Pretty Boy Floyd (1960)

Writer/director Herbert J. Leder dramatizes the life of the Depression era's most legendary outlaw with his gangster classic PRETTY BOY FLOYD. John Ericson turns in a fine lead performance as the notorious bankrobber who was dubbed "the sagebrush Robin Hood" for his habit of sharing his stolen booty with the poor of the Oklahoma Dust Bowl (for which he was immortalized in song by fellow Okie Woody Guthrie). While there are many conflicting accounts of the folk hero's exploits, Leder's version finds Floyd entering into a life of crime after the murder of his father and hastening his own death by crossing paths with the New York City mafia. Herb Evers, Barry Newman, Peter Falk, and a pre-MUNSTERS Al Lewis round out the stellar supporting cast for a little-seen slice of cinematic gangster history.