Four Boys and a Gun (1957) - James Franciscus' screen debut appearance

Four "boys," Ollie Denker (Frank Sutton), Eddie Richards (Tarry Green), Johnny Doyle (James Franciscus) and Stanley Badek (William Hinnant, as Bill Hinant) walk into an arena where amateur boxing matches are being held. They carry out a robbery of the box office, using a gun, and in the process a police officer is murdered. It is not revealed who actually did the shooting. They take the money and each goes his separate way.
It doesn't take long for the police to figure out who carried out the robbery, and they all end up in the police station being questioned about the robbery. The District Attorney (Otto Hulett) goes to each one and gets their story.
Ollie is a runner for a bookie who has skimmed $300 from his boss and in trouble for not being able to pay it back. He is beaten up once, and faces more unless he can come up with the money.
Johnny is married and his wife, Elizabeth Doyle (Patricia Bosworth) is expecting a baby. He also makes his living as an amateur fighter. However, Johnny loses that opportunity.
Stanley is a disappointment to his father, Mr. Badek (Karl Swenson) and only a follower. He is short, small and always picked on. Eddie lost his job as a truck driver after he hit his boss when he found out that his boss stole his girlfriend, the delivery company's secretary.
While at the district attorney's office, the DA reveals to them that the four face the death penalty for the murder of the police officer. He tells them that if the one who actually did the shooting steps forward, the other three could get off with a lesser charge and shorter prison sentence. Flashbacks reveal the days that lead up to the robbery and the reasons why each went through with it.
Left on their own, the four argue as to who should take responsibility, but finally agree to roll dice and the "winner" would take the rap, letting the other three live. Eddie ends up the one who must claim to have pulled the trigger. But in the end, they all decide to take the rap together, even if it means they all must die in the electric chair.
A 1957 American film- noir crime film produced & directed by William Berke, screenplay by Leo Townsend and Philip Yordan, based on Willard Wiener's "Four Boys and a Gun" (1944), cinematography by J. Burgi Contner, starring Frank Sutton, Tarry Green, William Hinnant, Otto Hulett, Robert Dryden, J. Pat O'Malley, Diana Herbert, Patricia Sloan, Patricia Bosworth, David Burns and Anne Seymour. Screen debut appearances of James Franciscus and Patricia Bosworth. Released by United Artists.
Two brothers appear in this film, Frank Campanella and Joseph Campanella. Frank plays the detective who investigates the murder of the police officer played by Joseph. Roy Campanella was unavailable for the film, as he was catching for the Dodgers.
Frank Sutton will forever be remembered as the sergeant in the Gomer Pyle TV series,
In the short film "Broadway by Light" (1958) this title is shown on movie theater marquee.
Producer-director William Berke had been making TV shows for four years. Then he returned to the big screen in 1957, directed six pictures, and died early in 1958. Berke started directing B westerns in 1935, usually on a 12-day shooting schedule. Berke wrote, directed, and/or produced a couple hundred films over a three-decade career. Berke broke into motion pictures in 1922 as a writer for silent westerns. For these assignments, he used the pseudonym William Lester. In the early 1930s, he formed a partnership with independent producer Bernard B. Ray to make feature films at Ray's Reliable Pictures studio, next door to Columbia Pictures. Berke, now using his own name for screen credits, was equally capable in making comedies, mysteries, action adventures, and westerns. In 1942, he joined Columbia, initially directing that studio's westerns with Charles Starrett and Russell Hayden, and then branching into more mainstream fare. In 1944, he moved to RKO Radio Pictures, handling a variety of movies, including detective fiction (Dick Tracy, The Falcon), musical comedies, and Zane Grey westerns.
This film is based on a 1944 pulp fiction novel by Willard Wiener which was inspired by the real-life story of the so-called "Babies of Sing Sing." In January 1935, four young men (none older than 21) robbed a NYC luggage store. During the robbery, police officers arrived. One of the gang opened fire and killed a cop. All four, Thomas Gilbride, Amerigo Angelini, Ray Orley (the shooter), would be executed in Sing Sing's electric chair on were executed on January 9, 1936 for the murder of NYPD Patrolman James Killion. Trial, conviction, appeals, and execution all took place within one year's time.
Soundtrack music:
"I'll Never Get Mad Again" - Performed by Stanley Rubin and His Tigertown Five
This cautionary tale of a crime gone bad and its aftermath is a 1950's scared straight crime movie. Similar to the Mickey Rooney vehicle "Quicksand" (1950), this movie shows the slippery slope of young crime.

[@HDLifter]

Great movie! ❤

[@miketemple7686]

WOW! This movie wasn’t half bad! You’d think with such a cheesy title that it would be a cheesy movie 🎥 but it’s not. Well acted on a low budget, great plot. 👍

[@ChrisCarlin-is8wv]

This came out two years after the film “Marty” in which Frank Sutton had an uncredited role as Ralph.

[@randyacuna5643]

Also a very young Frank Sutton, who became a TV star as Sgt Carter from Gomer Pyle.

[@stashyboy1]

I can just see him chewing out Pyle with that same jarhead haircut!!😂

[@None-zc5vg]

Bill Hinan(n)t, with the glasses, drowned while on vacation in the Dominican Republic in February, 1978: he was 43.

[@tombaker4586]

Mr Donald P Borchers, i didn't know this movie...Fransiscus died way too young. Tom, Brussels.

[@None-zc5vg]

He smoked himself to death, it seems.

[@benjaminperez1149]

I recognized Joseph immediately. Of course Franciscus was Longstreet also.

[@patricktilton5377]

I wonder if the novelist was ever made fun of? "Hey, it's Willie Wiener! I heard he's a dick!" 😆