Watch the excellent movie, The Scarface Mob (1959), which also had historical ramifications, for free, complete, and with no commercial interruptions

By RM
saturday, june 7, 2025 at 1:23:00 a.m. edt

Watch the excellent movie, The Scarface Mob (1959), which also had historical ramifications, for free, complete, and with no commercial interruptions

Been meaning to post this for some time, but never got around to it.

https://archive.org/details/the-scarface-mob-1959?

The Scarface Mob was made as a feature film (and has the quality of a theatrical film), released as same in Europe, and was edited into a 2-part episode of the CBS anthology series Desilu Playhouse. It was never intended as a pilot film, but the reaction to it was so tremendous that it was developed by ABC into the series we know and love called The Untouchables.

It’s one of the best things ever made for television. Directed by Phil Karlson, written by Paul Monash (who later developed Peyton Place for TV). Great production, terrific cast (Barbara Nichols makes Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple!), Walter Winchell’s narration... And for TV, it really IS violent!

Worth a look, or a second look, if you’ve already seen it.

-RM


More on The Scarface Mob
By RM
saturday, june 7, 2025 at 6:53:00 p.m. edt

I should have added: one of the delightful things about The Scarface Mob is that the gangsters all speak in heavy Italian accents; Frank Nitti talks-a like-a Chico Marx! This was NOT carried over to the series, which didn’t prevent the real-life mobsters from raising Hell and crying, “Defamation!” (The old version of “Racist!”). Thug Frank Sinatra nearly had a public fistfight with producer Desi Arnaz! Someone once noted that after the huge success of The Godfather, it became “cool” to be a Mafioso, but back then, racial pressure groups, as well as “anti-violence” groups (abetted by who else but democrat senators) played havoc with the series. Which survived and became a classic.

-RM

N.S.: And spawned an eponymous movie masterpiece