There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

David Newman (written by) &
Robert Benton (written by)

Release Date:

25 December 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

Once upon a time, there was a crooked man. When he was good, he was very, very good. And when he was bad, it was murder...

Plot:

Charm, intelligence and success in criminal career doesn't prevent Paris Pitman Jr. to start doing ten years in prison...

Plot Keywords:

Loot | Arizona | Prison | Escape | Corporal Punishment

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Paris Pitman, Jr.
Henry Fonda	...	Woodward W. Lopeman
Hume Cronyn	...	Dudley Whinner
Warren Oates	...	Floyd Moon
Burgess Meredith	...	The Missouri Kid
John Randolph	...	Cyrus McNutt
Lee Grant	...	Mrs. Bullard
Arthur O'Connell	...	Mr. Lomax
Martin Gabel	...	Warden LeGoff
Michael Blodgett	...	Coy Cavendish
C.K. Yang	...	Ah-Ping
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Tobaccy (as Alan Hale)
Victor French	...	Whiskey
Claudia McNeil	...	Madam
Bert Freed	...	Skinner
Jeanne Cooper	...	Prostitute
Barbara Rhoades	...	Miss Jessie Brundidge
Gene Evans	...	Col Wolff
Pamela Hensley	...	Edwina
J. Edward McKinley	...	The Governor
Karl Lukas
Larry D. Mann
Ann Doran	...	Mrs. Lomax
Paul Prokop
Bart Burns
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Byron Foulger	...	(uncredited)
Bruce Garrick	...	Lomax Kid (uncredited)
Paul Newlan	...	(uncredited)
Vince St. Cyr	...	Apache prisoner (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writing credits
David Newman		(written by) &
Robert Benton		(written by)

Produced by
C.O. Erickson	....	executive producer
Joseph L. Mankiewicz	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Strouse

Cinematography by
Harry Stradling Jr.

Film Editing by
Gene Milford

Production Design by
Edward Carrere

Set Decoration by
F. Keogh Gleason		(as Keogh Gleason)

Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Annabell Levy	....	hair stylist
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Peter V. Herald	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Kranze	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Al Overton Jr.	....	sound

Stunts
Budd Albright	....	stunts (uncredited)
Denny Arnold	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Buff Brady	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
David Cadiente	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Carson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jimmy Casino	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney	....	stunts (uncredited)
Roger Creed	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Gino DeAgustino	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Hart	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
Clyde Howdy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Henry Kingi	....	stunts (uncredited)
Monty Laird	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Nuckles	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Orrison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Carl Saxe	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Sistrunk	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ron Stein	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Waters	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jesse Wayne	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernie Abramson	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Music Department
Sonny Burke	....	music supervisor
Dan Wallin	....	scoring mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer: main title
Sidney Ganis	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Other Companies

• Tyler Camera Supplies  aerial photography

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 (video) | UK:AA (original rating) | Portugal:17 (cut version) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Joshua Tree, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Much of the filming was done in the Joshua Tree National Monument, 50 miles northeast of Indio, California. This was the first time a movie was allowed to be filmed in the 500,000 acre National Park. The location was so remote that a wagon-rutted road had to be bulldozed and widened for a distance of three miles to provide vehicular access.

Goofs:

Continuity: After escaping from prison, Pitman visits the widow Bullard and leaves the prison mule in her corral and takes a horse. After being bitten by the snake and dying, the warden takes his body back on the horse he rode, which now is a mule again.

Quotes:

Cyrus McNutt: They're killing me by inches, Dudley!
Dudley Whinner: You'll outlive us all. You got a lot of inches.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Continental Divide (1981)

Soundtrack:

There Was A Crooked Man...

Crime pays...well almost. It's easy to be a little crooked.

I found this to be a fine western comedy. Kirk Douglas plays an incorrigible, but likable bank robber in the 1800's. Henry Fonda is a straight-laced Sheriff turn prison Warden trying to reform the cunning thief in the territorial pokey. Douglas of course intends to escape and go back to the hidden money, but he must enlist help from the likes of Warren Oates, Burgess Meredith and Hume Cronyn. This is a very enjoyable and funny film that reveals Douglas' bare butt. In supporting roles are Arthur O'Connell and Martin Gabel. Unload your six shooter and prop up your spurs; this one is worth your time.