Along with the original "Scarface," released by Howard Hughes one year later, LeRoy's "Little Caesar" summoned up the real-life exploits of Al Capone, who in the prior decade had virtually controlled Chicago through fear, violence, and huge illicit profits from bootlegging and vice operations. Actor Robinson, a refined soul in real life who'd considered becoming a rabbi, actually resembles Capone slightly, but he projects a menace all his own. This makes "Little Caesar" — a landmark gangster film that made Robinson a star — still bone-chilling a full eight decades after its release.