The Purple Gang

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The story of the infamous Purple Gang, a ring of bootleggers, hijackers and killers in 1920s' Detroit.The story of the infamous Purple Gang, a ring of bootleggers, hijackers and killers in 1920s' Detroit.The story of the infamous Purple Gang, a ring of bootleggers, hijackers and killers in 1920s' Detroit.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

391

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos13

+ 5

Top cast44

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Barry Sullivan

Police Lt. William P. Harley

Robert Blake

William Joseph 'Honeyboy' Willard

Elaine Edwards

Gladys Harley

Marc Cavell

Henry Abel 'Hank' Smith

Jody Lawrance

Joan MacNamara

Suzanne Ridgway

Daisy
(as Suzy Marquette)

Joe Turkel

Eddie Olsen
(as Joseph Turkel)

Victor Creatore

Al Olsen

Paul Dubov

Thomas Allen 'Killer' Burke

Ray Boyle

Tom Olsen
(as Dirk London)

Kathleen Lockhart

Nestor Paiva

Laurence Orlofsky

Lou Krugman

Dr. Riordan

Robert Anderson

Police Commissioner

Mauritz Hugo

Licovetti

James Roosevelt

Self in Prologue
(as Congressman James Roosevelt)

Don Ames

Citizen
(uncredited)

Benjie Bancroft

Police Officer
(uncredited)

Director
- Frank McDonald
Writer
- Jack DeWitt
All cast & crew
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The real Purple Gang was made up of mostly Jewish members. The script of this film gave the members non-Jewish names. It was the dominate criminal organization in Detroit from about 1927 until 1932 when the gang self-destructed - with help from the Italian mob.

Quotes
William Joseph 'Honeyboy' Willard: [instructing some henchmen before setting up a deal] No liquor, no junk and no broads when I'm runnin' the show.

Crazy credits
[Prologue] This picture is based on information from official files which revealed the shocking story of the wave of juvenile delinquency which spawned Detroit's Purple Gang. Incredible as it may seem, this youthful rat-pack of terrorists dominated the city's underworld for more than a decade during the prohibition era.

User reviews15

Featured review

3/10

Allied Artists says it all...

Cheapo production. This is supposed to be the 1920s, but there is no attempt to use costumes or hair styles of that era. The men all wear 1950s hats. Robert Blake plays tough as the juvenile gang leader. Barry Sullivan walks through his part as the detective as though he wanted to be somewhere else. His wife,of course, wants him to quit. The gang looks like a Central Casting call for B-list juveniles. As clean and nice looking a bunch of hoodlums as can be imagined. If they could dance they would be ready for West Side Story. The sets are unadorned and look like they were assembled in somebody's garage. There is a lot of unconvincing gunplay and actors falling to the floor, but no blood.