IMDb > Bullets or Ballots (1936)

Bullets or Ballots (1936) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   871 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 3% 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

User Comments:

William Keighley directed the film with a firm and fresh efficiency… more (16 total)


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
more
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Additional Details

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #2155)


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


FAQ

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20 out of 22 people found the following comment useful.
William Keighley directed the film with a firm and fresh efficiency…, 12 April 2005
7/10

Following his brutal portrayal in "The Petrified Forest," Bogart became a much more articulate and calculating killer in "Bullets or Ballots," a gangster thriller starring Edward G. Robinson as a crusading crime-buster, modeled after true-life cop Johnny Broderick, known as "the toughest cop on Broadway," who pretended to be thrown off the police force in order to infiltrate Bogart's gang and get the evidence to bring him to justice…

Bogart revealed no emotion whatever as he goes about his gun-happy chores of shooting a respected newspaperman as well as his partner-in-crime, Barton MacLane, in his characteristic double-cross…

The exciting finale found both Bogart and Robinson in a blazing showdown, an unusual ending for this period in film history, but one which Robinson had fought hard to retain...

William Keighley directed the film with a firm and fresh efficiency…

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