Machine-Gun Kelly (film)
Encyclopedia
Machine-Gun Kelly is a film directed by Roger Corman
, chronicling the criminal activities of the real-life George "Machine Gun" Kelly
. The film was considered low budget, but received good critical reviews. The film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson
.
Following the 1967 success of Bonnie and Clyde
, American International Pictures rereleased the film as a double feature
with The Bonnie Parker Story.
, to lose an arm. Kelly, perhaps goaded on by his girlfriend, kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy businessman for ransom, which leads to the climax of the film.
who would later be acclaimed for roles in Once Upon a Time in the West
, The Magnificent Seven
, and the Death Wish series. Susan Cabot
was the female lead, as part of her agreement with director Roger Corman
, for whom her roles would be the end of her film career.
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, chronicling the criminal activities of the real-life George "Machine Gun" Kelly
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelley Barnes , better known as "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster during the prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thompson submachine gun. His most famous crime was the kidnapping of oil tycoon & businessman Charles Urschel in July 1933 for which he,...
. The film was considered low budget, but received good critical reviews. The film was the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
.
Following the 1967 success of Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde (film)
The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
, American International Pictures rereleased the film as a double feature
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
with The Bonnie Parker Story.
Plot
The film starts by showing a bank robbery orchestrated by Kelly and other partners, including his love interest. It then examines Kelly's personality and events that lead to discord among his group. A botched bank robbery causes one of his partners, Michael Fandango, portrayed by typical jokester Morey AmsterdamMorey Amsterdam
Morey Amsterdam was an American television actor and comedian, best known for the role of Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1960s.-Early life:...
, to lose an arm. Kelly, perhaps goaded on by his girlfriend, kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy businessman for ransom, which leads to the climax of the film.
Cast
The film was the first lead role for actor Charles BronsonCharles Bronson
Charles Bronson , born Charles Dennis Buchinsky was an American actor, best-known for such films as Once Upon a Time in the West, The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, The Great Escape, Rider on the Rain, The Mechanic, and the popular Death Wish series...
who would later be acclaimed for roles in Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Jason Robards as a bandit, and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader with a...
, The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
, and the Death Wish series. Susan Cabot
Susan Cabot
-Early life:Born Harriet Shapiro to a Russian Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts, Cabot's early life was one of turmoil, and she was raised in eight different foster homes. She completed her education in New York, New York, and found employment as an illustrator...
was the female lead, as part of her agreement with director Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
, for whom her roles would be the end of her film career.