Kansas City Massacre
                   
    
Director: Dan Curtis
Year: 1975
Rating: 6.0

On June 17th 1933 four law enforcement agents and a prisoner were killed in a shoot-out at Union Station in Kansas City. In those days that was considered a massacre. Today that would just be put down as another mass killing that would receive thoughts and prayers. That was about the only thing in the film that was true. The rest is basically fiction but reasonably entertaining fiction for a TV film with a good bit of firepower. It is directed by Dan Curtis who had directed Melvin Purvis G-Man the year before for television. Purvis was the most acclaimed FBI agent in America having been responsible for the killings of Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly and Pretty Boy Floyd. A pretty good record. But he was nowhere near Kansas City on June 17th. But what the hell, this film places him there anyways. Right in the middle of the shootout.



The film bounces back and forth between Purvis chasing after the gangsters and the gangsters. Mainly consisting of Pretty Boy Floyd (Bo Hopkins), Adam Richette (Robert Walden) and Frank Nash (Mills Watson). Also making guest appearances are Dillinger, Alvin Creepy Karpis, Baby Face Nelson and two of the Barker brothers. According to this they all get together at a farm house and plan how to launder their stolen money. They are like a fun loving fraternity - sometimes threatening to kill each other, other times hugging each other. A little disappointed that Machine Gun Kelly wasn't there. I am pretty sure no such meeting took place but a lot of these legendary bank robbers of the time did in fact know each other. It was a club. The Die Young Club. Nash is captured by Purvis and while transferring him in Kansas Pretty Boy Floyd, Richette and a few others try and free him - or kill him. History debates that as it does whether Floyd and Richette were even there. Floyd swore he wasn't involved.



Purvis is played by a gruff but folksy Dale Robertson who is mainly known for the TV show, Tales of Wells Fargo which ran for 200 episodes back in the late 1950s. He had also played Purvis in the other film. Purvis became too famous for Hoover's liking and he forced him out as he had many others including all females when he became head of the FBI.  This is ok - it is brought down by one of those horrible Dukes of Hazzard type of soundtracks with fiddles and blaring brass - that is supposed to be comical but is just irritating. Bo Hopkins steals it from Roberts with a good-old-boy performance and an ah shucks smile. The real Pretty Boy Floyd wasn't nearly as good looking. In fact, not pretty at all.



Melvin Purvis