Movie |
Gangster
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Sleeper of the Year | 1959
Top Male Dramatic Performance | 1959 | Rod
Budget 1,000,000 USD
Box Office Collection 2,500,000 USD
Martin Balsam's character, Mac Keeley, was based on a real-life Chicago Tribune reporter named Jake Lingle. Lingle, a "legman" who ran down gang-related stories for the paper, had close ties to Al Capone and other gangsters as well as the notoriously corrupt Chicago Police Department, and he was well-paid by both mobsters and a police commissioner as a "go-between." Lingle was gunned down on June 9, 1930, much as depicted in the movie, after "getting too big for his hat", as Capone put it, and demanding too much for his services (though a Capone rival likely paid for the hit). Apparently legal concerns prevented the producers of this film from using Lingle's name. However, just a few months after this film was released, the TV series The Untouchables (1959) told Lingle's story in its third episode and used his actual name.
The real Al Capone died of advanced syphilis which had become neurosyphilis. Due to the production code in effect at the time, the narrator (James Gregory) attributes Capone's death to an "incurable disease".
Al Capone's sister sued the filmmakers for $10M for invasion of privacy and for failing to get permission to make this film. The suit was dismissed in 1962.
Nehemiah Persoff, who portrays Capone's boss, Johnny Torrio, had a recurring role on the TV series, The Untouchables (1959) playing, among other roles, Capone's book keeper, Jake Guzik (aka "Greasy Thumb").
Film debut of Sandy Kenyon.
"Al Capone: Nobody leaves Al Capone, you understand that? Maureen Flannery: Well I do! Al Capone: Oh no, you don't! Maureen Flannery: Would you do me a favor please? Would you kill me?"
"Dion O'Banion: [in O'Banion's flower shop, where Al is ordering a wreath for Colosimo's funeral] You know that young waiter, Pete Flannery, that got knocked off? Al Capone: Yeah, what about 'im? Dion O'Banion: A *fine* Irish lad. Al Capone: So send him a wreath. Dion O'Banion: Ohh, that's a lovely gesture on your part, Al. That's a grand thing you're doing. You know, his wife and baby... they're really gonna appreciate that. Al Capone: Yeah? Make it a big one then, huh? Dion O'Banion: You know, Al... He was only about your age. [puts a flower in Capone's lapel] Dion O'Banion: It's a dreadful thing to die so young. Al Capone: Mm-hmm. Y'know somethin'? Somebody should have told him to duck."
