Gun Crazy (1950)

Two disturbed young people release their fascination with guns through a crime spree.

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis

Writers:

MacKinlay Kantor (screenplay), Dalton Trumbo (screenplay)

Stars:

John Dall, Peggy Cummins, Berry Kroeger

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peggy Cummins	...	Annie Laurie Starr
John Dall	...	Bart 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 (child) (as Dave Bair)
Stanley Prager	...	Bluey-Bluey
Virginia Farmer	...	Miss Wynn
Anne O'Neal	...	Miss Augustine Sifert

Storyline

Since he was a child, Bart Tare has always loved guns. After leaving the army, his friends take him to a carnival, where he meets the perfect girl; Annie, a sharp-shooting sideshow performer who loves guns as much as he. The 2 run off and marry, but Annie isn't happy with their financial situation, so at her behest the couple begins a cross-country string of daring robberies. Never one to use guns for killing, Bart's dragged down into oblivion by the greedy and violent nature of the woman he loves.

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Plot Keywords:

sharpshooter | murder | fugitive | lovers on the lam | national film registry | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actors Berry Kroeger and John Dall also appeared together in "Atlantis: The Lost Continent" 1961.

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Goofs

Cadillac stolen from Illinois man that was used in bank holdup (featuring the single take) had a silver ashtray at the top backside of the front seat for rear seat passengers to use (and visible when car first seen at hitch-hiker pickup) but in the holdup scene it is gone.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Watching the Detectives (2007)

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Soundtracks

Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside)
(uncredited)
Music by Bernie Wayne
Lyrics by Ben Raleigh
Sung by Frances Irvin at the dance club

User Reviews

What a Bad Dame!!!

Peggy Cummins is the epitome of the bad dame.....in a word, terrific. The casting of this British actress was probably chancy for director Lewis but he hit paydirt. She comes across as a woman who wants it all and doesn't care how she gets it. Besides, she like to kill and wants to do "Just one more job." The choice of John Dall for the male lead was even more chancy. Dall, a stage actor, certainly wasn't very masculine and his acting revealed his stage background. But, again, Lewis hit the jackpot since it made the control that Cummins had over him even more believable.

The story has already been discussed on these boards so I won't repeat it except to say that it moves along at a rapid pace and keeps you enthralled from the beginning (well, not quite. Forget the sappy prologue and get right to the story.) A lot has been said about the one shot (from the back seat of the car) bank robbery but it is dynamite. It is said that Dall and Cummins' dialogue is improvised and that when you hear someone shout" The bank has been robbed", it is an actual pedestrian who did not know that a movie was being made. Now that's realism.

This little B thriller is as good as it gets and belongs right up there with "Detour", the gem of low-budget films. Enjoy!!!!!!!!!

Details

Official Sites:

HBOMAX Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gun Crazy

Filming Locations:

Reseda State Bank Building, Sherman Way and Reseda Blvd., Reseda, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,322

Company Credits

Production Co:

King Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1