his singing duties, and his cozy relationship with FBI informant Danny Arnold. Mona Freeman, the recently rediscovered star of That Brennan Girl, contributes a fetching performance as a mob wife. Shown with footage of the film’s Pacific Palisades premiere (full program: 60 min.).