The Lady in Red (1979)

1930s gangster-era film about John Dillinger and his last girlfriend.

Director:

Lewis Teague

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Pamela Sue Martin, Robert Conrad, Louise Fletcher

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pamela Sue Martin	...	Polly Franklin
Robert Conrad	...	John Dillinger
Louise Fletcher	...	Anna Sage
Robert Hogan	...	Jake Lingle
Laurie Heineman	...	Rose Shimkus
Glenn Withrow	...	Eddie
Rod Gist	...	Pinetop
Peter Hobbs	...	Pops Geissler
Christopher Lloyd	...	Frognose
Dick Miller	...	Patek
Nancy Parsons	...	Tiny Alice (as Nancy Anne Parsons)
Alan Vint	...	Melvin Purvis
Milt Kogan	...	Preacher
Chip Fields	...	Satin
Buck Young	...	Hennessey

Storyline

Polly, a young countryside girl decides to leave for the city and all it has to offer. She starts an relationship with John Dillinger and soon discovers that city life isn't as easy as she hoped when she gets entangled in a world of crime and prostitution. The movie is partly based on the life of John Dillinger.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | gangster | topless female nudity | bare breasts | cult film | 

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Taglines:

Her father said she was a tramp. Her customers said she was fantastic.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

July 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Guns, Sin and Bathtub Gin

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The set for the whorehouse was laced with Christmas lights on the ceiling.

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Goofs

In the parlor at Anna Sage's bordello, when Polly meets Turk for the first time, one of the topless prostitutes obviously has breast implants and that surgery was not available during this time period.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Polly Franklin: In the heart of little old New York, You'll find a thoroughfare. It's the part of little old New York That runs into Times Square. A crazy quilt that "Wall Street Jack" built, If you've got a little time to spare, I want to take you there. Come and meet those dancing feet, On the avenue I'm taking you to, Forty-Second Street.

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Alternate Versions

The 1986 UK VHS released by Eagle Crest Video is only 83 minutes long (86/87 minutes when converted back to NTSC) and uses a print that is missing all shots (and sometimes whole scenes) of sex and nudity, as well as some of the violence (e.g. Dillinger's bloody corpse). Note that these are not BBFC edits - they had already approved the film uncut for cinema release.

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Connections

Referenced in Videodrome (1983)

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Soundtracks

Ain't She Sweet
(uncredited)
Music by Milton Ager
Courtesy Warner Bros. Music

User Reviews

I liked it

I first saw this film on TV and with the commercial breaks, it suffered. However, I later saw it without the commercials and it's so much better. It's the story of Gangster John Dillenger and his last girlfriend. Pamela Sue Martin as the moll and Robert Conrad as Dillenger both deliver great performances. I don't know much about John Dillenger, but I wonder if he was as "gentlemanly" as Conrads' portrayal was. Just a thought! However, it is a strong story, with enough violence to be realistic (those were violent times). There's also the romantic element that gives a softness to Dillenger. As I said, I wonder if he was a romantic at all. Anyway, a decent enough flick and well-acted.