Bullets or Ballots
| Bullets or Ballots | |
|---|---|
 1936 Theatrical Poster | |
| Directed by | William Keighley |
| Produced by | Louis F. Edelman (uncredited) |
| Written by |
Seton I. Miller Martin Mooney |
| Starring |
Edward G. Robinson Joan Blondell Barton MacLane Humphrey Bogart Frank McHugh |
| Music by | Bernhard Kaun |
| Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
| Edited by | Jack Killifer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Bullets or Ballots is a 1936 gangster film starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Blondell, Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart. Robinson plays a police detective who infiltrates a crime gang. This is the first of several films featuring both Robinson and Bogart.
Robinson's character, "Johnny Blake," was based on Johnny Broderick, a noted New York City detective.[1]
Plot summary
Detective Johnny Blake (Edward G. Robinson) is a New York City cop who has made his reputation by cracking down on racketeers. When Blake gets kicked off the force, a powerful crime boss named Al Kruger (Barton MacLane) hires him in an attempt to gain fresh ideas about sidestepping the law and expanding his criminal empire. Blake soon gains Kruger's trust and rises through the ranks of the criminal organization, much to the distaste of Bugs Fenner (Humphrey Bogart), who believes Blake to be a police informer.[2]
Cast
- Edward G. Robinson as Detective Johnny Blake
- Joan Blondell as Lee Morgan
- Barton MacLane as Al Kruger
- Humphrey Bogart as Nick 'Bugs' Fenner
- Frank McHugh as Herman McCloskey
- Joe King as Captain Dan 'Mac' McLaren
- Dick Purcell as Ed Driscoll (as Richard Purcell)
- George E. Stone as Wires Kagel
- Joseph Crehan as Grand Jury Spokesman
- Henry O'Neill as Ward Bryant
- Henry Kolker as Mr. Hollister
- Gilbert Emery as Mr. Thorndyke
- Herbert Rawlinson as Mr. Caldwell
- Louise Beavers as Nellie LaFleur
- Norman Willis as Louie Vinci
Adaptations to Other Media
Bullets or Ballots was adapted as a one-hour radio play on the April 17, 1939 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater with Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart.[3]
References
- ↑ "John Broderick is Dead at 72; Renowned as Tough Detective". The New York Times. January 18, 1966. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- ↑ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/66/Bullets-or-Ballots/articles.html
- ↑ "Radio Classics: Bullets or Ballots rebroadcast". Radio Classics. November 18, 2015. 60 minutes in. Sirius XM. Sirius XM Channel 148. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
External links
- Bullets or Ballots at the TCM Movie Database
- Bullets or Ballots at the Internet Movie Database
- Bullets or Ballots at AllMovie
- Bullets or Ballots at the American Film Institute Catalog