Bullets or Ballots (1936)

When a crusader against rackets is murdered, a grand jury battles the rackets by promoting McLaren to be in charge of the cleanup. He fires NYPD Detective Blake, who punches him and joins the racket.

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Seton I. Miller (screen play), Martin Mooney (story)

Stars:

Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edward G. Robinson	...	Johnny Blake
Joan Blondell	...	Lee Morgan
Barton MacLane	...	Al Kruger
Humphrey Bogart	...	'Bugs' Fenner
Frank McHugh	...	Herman
Joe King	...	Capt. Dan McLaren (as Joseph King)
Dick Purcell	...	Ed Driscoll (as Richard Purcell)
George E. Stone	...	Wires Kagel
Joseph Crehan	...	Grand Jury Spokesman
Henry O'Neill	...	Ward Bryant
Henry Kolker	...	Mr. Hollister
Gilbert Emery	...	Mr. Thorndyke
Herbert Rawlinson	...	Mr. Caldwell
Louise Beavers	...	Nellie LaFleur
Norman Willis	...	Louie Vinci

Storyline

After police captain, McLaren becomes commissioner, former detective Johnny Blake knocks him down convincing rackets boss Al Kruger that Blake's sincere in his effort to join the mob. "Buggs" Fenner thinks Blake is a police agent.

---

Plot Keywords:

new york city | manhattan new york city | greed | no music | police officer | 

---

Taglines:

True as you're sitting here (original print ad)

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third of four feature films that Joan Blondell and Humphrey Bogart made together. The other three are Big City Blues (1932), Three on a Match (1932), and Stand-In (1937). They first appeared together in a short - Broadway's Like That (1930), which was also Blondell's first film appearance.

---

Goofs

When Herman is delivering a bag of money to Lee Morgan, he takes out a roll of coins and covers it with his right hand so that it is barely visible. In the next cut, however, the roll is now protruding out of his hand and quite visible.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Al Kruger: What time does the crime picture start?

---

Connections

Featured in Stars of the Silver Screen: Edward G. Robinson (2015)

---

Soundtracks

The Lady in Red
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Allie Wrubel
Whistled by Edward G. Robinson

User Reviews

William Keighley directed the film with a firm and fresh efficiency

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1936 (USA)

Also Known As:

Balas o votos

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,605

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1