Claire Trevor & Edward G. Robinson

In the six decades in which their careers overlapped with a combined output of almost, but not quite, 200 movies, Claire Trevor and Edward G. Robinson teamed up for a mere three motion pictures:

The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938)
Key Largo (1948)
Two Weeks in Another Town (1962)

If anything at all is to be made of their collaborations taken as a collective whole, the pessimist in me would suggest a cautionary tale about the outcome of many a career in Hollywood, or in any ‘wood’. It begins with Dr. Clitterhouse that, after all, showcases promise and exuberance in struggling for, then reaching a pinnacle of success, albeit a tad criminal in its scope. Key Largo follows with depictions of has-beens, good and bad, striving for the elusive comeback. And, finally, comes Another Town, which similarly focuses on has-beens, but in this instance has-beens just trying to hang on. And yet this interpretation of their collaborations belies the successes the careers of Ms. Trevor and Mr. Robinson achieved. Both are recipients of Academy Awards. This tribute came to Edward G. Robinson at the very end of his life. He died in January 1973 shortly after being notified of his award. His wife accepted the award on his behalf at the Academy Awards ceremony a few months after his death. Claire Trevor received her award as a supporting player along side the likes of Lionel Barrymore, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and, of course, Edward G. Robinson in Key Largo. An avid participant on, as well as patron of the stage, she also received a posthumous tribute of having her name adopted by the University of California, Irvine, school of art, i.e. the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, where her Oscar statuette now stands on display.