bkoganbing Given the title Guns, Girls And Gangsters I was ready to trash even with what I thought was an interesting cast. But this independent film from United Artists turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be given budget constraints.Gerald Mohr is newly released from prison and he's got the germ of an idea for an armored car heist on the highway from Las Vegas to Los Angeles near the California/Nevada state line. It takes some split second timing and someone, namely him, who has to make a very accurate rifle shot.It also depends on Mamie Van Doren checking into and occupying a room at a motel with a gas station and auto repair shop within feet of the spot picked by Mohr. Mamie being Mamie has a lot of men interested in here, but they keep some distance because her husband Lee Van Cleef was Mohr's cellmate in the penitentiary is a most jealous type with a hair trigger. In fact the whole idea for the heist came from Van Cleef while he and Mohr were together in prison.As in these films things that you can't plan for usually are what upsets the apple cart. In this case a jealous Van Cleef busts out of the joint with only three months left on his sentence.Due to the nature of the plot Van Cleef only appears in the second half of the film. But when he comes on, he dominates. This is definitely one of his best early films.The whole cast is outstanding. Mamie Van Doren always gives us something to look forward to. But Lee Van Cleef just totally steals Guns, Girls, And Gangsters.Don't dismiss this one because of the exploitive title. This one is a real find.

calvinnme This film about an armored car heist has a script with more holes in it than Swiss cheese, but just forget all that and enjoy the action and fun.It's about that late 50's production code busting vibe, about gangsters who, like James Cagney's Cody Jarrett, now found themselves made obsolete by police with high tech methods, and about musical numbers that are inserted into the film that are half old-style production number half coffee-house beatnik stuff.Don't think too hard! Don't ask yourself why the best-of-the-bad gangsters (Gerald Mohr as Chuck Wheeler) in the film manages to win the heart of nightclub singer Vi Victor (Mamie Van Doren) when the first thing he does when they meet is slap her and paw her like she has no say in the matter or how he endears himself to her for only killing three people instead of five. Don't ask yourself why Vi bothers to put on a robe when she answers the door in the middle of the night when that robe is practically transparent and then she lets it "all hang out" by not closing the robe. Don't ponder why Vi's estranged convict husband (Lee Van Cleef as Mike Bennett) breaks out of prison just three months before his parole and then ruins a heist that was his idea in the first place by killing two of the three people involved in the heist the day before the job. By the way, Bennett would have been up for parole, not just automatically released. I can't believe that any parole board would have taken one look at that snarling animal and done anything but send him back to finish his sentence.Finally, don't ask yourself why when the heist finally comes off that the crooks just didn't leave the easily identified armored car in the garage in the first place and take off with the money in a "civilian" car or why when things went bad they went BACK to the garage where the armored car last reported its status - flat tire - where they had to know the cops were headed.The ending is a hoot with a voice over reminiscent of the old "Highway Patrol" series in which the film has to make a hero out of....the armored car??? ... with the announcer saying "it did what it was designed to do". A real hoot and highly recommended for the fun of it all.

richard-graham-604-587740 There is a scene in this movie that totally sums up the 1950s. Mamie Van Doren, bleached hair flowing in the wind, glamorous sunglasses glinting in the sun, drives a 1958 Edsel Citation Convertible, no doubt pink, that is pulling a horse trailer. It doesn't get any more 1950s than that!!!!Enjoy this movie for its 1950s clichés. All the good girls are brunettes, and the bad girls are blondes. Men in tight suits and skinny ties. Crappy Rock-n-Roll. Cops save the day. Bad people get punished. People talk tired Film-Noir-speak. Mamie Van Doren's Bullet Bra and wide hips encased in an iron girdle.Show this movie at your next 1950s party.

Michael_Elliott Guns, Girls and Gangsters (1959)** 1/2 (out of 4)Chuck Wheeler (Gerald Mohr) gets released from prison and decides to hold up an armor truck outside of Las Vegas. He gets involved with his cell mates former squeeze (Mamie Van Doren) but everything gets messed up when that guy (Lee Van Cleef) breaks out of prison and wants in on the action. The best thing about GUNS, GIRLS AND GANGSTERS is the rather catchy title and while nothing new is done for the crime genre, overall this here is a pretty fun "B" movie as long as you don't take it too serious or expect any sort of masterpiece. A lot of the film's entertainment value must be given to the cast who manage to fit their roles nicely and they help keep the film moving. I thought Mohr did a nice job in the role as the baddie as he had no problem being tough but you could also like him. It was fun seeing Van Cleef in a film long before he hit that image of the Sergio Leone films. He too manages to do a nice job in the role of the real villain without any redeeming factors. Mrs. Mamie Van Doren certainly is a looker and she manages to fit the role nicely but I will freely admit that her singing numbers were rather painful and should have been cut out all together. Director Edward L. Cahn manages to build up some nice drama at the end during the finale, which also includes some excellent gun fights and a rather violent conclusion. The narration that runs throughout the picture is certainly something very weak and just wait until you hear that closing line! I'm sure it was meant to be tough or raw yet it comes off hilariously bad. GUNS, GIRLS AND GANGSTERS should appeal to those who enjoy "B" pictures.