The Kansas City Massacre

I have not seen this production, but I have recently finished a book which details the events surrounding the "massacre", which took place at Kansas City's Union Station railroad depot. The book is called "The Union Station Massacre" by UMKC journalism professor Robert Unger. The book is a fascinating read of how the FBI, which prior to this incident was an unarmed and ineffective detective bureau, transformed into a nation-wide powerhouse of crime fighting. Any history buffs who want to learn more about the events would be well-served by this volume. It isn't generally available in many public libraries, but academic collections will probably have it, and it is usually available by loan.

I was stayed at the old 'fleabag' hotel in the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles when scenes for KANSAS CITY MASSACRE were being shot. I asked Dale Robertson where he was from because we have the same last name. Mr. Robertson said he was born at a Seminole reservation in Oklahoma.

I watched the dramatic gunfight on the roof of the hotel and I was impressed with the talent of actor Matt Clark. He eventually became the star of a sitcom. Matt Clark was also the bar tender in one of the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. I always recognize Matt Clark as a guest star.

Entertaining gangster movie for those who strictly want entertainment. Accuracy and believability is another matter. I doubt seriously that Melvin Purvis was on such a personal friendly basis with Pretty Boy Floyd as depicted in this film. I realize this was a TV movie and probably didn't have all the clout and money backing as a major film might have had, but the major players were good in their roles and all in all would hold the interest of the audience. I noted that an old radio show, The Shadow, was featured as the background of one of the hideout scenes. This was a boo boo on somebody's part because this was supposed to be in 1933 and the Shadow made it's debut in 1940. Sorry guys!

There was apparently a little accuracy in this complex story, but despite the presence of real-life gangsters such as "Pretty Boy" Floyd and Verne Greene and "Baby Face" Nelson, and real-life federal agent Melvin Purvis, and despite real-life vintage autos, and despite a lot of action and LOTS of flying bullets ... well, "accuracy" took more of a hit than did Frank "Jelly" Nash.

It's kinda fun to look up the characters named in this TV movie and see how many really were part of the crime-ridden era of the early 1930s.

Many a name has been changed, including that of the wife of Floyd, and the Kansas City police commissioner.

So watch for fun, for the always real pleasure of seeing Dale Robertson, for the chance to criticize the haircuts of the actors, and a serious chance to admire acting from some of the very best actors Hollywood ever provided, including Harris Yulin, the only one I ever met, and Lynn Loring, Morgan Paull, and the great Scott Brady.

And watch for a cameo by real-life former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox as "Governor Patrick Burns," although the real governor at that time was "Alfalfa Bill" Murray. I don't know why a real-life politician is not identified.

I do recommend this very well-made movie -- well, except the bad guys sure were better shots than the cops and agents -- but I hope you get a better print than the one I saw at YouTube.

Correction on the Shadow being an incorrect inclusion to the episode.

According to my research the following should be noted to the person from France:

The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street & Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.[3] After gaining popularity among the show's listeners, the narrator became the star of The Shadow Magazine on April 1, 1931; a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Gibson.

It then went on to fame and fortune in serials, movies, etc. for years to come. And it also included a stint by Orson Welles as "The Shadow". Many of his episodes are available on cassettes, records and CD's from many sources.