The Moonshine War (1970)

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Elmore Leonard (novel)
Elmore Leonard (screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

1932: The Moonshine War. The 18th amendment prohibited drinking. It didn't say a word about killing, double-crossing or blowing things up.

Plot Keywords:

Prohibition | 1930s | Moonshine | Rapist | Dentist

Cast

Patrick McGoohan	...	Frank Long
Richard Widmark	...	Dr. Emmett Taulbee
Alan Alda	...	John W. (Son) Martin
Melodie Johnson	...	Lizann Simpson
Will Geer	...	Mr. Baylor
Joe Williams	...	Aaron
Susanne Zenor	...	Miley Mitchell
Lee Hazlewood	...	Dual Metters
Max Showalter	...	Mr. Worthman
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Arley Stamper
Tom Nolan	...	Lowell
Dick Peabody	...	Boyd Caswell (as Richard Peabody)
John Schuck	...	E.J. Royce
Bo Hopkins	...	Bud Blackwell
Charles Tyner	...	Mr. McClendon

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:AA (original rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Movie Connections:

Featured in Shooting the Moonshine War (1970)

Soundtrack:

Ballad Of The Moonshine

somebody missed it

After reading Mr. MacIntyre's review about "The 1932 Moonshine War" I'd have to conclude that Mr. MacIntyre's review of this movie was 80 percent ignorance and 20 percent assumption.

The movie is based in the last days before the repeal of the 18th Amendment of the U.S. Constitituion which made it a crime to import, buy or drink alcohol. A complete failure in regard to legislation. The principle of the movie revolved around a LARGE stash of 8 year old whiskey owned by Alan Alda's char acer that distributors would of paid twice their weight in gold for. What Mr. MacIntyre's missed was that the time and place were during the Great Depression in the Kentucky, the American South, which was triple-poor compared to the rest of the world. Alan Alda's character was not part of a family, but a member of a community who made whiskey to sell to the rest of the country because the soil of their farms could produce little else to keep them from going hungry. It was choice many people made during those times. The whiskey for Alda's character was a legacy from his father and his ticket out of the poor house along with his lady friend. Part of the dialog was leaving to go live in California, the eternal promise land even by today's standards.

Patrick McGooan's character was CROOKED, as in criminal, Federal officer looking to make himself rich from his old Army buddy "Son Martin's" whiskey. He was anything, but hard working and when confronted by the black man with the shotgun, even less so. Thus, his contact with Richard Widmark and his gang. When the gang found they no longer needed McGooan's character they turned on him. In turn Alda's neighbors turned on him, when the gang, posing as MORE Federal officers started raiding his neighbors stills and homes. They refused him service and credit at the local store among other things. I saw this flick as teenager and the storyline has remained with me for decades. It seemed that much of the story revolved around the old nursery rhyme about Chicky Licky who no one wanted to help make the bread, but they sure wanted to help eat it. The same thing is definitive in this movie, but the ending was beautiful in the destruction of the bad guys and the reconciliation of the neighbors. I'm surprised this movie isn't out on DVD or VHS.