1931
January 9, 1931 – Edward G. Robinson becomes a star with the premiere of “Little
Caesar” in New York City.
February
12, 1931 – “Dracula” starring Bela Legosi premieres in New York City.
April 23, 1931 – “The Public Enemy” starring
James Cagney premieres and includes the famous “grapefruit scene” in which Cagney pushes a grapefruit into the
face of Mae Clarke.
May
1, 1931 – The Empire State Building officially opens when President Hoover presses a button in Washington , D.C. to
turn on the building’s lights. The building was constructed on the site of the original Waldorf-Astoria.
October 1, 1931 –
The new Waldorf-Astoria opened on Park Avenue in Manhattan.
October 17, 1931 - Al Capone is convicted for income tax evasion and sentenced to 11 years in
prison. He is ultimately transferred to Alcatraz prison in 1934 to serve his sentence.
November 9, 1931 – Frankart, Inc.
loses a lawsuit it filed against APT Novelty Co., Inc., et al in which Frankart claimed patent infringement on its patent
Des. 83080 for the T339. The district judge for the case dismissed the case with costs, citing the belief that Frankart’s
patent was “void for want of invention”.
December 4, 1931 – “Frankenstein”, starring Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein
and Boris Karloff as the Monster, opens at the Mayfair Theatre in New York City.
