The Purple Gang (film)

The Purple Gang is a 1960 American period crime film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Barry Sullivan, Robert Blake and Jody Lawrance.^[1] It portrays the activities of The Purple Gang bootlegging organization in Detroit in the 1920s

The Purple Gang
Directed by	Frank McDonald
Written by	Jack DeWitt
Produced by	Lindsley Parsons
Starring	Barry Sullivan Robert Blake Jody Lawrance
Cinematography	Ellis W. Carter
Edited by	Maurice Wright
Music by	Paul Dunlap
Production company	Allied Artists
Distributed by	Allied Artists
Release date	January 5, 1960 (1960-01-05)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

A fictionalized account of The Purple Gang as they smuggled liquor in 1920s Detroit, Michigan.

Cast

• Barry Sullivan as Police Lt. William P. Harley
• Robert Blake as William Joseph 'Honeyboy' Willard
• Elaine Edwards as Gladys Harley
• Marc Cavell as Henry Abel 'Hank' Smith
• Jody Lawrance as Joan MacNamara
• Suzanne Ridgway as Daisy
• Joe Turkel as Eddie Olsen
• Victor Creatore as Al Olsen
• Paul Dubov as Thomas Allen 'Killer' Burke
• Ray Boyle as Tom Olsen
• Kathleen Lockhart as Nun
• Nestor Paiva as Laurence Orlofsky
• Lou Krugman as Dr. Riordan
• Robert Anderson as Police Commissioner
• Mauritz Hugo as Licovetti
• James Roosevelt as Himself in Prologue^[2]

Production

The Purple Gang was directed by Frank McDonald and was produced by Lindsley Parsons under the company Lindsley Parsons Productions, Inc.^[2] The film details the formation of The Purple Gang and their criminal operations in Detroit, Michigan. It left out that the majority of The Purple Gang was Jewish.^[3] The film opened with newsreels and Congressman James Roosevelt, the son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, saying that "despite its entertainment value, the film points out that only by an awakened citizenry can crime be successfully fought."^[3][4] Roosevelt's introduction is followed by a statement that explains the plot of the film. 1930s newsreel footage is interspersed throughout the film.^[2] The Los Angeles Evening Citizen News said that the film's narration "adds a convincing documentary flavor to the picture."^[5] The narration was provided by Barry Sullivan as his character Bill Harley.^[2]

Release

The film was released on January 5, 1960 by Allied Artists.^[6] It was released on VHS in 1992 and on DVD in 2011 through the Warner Archive Collection.^[7][8]

Reception

Glenn Erickson of DVD Talk said, "The obvious hook with the true facts of The Purple Gang is the teen angle: in 1959 movie screens were awash with juvenile delinquency pictures. But the script as written sticks with gangster clichés, not adolescent angst."^[8] Dave Kehr of The New York Times wrote, "Produced by the cash-strapped independent Allied Artists, the film employs a minimally rendered period setting to provide cover for a more or less frank admiration (at least, up until the last reel) of youth in revolt: teenagers with tommy guns."^[9]