Gang War (20th Century Fox) (1958)

SYNOPSIS (Not for Publication) Alan Avery (Charles Bronson) a Los Angeles high scho ol teacher witnesses a gangland killing in a Hollywood parking let and through an anonymous phone call gives the police the killers’ license number. Sergeant Tucker (George Eldredge) pursuades Alan to identify and testify against the killers. A police captain (Arthur Gilmore), in the pay of the gang lord, Maxie Matthews (John Doucette) tips the newspapers about Alan and when he identifies the killers, his picture appears in the morning papers. Maxie gets his lawyer, Bryce Barker (Kent Taylor) to try to buy off Alan and sends his personal bodyguard (Larry Gelbmann) to “persuade” Alan’s wife (Gloria Henry) to get her husband to cooperate. The burly ex-pug is too rough and the pregnant wife dies from the brutal beating. Fired by revenge, Alan stalks Maxie and tries to kill him as he is dining with his girl Marie, (Jennifer Holden) at his palatial estate. Sgt. Tucker arrives in time to stop Alan. Then Maxie, with the cooperation of his mouthpiece, has another of his gang roughed up and coached to testify that he is the murder victim. The ruse works and the two killers are released. Two members of a national crime “syndicate” slip into town to remove Maxie as kingpin of local rackets. Unaware of the syndicate’s move, Maxie imports gunmen to rub out Alan. Lawyer Barker quits Maxie when he learns of the scheme and is also marked as a victim. Alan escapes Maxie’s killers but Barker is trapped at a bar and is shot. After the killers leave, Barker manages to drive home in his car. Alan meets the dying Barker at his home and forces the attorney to give him a gun. While Alan is racing to Maxie’s house, the gangster refuses to yield to the syndicate’s ultimatum and strangles Marie when she threatens to desert him. Arriving at Maxie’s estate, Alan finds the dead girl on the stairs and rushes in to find Maxie an incorherent madman, Alan leaves the house, confident Maxie is beyond punishment for his crimes. MOUTHPIECE — Kent Taylor has the role of the gang lord’s lawyer in “Gang War,” a Regalscope picture about crime in a big city coming on ........ to the Theatre. Co-starring with him are Charles Bronson, Jennifer Holden and John Doucette. “Gang War” is a Twentieth Century-Fox release. Mat 1B CAST Alan Avery .. Charles Bronsoa Bryce Barker .... Kent Taylor Marie Jennifer Holden Maxie Maithews John Doucette Edie Avery ..... Gloria Henry Marsha Brown ... Gloria Grey Sam Johnson .. Barney Phillips Axe Duncan .... Ralpha Manza Set. Ernie Tucker George Eldredge Mr. Tomkins Billy Snyder Joe Reno Jack Reynolds Bob Cross Dan Simmons Little Abner..Larry Gelbmann eee ee Cat greet sy ts JONNNY. oe ee Jack Littlefield Henchman #1 ..... Ed Wright Nickie eee, Shirle Haven Capt. Finch. .Arthur D. Gilmore Mike Scipio .... Don Giovanni Police Sergeant ... Jack Finch Hood #1 Stephen Masino Millie Stacey Marshall Diane Barker ....... Lyn Guild Slick Connors .... Lenny Geer Street: Girl ©...655.. Helen Jay Marion Sherman Whit Bissell Production Credits Producer Harold E. Knox Director . Gene Fowler, Jr. Screenplay by ... Louis Vittes From the Novel “The Hoods Take Over” By Ovid Demaris Music composed and conducted b Paul Dunlap Director of Photography John M. Nickolaus, Jr. Assistant Director Frank Parmenter Supervising Editor Frank Baldridge, A.C.E. Art Director. .John Mansbridge Script Supervisor. .Mary Gibson Set Decorations Walter M. Scott Bertram Granger Sound Eugene Irvine Music Editor ... George Brand Property Master. .Fred Simpson Wardrope.. 3... James Taylor Makeup <7... Jack Obringer Hairs Stylist aa:a. % Ann Kirk Transportation .. Joe Padovich Kent Taylor Feature Kent Taylor, for over 26 years one of Hollywood’s more handsome and talented stars, has a key role as the mouthpiece of a gang leader in Regal Films’ “Gang War” now playing at the aera Theatre. The Twentieth Century-Fox release also stars Charles Bronson, Jennifer Holden and John Doucette. Typed as a leading man, Taylor actually prefers to play character roles because they give him a better chance to be versatile with his dramatic capabilities. One of his favorite roles was as the outlaw Bob Dalton in the western, “The Daltons Ride Again.” The actor is well known to television viewers as the star of the “Boston Blackie” series and for roles on many network dramatic shows. A Regal Films, Inc. Production Exhibitor's Campaign Sheet Released by 20th Century-Fox QUIET MOMENT—In this scene from Regalscope’s “Gang War,” the next attraction at the ore et ee lene Theatre, John Doucette, a gang leader, and Jennifer Holden, his girl, have a quiet interlude before the shooting starts. Charles Bronson and Kent Taylor also have co-starring roles in this exciting picture about gangsters and organized crime. Mat 2A ~ John Doucette—Gang Leader John Doucette, one of Hollywood’s top character actors, who plays a ruthless gang leader in “Gang War,” a Regalscope picture soon to be seen at the started out to be a song-anddance man but his rugged physique soon changed the pattern of his career. Today, whenever a director is looking for a villain he is at the top of the list. For Director Gene Fowler, Jr., who had delayed the start of “Gang War” for two weeks while he sought the right actor for the picture’s important role, Doucette saved the day. He learned 18 pages of script in 10 hours for the first day’s filming and sent the picture off to a flying start. Doucette co-stars with Charles Bronson, Kent Taylor and Jennifer Holden in ‘Gang War,” which is his sixth picture this year. Already he has appeared in such outstanding pictures as “The Lawless Eighties,” ‘The Crooked Circle” and the forthcoming “Too Much Too Soon.” Although he usually plays the heavy, Doucette is a very unvillainous man off the screen. He and his wife, Catherine, a cooperative day nursery which they started with twenty other actors. All the parents, including Doucette give much of their time to the nursery. The Doucettes have four girls and a boy, ranging from two to nine years old. Doucette’s dramatic background is a solid one. He won a three-year fellowship to the Pasadena Playhouse after his performance in a Hollywood stage production of “Heaven Can Wait” and while there, appeared in 42 plays in two and a half years. An agent saw him in the Lionel Barrymore role of Theatre, “The Jest,” signed him and within 24 hours he was cast in his firgi motion picture, “Stations West” with Dick Powell. Since then he has appeared in many movies and more than 150 television shows. Charles Bronson Story Charles Bronson, who has the leading role in “Gang War,” a timely film about underworld crime coming soon to the Theatre, is the exception that proves the rule that an actor must have a John Barrymore profile to become a star. His deeply etched face and rugged stature is certainly not that of a matinee idol but he makes up for what he lacks in looks by his superb acting ability. There’s nothing phony about Bronson’s rough and ready looks. Of Lithuanian extraction, he was born in the coal-mining community of Johnstown, Pa. At 15, Bronson was working in the mines on the late night shift after school to help his father support the family of eight boys and six girls. When he left mining to enlist in the Air Force, he had halfinch callouses on his hands and an extraordinarily rugged physique. During his enlistment he served as a tail gunner in a B-29 outfit. Bronson said _ it wasn’t until then that he realized there was another way of life besides hard, hard labor, sweat and drudgery. After he was discharged from eoeees “GANG WAR” (Advance) “Gang War,” a Regalscope picture starring Charles Bronson, Kent Taylor, Jennifer Holden and John Dou cette, which opens on A Pert Blonde Jennifer Holden, a pert young blonde who plays the role of an underworld king’s girl in “Gang War,” a Regalscope picture opening on ........ at the Theatre, believes in the direct approach. She became a screen actress in one of the most forthright methods on record. When she arrived in Hollywood, she calmly presented herself at the door of agent Al Melnick’s office and announced she would like to be given a screen test. Melnick took one look at the willowy, five-foot-six-inch beauty and called the MGM studio. Her test netted her the movie queen role in “Jailhouse Rock,” which starred Elvis Presley. “Gang War” is Miss Holden’s second picture and following it, she has been signed to co-star with Randolph Scott in Columbia’s “The Name’s Buchanan.” At 22, Jennifer’s career is well launched just because she refused to wait to be discovered. When she was 15 Jennifer played the Palace Theatre in New York in a song and dance single which started her on her way. She was born in Chicago and graduated from high school in Evanston, Illinois. Her father, William Featherstone, a Chicago distiller, and her mother still live in the Windy City where they have a stable of Arabian horses. Jennifer is an accomplished equestrienne and some day hopes to have a