Robin and the 7 Hoods
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| Robin and the 7 Hoods | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Gordon Douglas |
| Produced by | Frank Sinatra |
| Written by | David R. Schwartz |
| Starring | Frank Sinatra Dean Martin Sammy Davis Jr. Bing Crosby |
| Music by | Nelson Riddle |
| Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | June 24, 1964 (U.S. release) |
| Running time | 123 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Robin and the 7 Hoods is a 1964 musical film that transplants the Robin Hood legend to a 1930s Chicago gangster setting. It was directed by Gordon Douglas and produced by Frank Sinatra, with a screenplay by David R. Schwartz. It starred members of the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr.) as well as Bing Crosby, Peter Falk, Edward G. Robinson, and Barbara Rush.
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[edit] Plot
'Big' Jim Stevens (Edward G. Robinson), undisputed boss of the Chicago underworld, gets an unexpected birthday present from his ambitious lieutenant, Guy Gisborne (Peter Falk). Instead of a stripper popping out of the cake, he gets shot by an assassin. With Big Jim out of the way, Gisborne takes over. The news doesn't sit well with Robbo (Frank Sinatra), Big Jim's friend and fellow gangster, and a war breaks out between the two factions.
Even after recruiting pool hustler Little John (Dean Martin), Robbo, Will (Sammy Davis Jr.) and the rest of his seven hoods, are greatly outnumbered. In addition, the corrupt Sheriff, Octavius Glick (Robert Foulk), is on Gisbourne's payroll.
Marian (Barbara Rush), Big Jim's refined, well-educated daughter asks Robbo to avenge her father's death (wrongfully attributed to the sheriff). She gives him $50,000 when the sheriff disappears (killed by Gisborne), thinking that Robbo did as she had asked.
Not wanting money he didn't earn, Robbo donates the money to a boys' orphanage. Its director, Alan A. Dale (Bing Crosby), notifies the newspapers and a media star is born: a gangster who robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Robbo finds it useful to have the public on his side and invites the delighted Dale to join his gang.
Marian appears to have her own agenda. She first tries to ally herself with Robbo, only to be rebuffed. Then she attempts to seduce Little John into turning on his boss, but he's not buying what she's selling. She finds a willing partner in Gisborne, only to have Robbo dispose of him. Finally, she finds a most unexpected accomplice in Alan A. Dale.
Between them, they are too smart for Robbo and his old-fashioned tactics. They turn public opinion against Robbo by framing him. When the dust settles, they end up in control of the city, while Robbo and his bunch are reduced to getting jobs dressing up as Santa to solicit charitable donations.
[edit] Casting
Peter Lawford was originally cast as Alan A. Dale, but when Lawford's brothers-in-law, John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, opted to stay at Republican (and Sinatra rival) Crosby's house during a West Coast visit instead of at Sinatra's as originally planned (Sinatra had built a helipad and made countless other arrangements for the eagerly awaited presidential visit), Sinatra ostracized Lawford from the Rat Pack. Ironically, Crosby was cast in Lawford's role.
[edit] Music
Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen wrote the score (including Sinatra's well known "My Kind of Town"). Other songs include "Style," "Mister Booze," and "Don't Be A Do-Badder" (the last sung by Crosby with a group of children in an unsuccessful attempt to recapture the magic of the earlier "Swinging on a Star" from the 1944 film Going My Way). Crosby, still a major movie star at the time, wound up singing more songs of his own in the film than Sinatra. The memorable rendition of "Style", with Crosby, Dean Martin, and Sinatra, consists of the three singing about a hat not being a hat unless it's cocked, but at the conclusion of each verse, Martin uncocks his hat and wears it straight across his forehead!
[edit] External links
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