JohnB_Toronto

I watched "The Safecracker" on the weekend for the first time in decades and had completely forgotten that it was based (somewhat loosely for sure) on the exploits of real-life safecracker 'Gentle' Johnny Ramensky. It seems he was an old-time craftsman who never used weapons or violence but who could crack anything they put in front of him. Sounds like everyone, including the police, had quite a grudging respect for him. I'm wondering if the premise of this film and Ramensky's exploits might qualify it as the great grandad of all the "Dirty Dozen" type films? (... criminals with highly specialized talents being recruited from jails to serve their countries during war). Lots of other sites about Ramensky besides this one.
http://www.rampantscotland.com/famous/blfamramensky.htm

Can anyone think of any other films in this style of recruiting-of-criminals that pre-date The Safecracker (1958)?

DB7

Triple Cross?
Eddie Chapman - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

JohnB_Toronto

Certainly follows the same premise but made in '66 so it doesn't pre-date 1958. I suspect this may also have been based on the Safecracker plotline and Ramensky's activities.

JohnB_Toronto

Nope - I was wrong about the two films being based on the same man. Eddie Chapman and Johnny Ramensky clearly had similar backgrounds but very different war experiences. I still wonder if The Safecracker was the first of this type of film.

Windthrop

To the best of my knowledge you are right - TS is never acknowledged as pre-dating TDD but there is a film that is called 'The Secret Invasion' with Stewart Granger directed by - wait for it - Roger Corman. TSI is often quoted as pre-dating TDD. I have never seen TS but have often wanted to because Milland could be an interesting director - 'A Man Alone', 'Panic in Year Zero' et al.

batman

A western called 'Five Guns West' (1955) features that very scenario. Five condemned cowboys and ex-soldiers are sent on a 'do or die' mission to intercept a stagecoach in which a traitor is travelling to deliver secret info to the Rebs during the US Civil War. It was the first film to be directed by Roger Corman who re-used the theme for the previously mentioned 'Secret Invasion'.

Bats.

"Boom boom a baby .... Banham Zoo .... Banana pants! Hahahaha"

dylan

Roddy McMillan wrote the song Let Ramensky Go and Johnny became a cause celebe with Scottish Nationalists which didn't help him at all.

D.

JohnB_Toronto

Thanks, Bats. Five Guns West (1955) seems to be the leader so far. Any advance on 1955?

dylan

In Richard Fleischer's Trapped (1949) Treasury Agents recruit counterfeiter Lloyd Bridges and stage a fake jail break so he can lead them to Mr. Big.

D.

JohnB_Toronto

"Trapped" (1949) seem to be the leader, then. If we keep going at this rate we'll end up discovering there were silent films using this same premise!