Dillinger (1945)

John Dillinger begins his life of crime as a petty thief, meets his future gang in prison and eventually masterminds a series of daring robberies.

Director:

Max Nosseck

Writer:

Philip Yordan (original screenplay)

Stars:

Lawrence Tierney, Edmund Lowe, Anne Jeffreys

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edmund Lowe	...	Specs Green
Anne Jeffreys	...	Helen Rogers
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Marco Minelli (as Eduardo Cianelli)
Marc Lawrence	...	Doc Madison
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Kirk Otto
Ralph Lewis	...	Tony
Elsa Janssen	...	Mrs. Otto (as Else Jannsen)
Ludwig Stössel	...	Mr. Otto (as Ludwig Stossel)
Constance Worth	...	Woman in Bar
Lawrence Tierney	...	John Dillinger

Storyline

The rise of John Dillinger from petty criminal (including, unforgivably, holding up a cinema) via prison and bank robbery with his new convict associates to the accolade of Public Enemy Number One.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | john dillinger character | triggerman | deadman's trigger | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

A Cold Blooded Bandit and a Hot Blooded Blonde ... who stopped at Nothing!

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many conservative social and religious groups demanded that the film be withdrawn or banned outright because of what they considered its "brutal and sensational" subject matter. The Chicago Censorship Board banned the film from being shown in Chicago for two years. The film finally opened on May 30, 1947, at the Oriental Theater in downtown Chicago and at the Biograph Theater on the north side, where the real John Dillinger had just seen a movie--Manhattan Melodrama (1934)--the night he was ambushed and shot dead by the FBI..

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Goofs

When Dillinger holds up the theater, the two film titles on the theater sign are the Monogram pictures, The Legion of Missing Men and The Unknown Guest, each of which was released years after Dillinger's death.

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Quotes

Helen Rogers: Who lives here?
John Dillinger: What do you care?
Helen Rogers: Well, I just like to know where I am.
John Dillinger: You're with me.

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Connections

Version of Dillinger (1991)

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Soundtracks

Silent Night
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber

User Reviews

"Dillinger And His Big Plans!"

This lean, mean cheapo has all the virtues of economy. Lawrence Tierney is great in his impressive debut, ideally cast as the cold, humourless psychopath. In a little over an hour we get the complete biography, with the bad guy hero gunned down with seven dollars and twenty cents in his pocket, the exact amount with which he began his criminal spree.

The scene transitions are tight and efficient, and the story-telling terse and elliptical, giving us only the significant moments in this brief, violent life. No words are wasted when Pa Otto meets his end.

Dmitri Tiomkin provides his customarily excellent music. The lone wailing horn in the prison scenes captures superbly the despair of the inmates, as indeed does the unyielding regularity of the jail architecture.

Verdict - Less is more in this commendably spare gangster flick.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1945 (UK)

Also Known As:

John Dillinger, Killer

Filming Locations:

Simi Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$193,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1