Bullets or Ballots is a 1936 American crime thriller 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 New York City detective.
Louise Beavers character based on Harlem numbers queen Stephanie St Clair.
Contents
Plot
Detective Johnny Blake 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 hires him in an attempt to gain fresh ideas about sidestepping the law and expanding his criminal empire. Masterminding the mob are three very powerful bankers, who are only known by the crime boss. Blake soon gains Kruger's trust and rises through the ranks of the criminal organization, much to the distaste of Bugs Fenner, who believes Blake to be a police informer.
To compensate for a reduction in the mob's revenue, Blake suggests to Kruger that they go into the numbers racket, currently run on a small scale by Blake's girlfriend, Lee Morgan. Kruger follows Blake's proposal, and the mob's money flow is so great that Kruger ignores the other rackets. In reality, Blake is cooperating with Captain Dan McLaren in order to find the leaders of the crime ring. With Blake's information, the police engage in a series of raids on the crime syndicate's operations. Fenner, unhappy with the focus of the rackets, kills Kruger in an attempt to take over as the head of the mob. But Blake has already been granted the title as boss by the leaders, and he takes over control, meeting up with the three bankers.
When Fenner's produce racket gets raided by the police and Blake is seen as the fingerman by a spotter, Fenner attempts to kill Blake, while he waits to deliver money to the bankers. During a gun battle, Fenner is killed and Blake is mortally wounded. He is able to arrive at the bank, leading McLaren to the bankers, who are subsequently arrested.
Cast
The cast of Bullets or Ballots is recorded in Bogey—The Films of Humphrey Bogart.
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 (credited as Joseph King)
Dick Purcell as Ed Driscoll (credited 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 (based on Stephanie St Clair, Harlem numbers queen)
Norman Willis as Louie Vinci
Uncredited
William Pawley as Crail
Ralph Remley as Kelly
Frank Faylen as Gatley - pinball racketeer
Production
Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart went on to make four more films together: Kid Galahad (1937) with Bette Davis and Harry Carey, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1938), Brother Orchid (1940) with Ralph Bellamy and Key Largo (1948) with Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor and Lionel Barrymore.
Reception
Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene described the film as "a good gangster film of the second class", and praising actor Robinson as having given "a reliable performance".
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.