GANGSTER STORY

US, 1960, 67 minutes, Black and white.
Walter Matthau, Carol Grace, Bruce Mac Farlane.
Directed by Walter Matthau.

Gangster Story is a very small-budget short film about gangsters 1960s style. In fact, the film looks and sounds more like a B-budget film of the 1940s. Walter Matthau and his wife, Carol Grace, star in this film as a gangster and his girlfriend.

Walter Matthau exhibits all the characteristics of his performances over the coming forty years. He is a gangster, expert on robberies, who hides out on a farm owned by a shy librarian, played by Carol Grace. Meanwhile the regional gangster boss offers Matthau a job. He participates in a lot of robberies but then wants to pull out at the urging of the librarian. Needless to say, it all ends in a shoot-out between gangsters and the FBI.

1.The work of Walter Matthau? Actor, director?

2.The small budget, the limited locations? The camera style? Very ordinary? The work of Matthau as director?

3.Black and white photography, Californian locations, the towns and banks, offices? The countryside and farm?

4.Jack Martin, his escape, his handcuffs and getting free, the hotel, the set-up about making the movie and his able to rob the bank as a rehearsal for the movie with the police watching? His escape? The confrontation with Earl Dawson? His meeting Carol, the library, their discussions, going out? The relationship? The effect on him? Going to the farm and working? Earl Dawson and his men approaching him? His agreement to go with the group, the succession of bank robberies? Carol and her wanting him to get out? His going to Dawson, Dawson setting Adolph on him, Adolph giving the warning? His escape, the confrontation with Dawson, the shoot-out?

5.Carol, in the library, the attraction to Jack? The relationship? His working for her? Her seeing the ‘wanted’ notices? Her not doing anything about it? Her telling him the truth, wanting him to get out, with the car and on the way to Mexico? Hearing the news of his death and doing the u-turn?

6.Earl Dawson as the regional thug? His strongarm tactics? His henchmen? Adolph? His offering the job to Jack, their success? His smooth talk with Jack opting out? Setting Adolph on him? The henchmen, the confrontation with Jack, the shootings?

7.Adolph, his working for Dawson, his warning Jack?

8.The police, procedures, the FBI?

9.A typical small-budget American feature – a pre-television style film?