It’s always fun to go on Robert Bellissimo’s podcast and talk about movies, and the other day we discussed Bonnie And Clyde (1967).
I also got to talk a bit about the book I hope to write about it.
Robert Bellissimo At The Movies: Bonnie And Clyde (1967).
Filed under 1967, Arthur Penn, Faye Dunaway, Gene Hackman, Gene Wilder, Podcasts, Warner Bros., Warren Beatty
The Hannibal 8 
Thank you, Robert Bellissimo, for giving Toby Roan this opportunity to talk about BONNIE AND CLYDE(filmed 1966-67, released 1967).
Toby, your next research and book project sounds very interesting. BONNIE AND CLYDE is quite a movie. I remember all the hoopla surrounding it and the commercials on tv. Also, it seemed like Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs’ “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” was played a lot on the radio and their own tv show. I first saw BONNIE AND CLYDE on THE CBS THURSDAY NIGHT MOVIE in 1973. It was aired from 8:00-10:15 PM Central Time. The ambush scene was shown after 10:00, which wasn’t during prime time, so the kids were supposed to be not watching, but we know better than that.
As a youngster in the late 1960’s, I recall seeing the Bonnie and Clyde “Death Car” on display at the Arkansas Livestock Exposition and Rodeo in Little Rock, Arkansas. Since then, I’ve wondered if I saw the real “Death Car” or one of the fake cars that went on tour around the country.
My late friend Phillip W. Steele(1934-2007) co-wrote a book with Marie Barrow Scoma(1918-1999), which is titled THE FAMILY STORY OF BONNIE AND CLYDE(2000). Marie was the youngest sister of Clyde Barrow and the book is interesting reading with never before published photographs. Also, author Phillip Steele got to read Clyde’s mother’s diary.
Regarding other movies being filmed in Crandall, Texas. Five years before BONNIE AND CLYDE was filmed there, an episode of tv’s ROUTE 66(1960-64) with Martin Milner and George Maharis was filmed there. “1800 Days To Justice” first aired on 1/26/62 with guest stars John Ericson, Noah Beery, Jr. and Marion Ross. Also, A BULLET FOR PRETTY BOY(filmed 1969, released 1970) with Fabian and Jocelyn Lane was filmed in Crandall. Maury Dexter was replacement director.
I enjoyed the informative interview and look forward to the next one.
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I totally forgot about A Bullet For Pretty Boy. It came up in my interview with Ms. Brown. Wish I’d been able to talk with Maury Dexter about it. Chatting with him was always a blast.
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Oh, I saw a “death car,” too — in Thomasville, Georgia in the late 60s. I was very young and it made a huge impression on me.
Bet it was fake.
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Toby, if we wanted to see the real “Death Car” we would have to go to Whiskey Pete’s Hotel and Casino in Primm, Nevada. The 1934 Ford Sedan with a 3.6-liter Flathead V8 engine has been there since 1988.
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I’m more of a fan of the movie than I am of the real crooks. Would love to the the movie’s death car to see where all the charges were rigged.
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I’m more of a fan of the movie BONNIE AND CLYDE than of the real outlaws, also. Although, I’ve been interested in the real and folklore stories of the outlaws ever since I can remember. This probably has to do with some of my family background history and the part of the country where I grew up and where I live currently, which is along the Arkansas/Missouri border. This neck of the woods is along the old Outlaw or “Owlhoot” Trail, which reached from the Rio Grande to the Canadian border.
Believe it or not, I first viewed BABY FACE NELSON(1957) yesterday. This movie had eluded me for all these years. It wasn’t shown on tv in my neck of the woods, or anywhere I had ever lived. I enjoyed it, especially the performances of Mickey Rooney, Carolyn Jones, and Leo Gordon. I think this 1957 movie was ahead of its time. Too me, it didn’t really seem like a movie set in 1933.
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I’m a big fan of Siegel’s Baby Face Nelson. It needs a nice Blu-Ray release really badly.
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Yep! BABY FACE NELSON restored
in 4K with a Toby commentary-I’d buy that in
a heartbeat at whatever price they charged.
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Thank you,Robert and Toby for a most entertaining 59 minutes,
wow! the time just flew by.
Also thanks,Walter for your as always, informative follow up comments.
I’ve never seen William Witney’s THE BONNIE PARKER story,
but I have seen Louis King’s PERSONS IN HIDING (1939) which is loosely
based on the Bonnie & Clyde case.
PERSONS IN HIDING co stars Patricia Morison and J Carrol Naish
and was a Paramount title now owned by Universal.
I live in hope Kino Lorber or somebody will release a 4K restoration on
Blu Ray.
PERSONS IN HIDING pre dates and pre figures GUN CRAZY and
BONNIE & CLYDE. The powerful scene where Morison re-visits her
dirt poor folks,her hard working frail mother and ne’er do well wastrel father
is powerful stuff and surely must have influenced the Penn movie.
I enjoyed those Jack Warner comments on this informative podcast.
Oddly enough,I watched LITTLE BIG MAN last night, certainly not for
all tastes and a mixed bag to be sure but the film is often visually
stunning,a truly wonderful use of widescreen.
Toby’s planned book sounds like a real winner.
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I’ve got a copy of Persons In Hiding around here somewhere, but I haven’t watched it yet. You’ve got me real interested in digging it out.
