The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (film)

Roger Corman said he wanted produce a film about the "gangsterism" that "played a significant role in the development of American culture" but "I wanted to do it honestly, and not in the usual romanticized man-against-the-system."[5]

Corman was drawn to the idea of making a film about the St. Valentine's Day massacre, which had never been the main subject of an entire film (though it had been frequently referenced in other films). Corman said that the massacre was the day that "... changed the whole public face of gangsterism - public outcry broke Capone's stranglehold on society."[5]

The massacre had been the focus of a Playhouse 90 episode, Seven Against the Wall, broadcast in December 1958 and written by Harold Browne, who had researched the period and the event extensively. Corman hired Browne to write the script for the film. Browne felt that the gangsters were "... complex human beings, shrewd, cunning men whose qualities of leadership, had it been directed into honest channels, might have contributed to this country's history, rather than leaving a scar."[5]

Corman had recently endured an unhappy experience working for Columbia, but still wanted to try working at a major studio. In February 1966, he signed on to make the film from Brown's script with Richard Zanuck at 20th Century Fox.[6] Corman later said that Fox had invited him in to pitch ideas, and he had told them about The St. Valentine's Day Massacre and a biopic about the Red Baron, but as Fox had just made The Blue Max, it opted for the gangster film.[7]

Corman made the film following the great success of The Wild Angels.[8] While The Wild Angels had a budget of $350,000, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre was budgeted at $2.5 million.[9] It was the most expensive film that Corman had made.[10] He later claimed that the film cost $1 million and that the rest was studio overhead.[11]

Corman said, "There comes a time when the public conscience needs jolting and in St. Valentine's Day Massacre this is our intention. It is also certain that the movie will make money - crime is always box office."[5]

Corman wanted classical actors to play gangsters and offered the part of Capone to Orson Welles and that of Bugs Moran to Jason Robards. However, Fox did not want Welles, advising Corman that Welles would try to take over directing; they instead suggested that Robards play Capone. Corman felt that Robards was not physically large enough for the role of Capone and was better suited to play Moran, but did not want to cause trouble after his experience with Columbia and went along with the suggestion.[4]

Corman wanted to cast Jack Nicholson in a key supporting role, but Fox insisted that the director use an actor whom they had under contract. However, Corman did manage to cast Nicholson and Bruce Dern in small roles that were used for the entire length of the shoot, ensuring them a decent payday.[12]

Corman originally wanted to shoot the film on location in Chicago but eventually shot it on the Fox backlot.[5] He filmed the massacre scene in a Desilu lot that was converted to resemble the garage where the crime was committed, as the real garage had been demolished by the time at which the movie started production.

Before filming, Corman found photos of the murder scene. He asked the actors to study the stills before rehearsals and the shoot. After one take, the massacre looked like that of the photos, and each actor's collapse matched the positions in which the victims fell in the real massacre.

The film was one of the few that Corman directed from a major Hollywood studio with a generous budget and an open-ended schedule. However, Corman was disgusted with the great waste of time and money involved with typical film-production techniques. He was given a $2.5 million budget and completed the film with $400,000 to spare.[13] Corman, an independent director, was most comfortable in his own style: shoestring budgets and condensed shooting schedules. The shoot took just over seven weeks, though this marked the longest duration for any of Corman's film. "By the end of the movie I was very weary," he said.[10] Nonetheless, the film is generally considered one of his best as a director.

Toward the end of the film shoot, Corman felt that the movie lacked a female presence and added a character played by Dee Gardner, who resembled Jean Harlow.[14]

Corman later wrote that "... physically, it is one of the best films I ever directed because I was able to walk around the lot and pick those fantastic sets."[15]