IMDb > Bullets or Ballots (1936)

Bullets or Ballots (1936) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   873 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Keighley
Writers:
Seton I. Miller (screenplay)
Martin Mooney (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Bullets or Ballots on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 June 1936 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
WHO Rules The Rackets ? This picture puts the finger on the political higher-ups! more
Plot:
After Police Captain Dan McLaren becomes police commissioner former detective Johnny Blake knocks him... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
BULLETS OR BALLOTS (William Keighley, 1936) *** more (16 total)
US TV Schedule:
Wed. Dec. 212:00 PMTCM   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Edward G. Robinson ... Johnny Blake
Joan Blondell ... Lee Morgan
Barton MacLane ... Al Kruger

Humphrey Bogart ... 'Bugs' Fenner
Frank McHugh ... Herman
Joe King ... Capt. Dan 'Mac' McLaren (as Joseph King)
Dick Purcell ... Ed Driscoll (as Richard Purcell)
George E. Stone ... Wires Kagel
Joseph Crehan ... Johnson (Grand Jury spokesman)
Henry O'Neill ... Ward Bryant, Newspaper Publisher
Henry Kolker ... Mr. Hollister
Gilbert Emery ... Mr. Thorndyke
Herbert Rawlinson ... Mr. Caldwell
Louise Beavers ... Nellie LaFleur
Norman Willis ... Louie Vinci
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
82 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #2155)
Company:
Warner Bros. Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
"Bullets or Ballots" was so successful at the box office that it gave Edward G. Robinson the clout to negotiate a new contract with Warner Bros., which gave him rights of story and script approval and allowed him to make one movie per year for another studio. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When "Bugs" Fenner enters the hotel and shoots Johnny Blake, he is seen firing a .45 Automatic. However, after Blake guns Fenner down and passes his corpse on the stairwell, the camera pans down to Fenner and there is a .38 Revolver in his hand. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart (1997) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
The Lady In Red more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
BULLETS OR BALLOTS (William Keighley, 1936) ***, 14 April 2008
7/10
Author: MARIO GAUCI (marrod@melita.com) from Naxxar, Malta

This is one of the few gangster classics from that genre's golden era and featuring its iconic stars which was never available in my neck of the woods until it surfaced on DVD. It was also the first of five films teaming (or rather pitting one against the other) Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart; the former was the real star and he was already starting to branch out from gangster roles – the latter was still a supporting actor (having just had his big break with THE PETRIFIED FOREST [1936]) and five more years would pass till he achieved his long-deserved stardom (nevertheless, in spite of the lack of range offered by the scripts for these type of roles, Bogie always made an impression at it).

By this time, the Hays Code had come down on Hollywood for their glorification of the gangster; Warners had pulled a clever switch with "G" MEN (1935), where these same crimes were presented from the viewpoint of law enforcement officers (that film had also been helmed by this film's director, William Keighley, and starred another of the great genre actors, James Cagney). In this case, the narrative allowed Robinson as an undercover cop to still be involved in the criminal activity, and rise through the ranks as always, without taking active part in them: however, censorship of the time still dictated that his character had to die at the end (unless it was a way of showing the risk inherent in such police work). Interestingly, Keighley would return to a similar situation – this time revolving around the F.B.I. – many years later with the noir THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948), which I've just watched as part of my ongoing tribute to Richard Widmark; having mentioned the noir, while I admire the vitality and raw power of the gangster films, their limited plot lines rather prevents them from having the same pull of the fatalistic thrillers often involving tortuous plots and where the protagonists – apart from the dark city streets – could be as much a private detective as the next man, but always gullible and at the mercy of a femme fatale...

To go back to BULLETS OR BALLOTS, the film is typically fast-moving – it's not just the action that crackles but the dialogue as well – and, while some of the edge of the very earliest gangster pictures, has been lost by way of repetition (and the standards of the Code), it's still a satisfactory and highly entertaining entry. For the record, two of the very best efforts in this influential genre were still a couple of years away – namely ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES (1938) and THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939), both with Cagney as an anti-hero and Bogie ever the irredeemable and duplicitous mobster. Here, alongside the two stars, are Joan Blondell as Robinson's on-off girl on whom Bogart has his eyes as well (interestingly, she's got her own particular racket going!), Barton MacLane as the big boss whom Bogart is forever trying to oust (again, a role he would often play) and Frank McHugh providing the comic relief (ditto).

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