stable of her own. In “Gang War,” which is being released by Twentieth Century-Fox, Miss Holden shares starring honors with Charles Bronson, Kent Taylor and John Doucette. the Air Force, Bronson studied art for a year, showing great promise, but was undecided on a career. He worked as a lifeguard, in a bakery and many other odd jobs. Then came the turning point in his life —he joined a theatre group, played summer stock, then hit TV. Bronson appeared in “The Millionaire,” “Have Gun — Will Travel,” “DuPont Cavalcade Theatre,” “Studio 57,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “G.E. Theatre” and “Gunsmoke.” His film credits include “You’re in the Navy Now,” “House of Wax,” “Jubal,” “Miss Sadie Thompson,” and ‘Showdown at Boot Hill.” In “Gang War,” a Twentieth Century-Fox release, Bronson plays the role of a teacher who witnesses a gang killing and courageously decides to appear in court against the killers. GANG WAR FORUMS With professional crime again rampant in the country and teen-age gangs causing trouble in many cities, GANG WAR is a provocative title. Arrange for Radio and TV forums to discuss the problems confronting civic officials and school authorities because of gang wars; the fear they cause among such high school teachers as the one portrayed by Charles Bronson in the Regalscope picture, “Gang War.” The panels can be made up of judges, police inspectors, school principals and heads of civic organizations. CLASSIFIED ADS On the classified pages of your newspaper use teaser type ads such as: "Attention high school teachers! See how a courageous teacher fights the gangsters in ‘Gang War' at the .............. Theatre on u EXPLOITATION © STREET STENCILS Cover the sidewalks of the main streets of your city with red stencils of the two words, GANG WAR. The more widely this title can be displayed throughout the city, the more interest will be generated for this exciting story of what happens when the mob takes over. LOBBY DISPLAYS Borrow from your local newspaper news photos showing spectacular gangland events such as the notorious Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago and Murder, Inc. scenes. Use them to make a display for your lobby to herald the coming of GANG WAR. Newspaper morgues are full of pictures of this type that will make an eye-catching display and create interest in this thrilling Regalscope picture. eee atthe... . . Theatre, throws a dramatic spotlight’on the recurrence of gangster crimes in the country today. In these days of “bopping” (combat), gang's of delinquent youths, and the increase in high crime in professional gangland, the story has particular timeliness. Taken from Ovid Demaris’ novel, “The Hoods Take Over,” “Gang War” tells the story of a young high school teacher, who witnesses a gang murder and becomes involved with crooked police officials and a tough gang leader. His decision to testify against the gang leads to the murder of his wife and an explosive action of revenge. Gene Fowler, Jr., the director of “Gang War,’ has brought much of his knowledge on the workings of organized mobsters to the story. Young Bronson, who will be remembered best for his TV appearances in such programs as “The Millionaire,” “Gunsmoke” and “Studio 57” and his previous screen roles in “Drumbeat,” “Jubal,” and “Miss Sadie Thompson,” has the role of the high school teacher. Veteran actor Kent Taylor plays the part of the gang’s mouthpiece and John Doucette is the gang leader, who tries for respectability at the same time he orders his henchmen to violence. Jennifer Holden’s blonde beauty fits into the role of the gangster’s girl. Exterior scenes were filmed in the swank Beverly Hills section of Hollywood and show many of the palatial homes of the movie stars in that area. Harold E. Knox acted as producer for “Gang War” and the large supporting cast is headed by Gloria Henry, Gloriad Grey and Barney Phillips. (Short Advance) Mob vengeance, murder and ruthless violence explode across Starring in the authentic story of gangland’s attempt to control a city are Charles Bronson, Kent Taylor, Jennifer Holden and John Doucette. EYE WITNESS—Charles Bron son, who co-stars with Kent Taylor, Jennifer Holden and John Doucette, is the key witness to gangland murder in “Gang War,” a Regalscope picture opening on at the scotia Theatre. In the role of a high school teacher he has a tragic experience with big city mobsters. Mat 1A a ee, ee oe ie Lit Copyright © MCMLVIII Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (OVER)