Gun Crazy [Deadly is the Female] (1950)

"We go together, Laurie. I don't know why. Maybe like guns and ammunition go together."

Beginning during childhood, Bart Tare loved guns.  At the age of 14 he steals a gun from a hardware store and is sent to reform school.  After reform school he does time in the Army, and then returns to his home town.  Despite the years, Bart (Dall) resumes his childhood friendships with Clyde (Lewis), who is now the sheriff, and Dave (Young), a lawyer.  The friends visit a traveling carnival, where Bart is captivated by the female sharpshooter, Laurie Starr (Cummins).  Laurie gets Bart a job with the carnival, but the job does not last long as their boss, Packett (Kroeger) is jealous of their relationship and fires both.

Bart and Laurie get married and begin robbing banks to make extra money.  Bart wants to stop while they are ahead, but it is not enough for Laurie.  As they gain notoriety and the cops get closer, can they both get out alive?


I discovered this film on TCM's Essentials last week, and was pleasantly surprised / impressed.  This film is not widely known, and is considered a "B" film, but it still an "essential" picture.  The staying power of this film is apparently due to the director, Joseph H. Lewis (who I had never heard of, but had a reputation for elevating mediocre films... based on the explanation on the TCM webpage).

The characters are loosely based on Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker.  Barrow and Parker were the subjects of several other subsequent films, most notably 1967's Bonnie and Clyde, which changed the depiction of violence in film.  The film starts slow, but builds when Bart and Laurie meet.  John Dall (best known for Rope and Spartacus) and Peggy Cummins are great.  Dall is the deeply conflicted good guy, trying to reconcile his decisions.  Cummins is a deeper psychological study, changing from vulnerable to menacing at the drop of a hat.  The movie may focus on Bart, but it belongs to Laurie, mostly due to Cummins performance.  It is a shame that Cummins didn't make more films, she could have been a huge name.

An overlooked noir gem... yes, there are issues with the film, but it is an entertaining flick.

Gun Crazy [Deadly is the Female] (1950) 86 minutes
Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Peggy Cummins as Annie Laurie Starr
John Dall as Bart Tare
Berry Kroeger as Packett
Morris Carnovsky as Judge Willoughby
Anabel Shaw as Ruby Tare
Harry Lewis as Sheriff Clyde Boston
Nedrick Young as Dave Allister