PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1

Preceded by a screen persona ripe for parody (most famously, Billy Crystal’s take on his turn as Dathan in The Ten Commandments: “Where’s yer messiah nowww, Moses?”), Edward G. Robinson is seldom given his due as the great character actor he was. Among those who have noticed, though, is the Kansas City, Missouri, Central Library (14 West 10th Street), where a monthlong tribute to Robinson (called “At the Maximum of His Villainy”) concludes tonight at 6:30 with John Huston’s Key Largo. Though the movie is a star vehicle for Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, it’s Robinson who drives the story in another of the roles that made him an icon — as the sadistic, aging mobster Johnny Rocco, throwing his weight around even as he battles forces beyond his control. (Oscar winner Claire Trevor is pretty fantastic, too.) Admission is free. See kclibrary.org for more information.

Mon., Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m., 2009