Gun Crazy (1950) Deadly Is the Female (original title)

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis

Writers (WGA):

MacKinlay Kantor (screenplay) and
Dalton Trumbo (screenplay) (front Millard Kaufman) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 January 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

SHE BELIEVES IN TWO THINGS...-love and violence! (original poster)

Plot:

A well meaning crack shot husband is pressured by his beautiful marksman wife to go on an interstate robbery spree, where he finds out just how depraved and deadly she really is.

Plot Keywords:

Gun | Robbery | Shooting | Carnival | Friend

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Peggy Cummins	...	Annie Laurie Starr
John Dall	...	Barton Tare
Berry Kroeger	...	Packett
Morris Carnovsky	...	Judge Willoughby
Anabel Shaw	...	Ruby Tare Flagler
Harry Lewis	...	Deputy Clyde Boston
Nedrick Young	...	Dave Allister
Trevor Bardette	...	Sheriff Boston
Mickey Little	...	Bart Tare (age 7)
Russ Tamblyn	...	Bart Tare (age 14) (as Rusty Tamblyn)
Paul Frison	...	Clyde Boston (age 14)
David Bair	...	Dave Allister (age 7) (as Dave Bair)
Stanley Prager	...	Bluey-Bluey
Virginia Farmer	...	Miss Wynn
Anne O'Neal	...	Miss Augustine Sifert
Frances Irvin	...	Danceland Singer (as Frances Irwin)
Robert Osterloh	...	Hampton Policeman
Shimen Ruskin	...	Cab Driver
Harry Hayden	...	Mr. Mallenberg
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Barr	...	Proprietor / Diner Cook (uncredited)
Don Beddoe	...	Man from Chicago (uncredited)
Joseph Crehan	...	Plant Foreman (uncredited)
Eddie Dunn	...	State Policeman on Phone (uncredited)
Dick Elliott	...	Man Running Out of Robbed Market (uncredited)
Ross Elliott	...	Detective (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Cashier (uncredited)
Pat Gleason	...	Carnival Barker (uncredited)
Arthur Hecht	...	Ira Flagler (uncredited)
George Lynn	...	Holdup Victim (uncredited)
William J. O'Brien	...	Customer at Sharpshooting Act (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Court Clerk (uncredited)
Ray Teal	...	California Border Inspector (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Meat Plant Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph H. Lewis

Writing credits (WGA)
MacKinlay Kantor		(screenplay) and
Dalton Trumbo		(screenplay) front Millard Kaufman
MacKinlay Kantor		(story "Gun Crazy")
Millard Kaufman		(front for Dalton Trumbo)

Produced by
Frank King	....	producer
Maurice King	....	producer

Original Music by
Victor Young

Cinematography by
Russell Harlan		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Harry W. Gerstad		(as Harry Gerstad)

Production Design by
Gordon Wiles

Set Decoration by
Raymond Boltz Jr.

Makeup Department
Carla Hadley	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Allen K. Wood	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Heath	....	assistant director (as Frank S. Heath)

Sound Department
Tom Lambert	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lloyd Garnell	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Eddie Jones	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Harry Lewis	....	grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Norma Koch	....	wardrobe: Miss Cummins (as Norma)

Music Department
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator
Stuart Frye	....	music editor
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Arthur Gardner	....	assistant to producers
Jack Herzberg	....	continuity
Herman King	....	technical advisor
Madeleine Robinson	....	dialogue coach
Al J. Jennings	....	technical consultant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• King Brothers Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• Stern-Film Verleih (1951) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Deadly Is the Female" - USA (original title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:(Banned) | Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario) | USA:Approved (certificate #14023) | West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:PG (2008) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

2300 E Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

King Brothers Productions

Trivia:

Bart Tare and Laurie Starr are modeled on the infamous Depression-era bandits Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, who are also the subjects of Bonnie and Clyde (1967), You Only Live Once (1937) and The Bonnie Parker Story (1958).

Goofs:

Continuity: Annie's fingers change position when she shows Bart the pinkie diamond ring.

Quotes:

Annie Laurie Starr:Let's go for a walk on the beach.
Bart:I just read an article about funerals.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in L.A. Noire (2011) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Mad About You

Quintessential film-noir

What is the quintessence of a film-noir? A good answer is: an evil strong woman that manipulates a weak, although basically decent, man, involving him in a crazy love, doomed to a tragic ending. Then we can safely state that "Deadly is the Female" is a perfect instance of film-noir.

The movie has outstanding merits. The cinematography, and especially the camera-work are excellent, and comparable to the best achievements in the film-noir genre. Justly celebrated are the scenes filmed with the camera inside the car, like that of the bank shot in Hampton, a true cinematic gem. John Dall and Peggy Cummins, in the roles of the doomed lovers Bart and Annie Laurie, make a great job. The story starts slowly (a minor drawback), but as soon as the two lovers cross the border of legality, the movie acquires a quick, exciting and ruthless pace and presents a powerful finale.

The psychology of Bart and Annie Laurie is studied with care. Annie Laurie is a systematic liar. With Bart she always looks sweet, deeply in love, even subdued to her man. To justify her shootings and murders, she always whines with Bart that she had lost her nerves, that she was scared. But when Bart is not present, the viewer gets from her body language and the cruel expression of her eyes that she just loves to kill. Great job by Peggy Cummins.

So does Laurie just make use of Bart for her dirty purposes, to satisfy her own depravity? Not at all. Oddly enough, in another famous scene we see that Laurie really loves Bart with all her heart. Only, she is bad and cruel, that's her inner core. And is Bart so stupid and bewitched not to realize that Laurie is going to ruin him? No, he knows it, and he deeply suffers, but ultimately he doesn't care. Only Laurie counts. Desperately crazy love... how fascinating! (at least in a film-noir).

The script offers several memorable lines, and the many subtleties give realism to the story. For instance, Bart and Laurie are not professional criminals, and they show it when they carelessly spend "hot" money, which will cost them dearly.

"Deadly is the Female" is an excellent film, a relevant nugget in the film-noir gold mine. Highly recommended.