title: Gangsters and G-Men on Screen: Crime Cinema Then and Now
author:  Gene D. Phillips 
description: <span><span>Heres a broad-ranging survey of movies about gangsters and government agents (G-men), starting with the first, D. W. Griffiths The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912), and ending with recent offerings like Public Enemies and Gangster Squad. There are, of course, many well-known movies hereLittle Caesar, the original Scarface, Bonnie and Clyde, The Untouchables, The Godfatherbut the author also introduces us to a lot of films and facts that are likely to be unfamiliar. For example, did you know that the first true 'talkie' wasnt 1927s The Jazz Singer, which only had one scene with audible dialogue, but rather Lights of New York, a 1928 gangster movie? Did you know that one of the most controversial gangster pics of the late 1940s bore the sweetly delicate title of No Orchids for Miss Blandish? Whether youre a longtime fan of gangster films or relatively new to the genre, this comprehensive and very enjoyable book has something for you.</span></span> (<i>Booklist</i>)<br /><br /><span><span>Phillips analyzes 24 gangster films from the silent era to </span><span style="font-style:italic;">Gangster Squad </span><span>(2013), showing how and why the style of these films changed. He focuses on the development of the films from their first conception or source to the ultimate film, and he details the early struggles in bringing some crime films to the public due to opposition from film industry censors and regional censors. In addition, he notes changes in the scripts and comments on directors, producers, and actors. He also looks at the critical reception given to the films. Phillips's revealing observations about films and actors were in part gathered from interviews with famous directorse.g., John Huston, Martin Scorsese, and Fritz Lang, to cite just three. . . .Phillipss prose is readable, and the scholarly apparatus is ample. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates, general readers.</span></span> (<i>CHOICE</i>)<br /><br /><span><span style="font-style:italic;">Gangsters and G-Men on Screen</span><span> is a brief anthology of some of the major gangster movies, together with a short plot synopsis and...extra information on production, original story, shooting location and directors. . . .For newcomers to the genre...it is a good introduction.</span></span> (<i>Popcultureshelf.com</i>)
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  Gangsters and G-Men on Screen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Gangsters and G-Men on Screen
  
  
  Crime Cinema Then and Now
  
  
  Gene D. Phillips
  
  
  Rowman & Littlefield
  
  
  Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Published by Rowman & Littlefield
  
  
  4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
  
  
  [www.rowman.com](http://www.rowman.com)
  
  
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  Copyright © 2014 by Rowman & Littlefield
  
  
  All photos from the author’s collection
  
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
  any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and
  retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a
  reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
  
  
  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
  
  
  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
  
  
  Phillips, Gene D.
  
  
  Gangsters and G-men on screen : crime cinema then and now / Gene D. Phillips.
  
  
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