Izzy and Moe
Encyclopedia
Izzy & Moe is a 1985
made for TV
crime
/comedy film
, starring Jackie Gleason
and Art Carney
. It is a fictional account of two Prohibition
-era policemen, Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith
, and their adventures in tracking down illegal bars and gangsters.
era of the 1920s, a gangster named John Vanderhoff, alias "The Dutchman", was killing off the competition and setting up his own speakeasy
s. To fight the crime, the Prohibition Bureau needed to get some extra men. Izzy Einstein (Jackie Gleason
) volunteers; he is desperate to have a steady paycheck to support his wife, mother-in-law and four daughters. Einstein wants to disprove his mother-in-law's claim that he is just a "bum".
When the agent in charge of the local Prohibition Unit office tells him there is no job, Einstein makes a speech: "This is America. And I'm proud to be an American..." When the chief tells Einstein that he is "too old" for this kind of job, Izzy quickly suggests taking a partner. Moe Smith (Art Carney
) recently had his underground bar discovered by the police and is spending too much time alone and drinking. Einstein meets with Smith and asks for his help. The idea of a steady paycheck convinces him.
When they first try to raid one of Dutch's bars, they find the gangster has converted it into a "reading hall". Izzy and Moe decide to use different tactics. After spotting a local baseball team, they ask their boss for 10 more men. They all dress as baseball players, and tell the gatekeeper at the bar they want to celebrate a win. They gain entry and enjoy it - then whip out their badges and arrest everyone in the bar.
Soon, Izzy and Moe have their own division within the unit; they work alone as a pair, get various costumes, and offer no explanations of their tactics. Izzy and Moe soon successfully raid underground bars all over the city, and arrest such high-profile people as the district attorney. After their boss threatens to fire them, Izzy and Moe meet the press, and Izzy gives his "This is America" speech. They are reinstated.
Moe, a widower, is attracted to Dallas Carter, an entertainer at one of the bars. He falls in love. Upset at losing so much money and booze to the cops, Dutch lures the pair to where a large shipment of bourbon
is being kept. Izzy and Moe evade the trap, but Moe gets shot in the arm, and one of the agents is killed. The agents' death effects Moe, who had considered quitting again, and he decides to stay, giving his own version of the "This is America" speech to reporters. Izzy and Moe then proceeded to rob the Dutch's big shipment of Bourbon that he is expecting, with help from Dallas, and also take the truck and its treasure to a police impound site.
The Dutchman finds out about Dallas tipping off the shipment, takes her hostage and tells Izzy and Moe to bring the bourbon for an exchange. They go to his estate, dodging the bullets and capturing the corrupt police chief. When Moe confronts Dutch, the gangster is pointing a gun at Dallas' head. Moe offers himself; with Dutch about to shoot him, a gun blast knocks the gun away. Izzy emerges from hiding with a rifle. Moe says, "How could you chance taking a shot like that?" Izzy says, "I just pretended he had an apple on your head."
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
made for TV
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
/comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
, starring Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
and Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
. It is a fictional account of two Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
-era policemen, Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith
Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith
Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith were United States federal police officers, agents of the U.S. Prohibition Unit, who achieved the most successful number of arrests and convictions during the first years of the alcohol prohibition era...
, and their adventures in tracking down illegal bars and gangsters.
Plot details
During the ProhibitionProhibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
era of the 1920s, a gangster named John Vanderhoff, alias "The Dutchman", was killing off the competition and setting up his own speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
s. To fight the crime, the Prohibition Bureau needed to get some extra men. Izzy Einstein (Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason
Jackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
) volunteers; he is desperate to have a steady paycheck to support his wife, mother-in-law and four daughters. Einstein wants to disprove his mother-in-law's claim that he is just a "bum".
When the agent in charge of the local Prohibition Unit office tells him there is no job, Einstein makes a speech: "This is America. And I'm proud to be an American..." When the chief tells Einstein that he is "too old" for this kind of job, Izzy quickly suggests taking a partner. Moe Smith (Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
) recently had his underground bar discovered by the police and is spending too much time alone and drinking. Einstein meets with Smith and asks for his help. The idea of a steady paycheck convinces him.
When they first try to raid one of Dutch's bars, they find the gangster has converted it into a "reading hall". Izzy and Moe decide to use different tactics. After spotting a local baseball team, they ask their boss for 10 more men. They all dress as baseball players, and tell the gatekeeper at the bar they want to celebrate a win. They gain entry and enjoy it - then whip out their badges and arrest everyone in the bar.
Soon, Izzy and Moe have their own division within the unit; they work alone as a pair, get various costumes, and offer no explanations of their tactics. Izzy and Moe soon successfully raid underground bars all over the city, and arrest such high-profile people as the district attorney. After their boss threatens to fire them, Izzy and Moe meet the press, and Izzy gives his "This is America" speech. They are reinstated.
Moe, a widower, is attracted to Dallas Carter, an entertainer at one of the bars. He falls in love. Upset at losing so much money and booze to the cops, Dutch lures the pair to where a large shipment of bourbon
Bourbon whiskey
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey – a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn. The name of the spirit derives from its historical association with an area known as Old Bourbon, around what is now Bourbon County, Kentucky . It has been produced since the 18th century...
is being kept. Izzy and Moe evade the trap, but Moe gets shot in the arm, and one of the agents is killed. The agents' death effects Moe, who had considered quitting again, and he decides to stay, giving his own version of the "This is America" speech to reporters. Izzy and Moe then proceeded to rob the Dutch's big shipment of Bourbon that he is expecting, with help from Dallas, and also take the truck and its treasure to a police impound site.
The Dutchman finds out about Dallas tipping off the shipment, takes her hostage and tells Izzy and Moe to bring the bourbon for an exchange. They go to his estate, dodging the bullets and capturing the corrupt police chief. When Moe confronts Dutch, the gangster is pointing a gun at Dallas' head. Moe offers himself; with Dutch about to shoot him, a gun blast knocks the gun away. Izzy emerges from hiding with a rifle. Moe says, "How could you chance taking a shot like that?" Izzy says, "I just pretended he had an apple on your head."
Cast
- Jackie GleasonJackie GleasonJackie Gleason was an American comedian, actor and musician. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, especially by his character Ralph Kramden on The Honeymooners, a situation-comedy television series. His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The...
as Izzy Einstein - Art CarneyArt CarneyArthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
as Moe Smith - Cynthia HarrisCynthia HarrisCynthia Harris is an American film and television actress.She is known for her role as Helen Hunt's character Jamie Buchman's overbearing mother-in-law on Mad About You. She has also appeared in many television series and TV movies, such as L.A. Law, All My Children and in the classic drama, Edward...
as Dallas Carter - Zohra LampertZohra LampertZohra Lampert is an American actress, who has had roles on film, television and stage. She may be best remembered for her role as the title character in the 1971 cult horror film Let's Scare Jessica to Death, as well as starring alongside Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty in the 1961 romance film...
as Esther Einstein - Dick LatessaDick LatessaRichard Robert "Dick" Latessa is an American actor.Latessa was born in Cleveland, Ohio to a mother who was an automotive upholstery maker. Latessa made his Broadway debut in The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N in 1968...
as Lieut. Murphy