The Bonnie Parker Story (1958)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Really Surprised!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

The saga of Bonnie and Clyde has fascinated me since I was a kid. The classic 1967 film was probably the first adult movie that my parents let me watch; of course, TV greatly edited it, so when I saw it in its unedited state decades later, it had a larger impact. The songs of Frank Wildhorn and Don Black added soul to their characterizations in 2011, but as deeply touched as I was, I couldn't find my singing along with unrepentant killers. Even so, the twin soliloquy of "You Love Who You Love" stayed with me even though the show died a quick but painless death on Broadway.So there we are, and I have finally gotten to the 1958 American International drive-in cult classic, showing Dorothy Provine as the sociopathic version of Bonnie Parker, altering the story just a tad, changing important character's names, and taking away the desirability of Faye Dunaway and the sultriness of Laura Osnes. Provine is unapologetically vile, seeming like a sorority girl from hell playing gangster for Halloween. Jack Hogan seems swallowed up by her as Guy/Clyde, making her seem like the leader of the gang rather than an interloper. His brother and his wife fave been altered too with a name and marital status change, and they involve Bonnie's estranged jailbird husband (Richard Balkayan) into the story, at least adding one true detail not in the Arthur Penn version. I can see why this has a cult following and why it appealed to the lost generation of frustrated teens in the late 1950's. But like other gangster bio's of the late 1950's and early 1960's, it never feels like the era it's set in. Rothstein, Capone, Diamond, Floyd, all period stories with a modern style that never tried to step on the time machine to 25 years earlier. The time flow changes in badly edited in setting information that seems like it's off a bad TV documentary. Keeps em' on the cult list, but off the classic list.

"The Bonnie Parker story" has the potential to be a cult movie. It is evident that a sad lack of bucks is the main cause of the faults of the film. No other reason, save some bizarre artistic choice, could justify the 1950s clothes and looks of the actors, within a 1930s story. And no bank-shot is shown all along the movie, another unwelcome by-product of a meagre budget. In spite of its B-movie doom, "The Bonnie Parker story" has remarkable merits. The photography is accurate and evocative. The action scenes are realistic and very well filmed, the narration has a quick and smooth pace. The script oozes toughness and cynical wisecracking. In my opinion, a first rate job by the writer.And then... that girl! That bomb of a wildcat-girl! Dorothy Provine is sensational, and not just for her stunningly gorgeous looks. Her aggressive, dynamic acting is unforgettable. She draws Bonnie's utterly amoral character, paired with an almost crazy courage, with a great force not lacking of subtlety. Huge fun to see her on the screen, especially when she ruthlessly ill-use and humiliate the male characters. An interesting, although undeveloped, side of Bonnie's psychology: she has an exclusive passion for command, while she seems not to give a damn for love. Well, let me give some credit to the little money used to make the movie. With a higher budget, probably they would have hired a more famous actress than Dorothy. What an enormous loss we escaped!Dorothy Provine alone is largely enough to recommend "The Bonnie Parker story", but it's fair to take note of several other good sides of the movie.

**May Contain Spoilers**Blonde, pouty Dorothy Provine stars in this American International release. Jack Hogan is her boyfriend "Guy Darrow" and Joe Turkel is "Chuck Darrow." (Except for Bonnie Parker all the characters' names have been altered, possibly for legal reasons.) In this version the gang springs Bonnie's husband (Dick Bakalyan) from prison, leading to predictable clashes between him and Darrow. Lots of tough dialogue ("You're going to end up on a street corner, and not selling newspapers...") shoot-outs and smoke and flame in black-and-white. In one scene intended as comedy relief the gang is robbed by a young boy with a cap-gun. In another they scare off a Cub Scout troop led by goofy Sid Lassick. Bonnie's ghostly, echoing voice gives us a brief "Crime Does Not Pay" sermon after the foregone conclusion. Lots of fun, as most of these drive-in gangster pictures are, this originally played on a double-bill with MACHINE GUN KELLY. I'm still waiting for someone to make a movie with Bonnie and Clyde as butt-ugly, repulsive and perverted as they were in real life.

AIP makes a 30s gangster movie, starring a very 50s looking Dorothy Provine as bombshell and bank robber Bonnie Parker. Why the screenwriters felt compelled to keep Clyde Barrow OUT of the story is only one of the confusing things about this film; instead they substituted a character called Guy Darrow!! And dig the so-close-to-rock-n-roll-it-made-me-put-on-my-blue-suede-shoes music on the soundtrack. Obviously aimed at the teen market of the time, The Bonnie Parker Story just looks weird now. Provine is actually pretty good if you can get past her Mamie Van Doren hair and bustline, but there's not much else to recommend here.