Machine-Gun Kelly *** (1958, Charles Bronson, Susan Cabot, Morey Amsterdam) – Classic Movie Review 11,023

‘Without His Gun He Was Naked Yellow!’

Director Roger Corman’s excellent low-budget 1958 black and white film noir gangster crime thriller Machine-Gun Kelly chronicles the criminal activities of the real-life George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly.

It is the first lead role for actor Charles Bronson, who stars as George Kelly, dubbed ‘Machine Gun’ by his partner-in-crime Flo Becker (Susan Cabot) because of his obsession with Thompson submachine guns. Kelly pulls off a bank robbery and eventually becomes Public Enemy #1.

Corman called it ‘a major turning point in my career’ because he began to get serious critical attention from this film onwards. He said the film was shot in 10 days for $60,000, though the budget is estimated at $100,000.

As producer, Corman hired screenwriter Robert Wright Campbell on the basis of his previous work, especially Five Guns West. Corman said Campbell ‘wrote a very good script with strong, well-sketched characters based a great deal on the true facts’, though in truth it is only very loosely based on the real story and there are many incidents in this film that never happened.

Susan Cabot recalled the film as the ‘most satisfactory’ of the six movies she made with Corman, because of the ‘fun thing going on’ between Flo and Kelly and the strength of her relationship with Bronson. Cabot’s movies with Corman also included Sorority Girl (1957), War of the Satellites (1958) and The Wasp Woman (1959).

American International Pictures released it in a double bill with 1958’s The Bonnie Parker Story, then AIP’s favourite double feature.

Also in the cast are Morey Amsterdam as Michael Fandango, Richard Devon as Apple, Jack Lambert as Howard, Frank DeKova as Harry, Connie Gilchrist as ‘Ma’ Becker, Wally Campo as Maize, Barboura Morris as Lynn Grayson, Lori Martin [Dawn Menzer] as Sherryl Vito, George Archambeault as Frank, Robert Griffin as Mr Andrew Vito, Michael Fox as Detective Clinton, Larry Thor as Detective Drummond and Shirley Falls as Martha.

Machine Gun Kelly directed by Roger Corman, runs 80 minutes, is made by El Monte Productions, is released by American International Pictures (1958) (US) and Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1958) (UK), is written by Robert Wright Campbell, is shot in black and white by Gerald Fried, produced by Roger Corman, and scored by Floyd D Crosby.

Susan Cabot (born Harriet Pearl Shapiro; July 9, 1927 – December 10, 1986).

On 10 December 1986, Cabot’s only child, 22-year-old Timothy Roman, bludgeoned her to death in their Los Angeles home with a weightlifting bar. Cabot, who was suffering from severe mental illness, purportedly awoke in a panicked state and attacked him. Roman pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to three years’ probation for matricide.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,023

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