A crime-laden gallery.  As an homage to classic crime films and the legends who portrayed the criminals, following is a historical pictorial from the earliest days of the crime genre on film through the 1940s.  These depict the faces of crime through time.  Some are obscure, some are familiar, but I hope all are enjoyable.

The 1910s

D. W. Griffith’s, The Musketeers of Pig Alley, 1912 (Watch it here)

“One good turn deserves another.”

Considered the first, real gangster film that tells the story of organized crime in the Western world.

Elmer Booth as gang leader, Snapper Kid

Lillian Gish as a young wife in the slums of Pig Alley

Raoul Walsh’s, Regeneration, 1915 (Watch images here)

From lawlessness in New York’s lower East Side, a boy grows up to be a professional gangster.

Rockcliffe Fellowes as Owen, the protagonsit as full-fledged gangster

The 1920s

Wallace Worsley’s, The Penalty, 1920 (Watch it here)

“Some excellent judges think that I resemble Satan.”

Lon Chaney as criminal mastermind, Blizzard

Fritz Lang’s, Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler, 1922 (Access a clip here)

Arch-criminal Dr. Mabuse sets out to make a fortune and run Berlin. (IMDB)

“There is no such thing as love, only passion! No luck, only the will to gain power!”

Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse

Karl Grune’s, The Street, 1923 (Watch it here)

Die Straße

A wrongly accused man is lured into crime.  Only images in this one, no title cards in an influential film.

Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Pleasure Garden, 1925 (Access a clip here)

An early femme fatale and…murder!  Who cares who the criminal is in a Hitchcock film – what matters is the murder weapon.  And legs…he loved to shoot them.

Josef von Sternberg’s, Underworld, 1927 (Access a clip here)

“How long since you had the body washed and polished?”

George Bancroft as Bull Weed

Lewis Milestone’s, The Racket, 1928 (Access a clip here)

Bootlegging and corrupt officials – “Take a tip, Mac… change your racket.”

Louis Wolheim aims at Thomas Meighan

Roland West’s, Alibi, 1929 (Access a clip here)

Academy Award-nominated crime melodrama.

ME? Chester Morris as Chick Williams explains he has an alibi

As key to setting the stage as those earlier crime films are, the Hollywood crime/gangster films earned their place in the history of film during the 1930s and 1940s.  At the time the streets of Chicago and New York were replete with violent crime and criminals.  It stands to reason that Hollywood would sensationalize these for profit.  And I say, thank goodness, as these films remain entertaining and very popular.

The 1930s

George W. Hill’s, The Big House, 1930

“Timely! Tremendous! Thrilling! Drama of Love and a Jail-Break!”

Wallace Beery as Machine Gun Butch

Jack Conway’s, The Unholy Three, 1930

Remake of 1925 Todd Browning Silent film and Lon Chaney’s last film and only “talkie.”

Lon Chaney as Professor Echo, Harry Earles as Tweddledee and Ivan Linow as Hercules

Alfred E. Green’s, Smart Money, 1931

The familiar, pre-code, unscrupulous gangsters.

Girl: Who’ll give me a half a dollar for my hand?
Nick ‘The Barber’ Venizelos: Uh, I wouldn’t give you a nickel for your whole body.

Sleepy Sam, Nick the barber and Jack

Howard Hawks’, Scarface, 1932

An unforgettable film starring an unforgettable portrayal by an unforgettable actor.  Paul Muni stars as Tony ‘Scarface’ Camonte.

Paul Muni is the notorious, Scarface

Whether by neon sign or shadows, the film features an “X” motif throughout. This is one caused by shadows of an “Undertakers” sign

Roy Del Ruth’s, Lady Killer, 1933

“Is Hollywood howling ! at this inside story of The Screen Idol Who Threw -?- -?- -?- Out Of His -?- -?- -?- On Her -?- !”

James Cagney at his charming best

Josef von Sternberg’s, Crime and Punishment, 1935

The code is in effect now, the criminal is haunted by his crime.

“I am Sonya! You don’t know who or what I am… the police know! They know I’m in love with a murderer! But a woman like me might still save a man’s soul!”

Peter Lorre is Roderick Raskolnikov

Archie Mayo’s, The Petrified Forest, 1936

Alan Squier: What’s your story, Duke? What’s your life been like?
Duke Mantee: You know the story. Most of my life in jail; the rest of it dead! 

Humphrey Bogart as bank robber, Duke Mantee aims at Leslie Howard and Bette Davis

William Wyler’s, Dead End, 1937

“THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN!” (1944 reissue print ad tagline)

Humphrey Bogart is ‘Baby Face’ Martin

Michael Curtiz’, Angels with Dirty Faces, 1938

There’s no doubt that crime doesn’t pay in this one – the gangster as a lesson to youth.

“The saga of America’s dirty faced kids… And the breaks that life won’t give them!”

