The Enforcer, Original Half Sheet(click here to enlarge)
This is the first of my “Bogart” postings. But, tease that I am, I’m going to wait to talk about this dandy dude. Instead, let’s talk about Murder, Inc.– the inspiration for The Enforcer.
The Enforcer is the probably the first Mafia movie, literally. Prior to The Enforcer*, no one knew about hits, whacks, the finger, contracts, capos, dons, and especially Cosa Nostra. Why? In the olden days this was all super secret gumba stuff .
In the late 20′s and 30′s the major mafia gangs organized together to form The Syndicate (kind of like K.A.O.S. or ENRON ). By the 1930′s The Syndicate had hooked up with a gang of expert killers, “The Collection” gang. The gang carried out “contracts” for the Syndicate in secrect to enforce discipline among rank and file mobsters and anyone else that got in their way. The secrecy made it very difficult for the police to eavesdrop and pin the hits on anyone and stop the growing violence.
Growin up gangster in Brooklyn is just da kind of hard knocks life ya need ta produce da two biggest tv westerns ever’. Protecting the ranch is the same as protecting the hood. Bros is Bros, right?
Burial of the Fruit, David Dortort
Dortort grew up in a Brooklyn tenement slum. As as teenager Dortort joined the Atlantic Avenue gang. Even though he was dead center in the Murder, Inc. hood, I could not find any info on this particular gang (there were as many gangs in this area of Booklyn in the 1930′s as there are Starbucks in Seattle today). Later, Dortort would revisit this life for two novels, Burial of the Fruit and Post of Honor.
Juvey delinquents were a popular “menace to society” in the 1950′s. So it’s fun to note the bizarro nature of the publishers treatment of the subject. Burial of the Fruit tale is real pulp, but the flap copy treats it like some kind of documentary on moral decay in the slums. The poor illustrator does not know what to do.
My Caption: Out for a lovely springtime row in a boat in the slums of Brooklyn, the teenage killer (the one that looks like a fed) is about to grab Trixie’s naughty “ciggie”.
Possessed, Half Sheet
Behold my numero uno trashtastic star, Joan Crawford. The fire in the eye of Blake’s tiger could never match the combustion in Crawford’s peepers when she gazed at an Academy Award. . . new boy toy. . .or vodka bottle!
Most stars need to step way out of their comfort zone to win an Oscar. Not Joan. She won her second Best Actress nod for playing a flakey nut case in Possessed. Most critics consider this her finest moment. Joan acknowledged to quite a few people that it was her super fave.
Crawford in 1947
Possessed was Joan’s follow-up to her Academy Award winning performance in Mildred Pierce, and another waltz out of the comfort zone as a boozy socialite in Humoresque. This completed her in your face trifecta come back at Warner Brothers. What a Roll! At this point in her career Joan was once again partying hard as a bachelorette after divorcing Phil Terry and adopting four kiddies. On top again in her 40′s.
Her libation of choice? Vodka 140 proof. No mixers Please.
Fix it up Joanie style:
1 Crystal Sazarac glass
Ice
Fill ‘er up !
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Condition: Possessed. Half Sheet. 1947. Original. Fine – Near Mint. Poster has been professionally paper backed.
Recommended Read: The Joan Crawford Murders by Peter Joseph Swanson
