"Underworld" put gangster movies on the map and established Chicago as the city where they all hung out. Ben Hecht had never written a movie before but he based the sparse 18 page synopsis on a dozen years experience on such Chicago dailies as "The Journal", "The Daily News" and "The Tribune". Even though he had had a Broadway flop with "The Egotist" in 1923, his credentials on crime were second to none. Sternberg's and Hecht's Chicago was dreamlike - "a great city in the dead of night". They also both had a hand in Bull Weed's creation - the last of a dying breed of old style gangsters, he didn't seem to have much of a gang, except "Slippy" (Larry Semon, making one of his last screen appearances) and seemed to work alone. The early establishing scenes were probably Hecht's and Bull's fall and redemption were the creation of Sternberg. In the early scenes Bull Weed's capers have an earthy humour that is not exactly in keeping with Sternberg's heavy symbolism. To Hecht and other 1920s press buddies gangsters were there to be cultivated and admired, a gangster pal was almost a status symbol.
In the late twenties George Bancroft was every movie goers idea of what a real gangster was like - the hearty handshake, the brutal camaraderie and the cunningness involved in putting a rival gangster "on the spot" - these traits shaped the Bancroft "gangster" and sound added the gruff, rasping voice which perfected his characterization. Unfortunately he started to believe he really was invincible so his star quickly faded.
The combined narrative and visuals made an extraordinary impact. Bull Weed is seen by a drunken tramp pulling a robbery at 2 in the morning. "The great Bull Weed closing another account". Bull observes under the tramp's attire that there is a lot of finesse and takes him under his wing. He goes by the name of "Rolls Royce" (Clive Brook) - "I'm a Rolls Royce for silence" but Bull nicknames him "The Professor", puts him up in the old hide-out and easily makes a gentleman of him - "see these books, he's read them all - he likes to read"!!! These crooks look the real deal - rival gang boss Mulligan (Fred Kohlar) is just a seething mass of brutality, he desperately wants to get even with Bull for making him look a fool at a speakeasy when he had been trying to belittle Rolls Royce into picking up a $10 bill he had placed in a spittoon.
He now sees his chance at the "Gangster's Ball" when "Feathers" McCoy (Evelyn Brent) is to be crowned queen. The sheer brutality of some of the scenes would have had a shocking impact on audiences of the day, countered with some extraordinary visuals - a robbery that is shown through a jewelry store window and when Bull comes through the darkened door after the violent scene between "Feathers" and Mulligan, just a cloud of smoke in the dark is enough to show Mulligan has got his come-uppance.
In the talkies Clive Brook was very "stiff upper lip" and didn't seem to give his roles much dimension but his "Rolls Royce" performance could not be bettered. He is both "Feathers" and Bull's conscience, their better selves and is the reason for "Feathers" redemption. Bull is to be hanged for the murder of Mulligan but the word on the street is that "The Professor" and "Feathers" are pretty hot and heavy. Rolls Royce arranges a breakout which goes wrong. Bull does escape but is left to fight it out in a blazing, bloody battle with the police, his parting words - "It took me one hour to find out what I needed to know my entire life".
George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook were all at the peak of their professional careers at this time. Brent gave most of her characters a sultry, world weary air and she was hotly in demand - before gangster's molls became too cute and wisecracking!!!
In the late twenties George Bancroft was every movie goers idea of what a real gangster was like - the hearty handshake, the brutal camaraderie and the cunningness involved in putting a rival gangster "on the spot" - these traits shaped the Bancroft "gangster" and sound added the gruff, rasping voice which perfected his characterization. Unfortunately he started to believe he really was invincible so his star quickly faded.
The combined narrative and visuals made an extraordinary impact. Bull Weed is seen by a drunken tramp pulling a robbery at 2 in the morning. "The great Bull Weed closing another account". Bull observes under the tramp's attire that there is a lot of finesse and takes him under his wing. He goes by the name of "Rolls Royce" (Clive Brook) - "I'm a Rolls Royce for silence" but Bull nicknames him "The Professor", puts him up in the old hide-out and easily makes a gentleman of him - "see these books, he's read them all - he likes to read"!!! These crooks look the real deal - rival gang boss Mulligan (Fred Kohlar) is just a seething mass of brutality, he desperately wants to get even with Bull for making him look a fool at a speakeasy when he had been trying to belittle Rolls Royce into picking up a $10 bill he had placed in a spittoon.
He now sees his chance at the "Gangster's Ball" when "Feathers" McCoy (Evelyn Brent) is to be crowned queen. The sheer brutality of some of the scenes would have had a shocking impact on audiences of the day, countered with some extraordinary visuals - a robbery that is shown through a jewelry store window and when Bull comes through the darkened door after the violent scene between "Feathers" and Mulligan, just a cloud of smoke in the dark is enough to show Mulligan has got his come-uppance.
In the talkies Clive Brook was very "stiff upper lip" and didn't seem to give his roles much dimension but his "Rolls Royce" performance could not be bettered. He is both "Feathers" and Bull's conscience, their better selves and is the reason for "Feathers" redemption. Bull is to be hanged for the murder of Mulligan but the word on the street is that "The Professor" and "Feathers" are pretty hot and heavy. Rolls Royce arranges a breakout which goes wrong. Bull does escape but is left to fight it out in a blazing, bloody battle with the police, his parting words - "It took me one hour to find out what I needed to know my entire life".
George Bancroft, Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook were all at the peak of their professional careers at this time. Brent gave most of her characters a sultry, world weary air and she was hotly in demand - before gangster's molls became too cute and wisecracking!!!