James Cagney as Rocky Sullivan

Raoul Walsh’s, The Roaring Twenties, 1939

Considered by some as the last, great gangster film before film noir took over the crime genre in film in the early 1940s.

“The land of the free gone wild! The heyday of the hotcha! The shock-crammed days G-men took ten whole years to lick!”

Frank McHugh, James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart as rival gangsters

The 1940s…

Raoul Walsh’s, High Sierra, 1941

“The Blazing Mountain Manhunt for Killer ‘Mad-Dog’ Earle!”

Humphrey Bogart’s first starring role.  And that “mountain manhunt” is a standout for me as it is quite the magnificent ending for a criminal, a greatly sympathetic one.  While the code’s directive remained “crime doesn’t pay,” we really feel for this criminal.

Aging criminal, Bogart as Roy ‘Mad Dog’ Earl and Ida Lupino as Marie, the woman who loves him

John Huston’s, The Maltese Falcon, 1941

“A guy without a conscience! A dame without a heart!”

Then noir reached its peak and the criminals and thugs could lurk in shadows or wear fabulous clothes.  But so did the heroes as the lines between good and evil blurred.  Strong women drove the action, hit men and dirty cops ruled the underworld and heroes always had dark pasts.

Frank Tuttle’s, This Gun for Hire, 1942

“Lover without a heart…killer without a conscience!” (very similar tagline to the one I chose for The Maltese Falcon)

Alan Ladd as hired gun, Philip Raven and dame, Veronica Lake

Billy Wilder’s, Double Indemnity, 1944

“It’s Love And Murder At First Sight !”

The ultimate femme fatale and an almost perfect crime.

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray as a very dangerous duo

Michael Curtiz’, Mildred Pierce, 1945

“Please don’t tell anyone what Mildred Pierce did!”

A killer with attitude and shoulder pads but it’s hard to argue with a mother’s love.

Joan Crawford is Mildred Pierce

Edgar G. Ulmer’s, Detour, 1945

“He went searching for love… but Fate forced a DETOUR to Revelry… Violence… Mystery!”

Ann Savage as Vera, the dame

Robert Siodmak’s, The Killers, 1946

“One Moment with Her…And He Gambled His LUCK…LOVE…and His LIFE!”

Burt Lancaster’s screen debut is a great one.

Typical hit men, William Conrad and Charles McGraw.

Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins and Burt Lancaster as ‘The Swede’

Charles Vidor’s, Gilda, 1946

“I was true to one man once… and look what happened!”

If it’s Rita Hayworth as Gilda, even hardened criminals like Ballin Mundson (George Macready) show their softer side.

Jacques Tournuer’s, Out of the Past, 1947

“A guy without a fortune! A girl with too much past!”

The murdering, double-crossing gangster and the murdering, double-crossing dame. Kirk Douglas and Jane Greer

Robert Wise’s, Born to Kill, 1947

“The coldest killer a woman ever loved”

Perfectly matched amoral, ruthless Claire Trevor and Lawrence Tierney

John Cromwell’s, Dead Reckoning, 1947

“He Doesn’t Trust Anyone . . . especially Women!”

Lizabeth Scott as ‘Dusty’ Chandler, a femme fatale name and pose

Abraham Polonsky’s, Force of Evil, 1948

Joe Morse: The money has no moral opinions.

A memorable, corrupt John Garfield as Joe Morse

Roy Del Ruth’s, Red Light, 1949

“I’m giving you a job to do, baby…Don’t ask questions and you won’t get hurt!”

Raymond Burr is out for revenge and Harry Morgan is the hired killer

Raoul Walsh’s, White Heat, 1949

“Searing the screen like the death-blast of a sub-machine gun ! ! !”

The decade ends with the familiar – the quintessential gangster.

Cagney as Cody Jarrett and other mugs

These are just a few of the memorable faces of crime, those lowlives that have given us so much pleasure.  Many more successful and quality crime films were produced in the 1950s and beyond.  In truth the genre’s popularity has never waned as our curiosity and appetite for the seedier side of life remains constant.  But capturing the legendary and historical appeal of the films of the 1930s and 1940s has been virtually impossible since the end of that era.  We haven’t things like prohibition to exploit and organized crime rarely makes headlines these days.  Perhaps that’s why we so love to revisit with the films and actors who are firmly rooted in the history of the crime film, many of the faces shown above.  These are the legends and this post is for them – the thugs, the mugs and the dames.

____________________________________________

This is one of my entries to the Scenes of the Crime blogathon hosted by Furious Cinema, Criminal Movies, and Seetimaar – Diary of a Movie Lover.  It’s a guarantee you will find enjoyment even if in the underbelly of society within the many more entries about Scenes of the Crime so go to one of the host sites and take a look around.  Plenty more stories of thugs, mugs and dames.