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5 2DEC LAVESTER GLoR?! ‘Purple Gang’ Good Expose Of Detroit Mob | i “THE PURPLE CANG” (Allied Artists) Producer _......... 0... Lindsley Parsons Director ...... .... Frank McDonald Written by... secce ce Jack DeWitt ! Photography .. Ellis Carter ___ David Milton «Frank Lombardo Pau! Dy Art direction... Set decoration. Musical! score | au wufiap Song: Runnin’ Wild”. ._.Joe Gray, Leo Wood, A. Harrington Gibbs Sound .. -. Tom Lambert Film editor... entvaneasensneses Maurice Wright Cast: Barry Sullivan, Robert Blake, Elaine Edwards, Marc Cavell, Jody Lawrence, Suzy Marquette, ‘Joseph Turkel, Victor Creatore, Paul Dubov, Kathleen Lockhart, Nestor Paiva, Lou Krugman, Mauritz Hugo, Norman Nazarr, John Indrisano, Dirk London and foreword by Congressman James Roosevett. (Running time — 85 minutes) Exhibitors who cleaned up with Al- lied Artists' “Al Capone’ have an auspicious chance for a profitable én- core with “The Purple Gang” which concerns that notorious gang of hood- fums which operated in and around & Detroit in the 1920's and '30's. While there is not so much chance for na- tional recognition of the action, there is enough shocking incident to attract a sensation-hungry public. According to Lindsley Parsons’ production and lack DeWitt’s seri ipt, this mob origi- nally was a group ” of juvenile delin- quents led by a young neurotie (fear- somely played by Robert Blake}. They , graduated from purse-snatching to ° high-jacking illicit liquor being run in 4 from Canada by the Olsen brothers (Joseph Turkel, Victor Creatore and Dirk London) . Eventually, they made an unholy alliance with them to racket- ize the entire city. When the Egan's Rats mob fram East St. Louis tried to muscle in with a series of gambler kid- napings, the Purples rubbed them out, The same thing happened when the cleaners and dyers association, desper- ate for protection, brought in a branch of the Mafia from New York, But at last the mob’s depredations were stopped by a relentless, honestederet=— arry Sullivan). SUPPER ee gr ager eee TTy mg carey: 2 Ate wea re eae a ws Among the more startling incidents pe and murder of.a misguided welfare worker (Jody Lawrence), the terrorizing of the detective’s pregnant wife (Elaine Edwards} and the sinking {Marc Cavell) in a of an informe; “concrete overcoat.” Maurice Wright works many inter esting stock shots from the period into the pontages and Frank McDonald's direction masters the trick of making the film seem bigger than it is. Blake does an outstanding job as the yellow young hoodlum who goes into fits of claustrophobia whenever he is put into a celf or a Paddy wagon. He's especially convincing in making the age transition from punk te adult. Sullivan holds the production together in the straight role of the dedicated policemen, though he’s on shaky ground when he waxes indignant over the fate of a crodked cop, Kathleen Lockhart does a good bit as a nun. Made for a medium budget, this on should do good business. , — Jack Moffitt. (kf 5 t hr. Irgra: Misa Gandy £ | ZL BeOIF NOT RECORDED noo Oo. nf 126 DEC wi wv —e ee aa THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 8, 1960 ) * iv Fe en Wet tay EP CATIO wee: Agere Oe Aw PIOVIES a ad Ter eens ialeanies . aaielen ial TE ECE em ay