The camerawork, to me, is the thing that really recommends Little Big Man. I’ve never been much of a fan of it.
Glad you like the idea for my book. Hopefully, I’ll be able to locate enough folks to make it worthwhile!
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John K, always good to hear from you, and thank you for the kind comments concerning what I throw out there. I always appreciate the movie titles that you bring up.
We’ve talked about PERSONS IN HIDING(filmed 1938, released 1939) before and the elusive almost forgotten movie intrigues the fire out of me. I would really like to view it, but this movie seems to have dropped of the edge of being able to view it anywhere. I never saw it on tv in my neck of the woods. Do you remember when and where you saw PERSONS IN HIDING?
I agree with you about LITTLE BIG MAN(filmed 1969, released 1970) and I like to view it every once in awhile. I much prefer Thomas Berger’s 1964 novel of the same name.
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“Persons in Hiding.” Real gem. Yeah, we’ve discussed these crime-themed Paramount B’s before, most of them directed by either Robert Florey or Louis King. Great stuff. “King of Gamblers” (1937) is a real brisk one, too. I think Florey is usually more stylish than King, but King sure could pace things breathlessly, and delivered a lot of winners. I was rather pleased with King’s “Prison Farm” (1938), which was lean and entertaining, and certainly an unusual role for singer Shirley Ross.
Some good winners even beyond the Florey/King items, hiding out in the Paramount B-library too. I particularly liked “Men Without Names” (1935), a good little g-man opus starring a young Fred MacMurray, which really bursts loose with some startling violence towards the end. “Queen of the Mob” (1940) is also a real dandy. One I like that is admittedly a bit more on the hokey side is “Ambush” (1939), yet I still found it to be good fun. It paired Lloyd Nolan with another singer (who doesn’t sing in it), opera star Gladys Swarthout, of all people.
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Bert, you always manage to come up with some almost forgotten hidden gems. These movies are the type I still like after all these years of movie viewing.
I don’t recall ever viewing any of these movies. They didn’t air these particular ones on tv in my neck of the woods when I was a youngster and afterwards. In a search, I’ve located online showings of all except AMBUSH(1939). I especially look forward to viewing QUEEN OF THE MOB(1940). This movie reads like a story based loosely on the Ma Barker outlaw gang of the 1930’s. Also, what a cast it has.
Thanks for the heads-up.
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Walter,
PERSONS IN HIDING like most of the other Paramount B’s mentioned
I have only seen via “off air” copies on the collectors market.
In those wonderful pre Covid days of yore when my Lady Friend Ruth and
I used to have wonderful evenings with our friends Joe & Michele;
Joe used to screen movies on his living room wall. Joe’s a film collector
but I did persuade him to show PERSONS IN HIDING from my DVD/r
and it went down very well.
Heaven knows I miss those evenings but hopefully with the dreaded virus
in retreat we may all be able to carry on where we left off.
All of those Paramount B’s are owned by Universal and I’m sure there is a
market for them especially if they were better known.
A good starter set would be the four Edgar G Hoover films PERSONS
IN HIDING,UNDERCOVER DOCTOR,QUEEN OF THE MOB and
PAROLE FIXER the latter title being a total knockout.
In PAROLE FIXER Anthony Quinn plays a thug who gets a pot of
scolding hot coffee thrown in his face in a scene that pre dates THE
BIG HEAT.
Bert,
Wonderful to see you joining in the fun at the H8 and I agree Florey
was a more stylish director than King but to give him his due the pacing
in King’s B Programmers is hard to fault,an ideal B Movie director
and some of his later bigger budget films are very good as well:
FRENCHIE,POWDER RIVER,DANGEROUS MISSION,THE LION AND
THE HORSE and so on.
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Returning to the topic in question I’m somewhat amazed that
BONNIE AND CLYDE has not been given the Criterion treatment-the film
certainly deserves a “Special Edition” unless I’m missing something.
Furthermore I would venture that LITTLE BIG MAN also is worthy of
the Criterion treatment.
I must say LITTLE BIG MAN in high definition is really a sight to behold.
As mentioned before the widescreen compositions are staggering.
Penn certainly was capable of making an all time classic Western,
‘though LITTLE BIG MAN is too quirky and offbeat to qualify.
The best way to view the film is through the eyes of an 120 year old
man,he is economical with the truth certainly regarding the historical
characters he claims to have met and also there’s the question of his
sexual prowess not so much in the bedroom,more to the point in the tee pee
There’s much to enjoy in the performances especially Jeff Corey’s
Wild Bill Hickock the best on the big screen in my opinion Coop,
Richard Dix and Forrest Tucker,nonewithstanding.
Buffalo Bill is glimpsed too but that’s all we get.
The production values on this film are very high indeed.
In many ways LITTLE BIG MAN is the antithesis of a John Ford film,
the scene where the Cavalry ride to massacre the Indian village is
accompanied by music that resembles a jaunty Celtic vibe.
Interestingly , Chinese actress Amy Eccles who plays Hoffman’s Native
American wife also played Burt Lancaster’s wife in ULZANA’S RAID
although most of her role in that movie seems to have ended up on the
cutting room floor.
Last but not least there’s Chief Dan George, his many scenes with Hoffman
are pure magic. A very mixed bag as I’ve stated before but a film I like
very much and like to return to often.
John Hammond’s Delta Blues score should not work,but somehow it does.
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