I first saw The Scarface Mob in 1970. One of our local stations played it all week, sort of what cable stations like HBO would do years later. The TV guide listing said 'The original pilot for The Untouchables, first shown on Desilu Playhouse'. I saw it & I was floored. If there is such a thing as falling in love with a TV show or movie, then I did. I regretted ignoring the series in 1967 when another station was airing it, but in 1973, spurred on by 'The Godfather', the series went back into syndication. I paid attention this time.
It's a great series, so well done for the time. The original pilot was in 2 parts from memory, then was put together as one movie. The series does not have a single bad episode. Love it!
the movie had part one and two. seamed together,, 59. 60. and was scarface mob. it had pat crowley and barbara nichols. pat played elliots fiance and wife. keenan wynn was in it also. great show..
El mejor, nunca superado Eliot Ness de Robert Stack, el bombón más bombón con sus enigmáticos ojazos azules.....el HOMBRE PERFECTO !!!! UN DELEITE PARA DUS FANS.
I was at the Paley Center in New York in 2019 & they had the original Desilu Playhouse broadcast of this wonderful film, then titled "The Untouchables". What was really noticeable was the lack of the great musical score. Obviously, that was conceived for the theatrical version, & of course titled "The Scarface Mob".
the movie was a masterpiece. it came with the 1 st season of the untouchables as a bonus. walter winchell narrorated the movie and the episoded.no one else could do this as well as him since he lived that era and was also a top notch reporter. great show.
I'm glad they showed mobsters for what they really were -- arrogant, ignorant, violent, and uncultured street toughs just one notch above the gutter. For every "smooth criminal" of legend there were 20 of such trash -- some of them WWI vets who'd been taught the use of weapons and had become inured to killing while on the battlefield. Unemployable in honest jobs, hard-living and often addicted, they returned to the only lives they knew, in search of easy money and broads. The older drug gang members and remaining Mafia torpedoes of today are no different than this.
Oh yes, these were no "Robin Hood" like characters. They were ruthless, brutal, greedy individuals who were out to line their own pockets and no one else's. Odd that many of them were seen as some kind of folk heroes to the ordinary public at the time, some of them gaining a kind of "star like" status.
I see paramount is releasing 'The Scarface Mob' as a separate movie in July, 2017 and is at least an hour and a half long. Glad I just checked to see it it's already in the first season box set before ordering- it is!
Yes, it was a two-part pilot and it's pretty good, though not the true story of Capone and Ness (he had nothing to do with bringing Capone down). And if you're getting the same box-set I have it is indeed on there. I love 'The Untouchables' TV series. I'm just coming to the end of Series 3 and there's not been a bad episode yet!
@@foreverblueclassics FWIW Van Johnson has signed on to play Eliot Ness before filming began. But, apparently his wife/agent thought it was only a one part film. When she found out it was two parts, she called Desi Arnaz and demanded twice the amount agreed upon. Arnaz balked, and wound up calling Stack at about 1 o'clock in the morning and begging him to do it. Luckily Stack agreed. But when ABC later bought it as a weekly series Stack thought Desilu was nuts, said "we got Capone, there's no where else to go with it!". Again, luckily, Arnaz was able to convince Stack it could work. And he was right!
@@TWS-pd5dc I didn't know that! Much as he was a good actor Van Johnson would never have been as good in the role as Robert Stack was. It's not an accurate portrayal of the man historically but it's a great series nonetheless. Thank you for thee info!
@@foreverblueclassics Yes, Stack felt it was necessary for him to portray Ness as the somewhat stonefaced, low key persona and allow the weekly guest stars to overplay the "bad guy" parts. Bruce Gordon was the perfect actor to do that but other great actors, like Peter Falk, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas, Lee Marvin, Martin Landeau, and many others also shined as gangsters in the series.
@@foreverblueclassics And I didn't know until I watched the youtube video from 1984 that Stack and Paris had previously done a movie together and remained friends well after Paris left (or was told to leave) the Untouchables midway through the first season. Stack was known to be one of the nicest, and friendliest actors in Hollywood and the show from 1984 proved it.
Great show loved it neville brand was a great actor and a great charactor actor and should have been a bigger star but the best actor to play a gangster was clark gable because john dillanger tried to look like him and a lot real life mobsters liked him a lot and also george raft was like the real ganvster
Yes, I have all four seasons and there's not a bad episode among them. I found it hard to imagine Clark Gable as a gangster but you're right, he did play one - in 'Manhattan Melodrama', ironically the movie John Dillinger attended before being gunned down as he left the cinema. Ironic really if he based his look on Gable!
Speaking of George Raft I met him in west Hollywood in a night club and he came in and sat next to me at the piano bar. The piano player was putting out some really good jazz and paused to introduce Mr. Raft and I'm glad he did because he was much older and I didn't recognize him. But I felt privileged to buy him and his date a drink. Wow only in Hollywood/Santa Monica did I meet so many entertainers.
@@foreverblueclassics Thanks for clearing that up about Clark Gable I was trying to remember him acting as a gangster. "Manhattan Melodrama" I'm not sure if I have ever seen the movie. Anyway thanks...
@@foreverblueclassics Thank you "forever" I couldn't resist that putt. Anyway I enjoy learning about life's little things. And your sharing of Dillinger's last hours being spent watching "Manhattan Melodrama" with Clark Gable. John Dillinger and the women in the red dress that was deported even after helping the FBI catch and shoot him down. Well I hope Dillinger enjoyed watching his own hero before his death. It's kind of odd but a thought about a women I was engaged to comes to mind, she wanted me to have a large life insurance policy made leaving her as beneficiary but I thank God I wanted others to also benefit and she dropped the idea. As it turned out she was going to have me murdered by robbery of sort. I give thanks for figuring it out and found she was already seeing another man at the same time. Woah doggy... Goodbye.
@@drydesert8036 Well, you had a lucky escape there with that woman!!!! I hope she didn't get anyone else bumped off?! There's a real good book called 'Public Enemies' by Brian Burrough that I strongly recommend if you are interested in the gangster era. It's one of the few books I've read more than once!
Anyone out that can get me the full version of The ScarFace Mob…They are “The Man” or “Woman.”…. Boy do I miss “Karen Loves Stack.” She had the best episodes, with the best quality!.
Yes, I don't know why they went down that route in the series. But it doesn't stop the show being the best 1930s gangster series ever in my opinion. Just don't take it as being historically accurate!
One of comments here stated that Eliot Ness & Al Capone never met. That is not correct. first, if you read Ness' book the series was based on, the Untouchables provided armed escort to the train to take Capone to Atlanta, & Capone said to Ness "I am not sore sore at anybody", a comment that was incorporated into the two-part episode, "The BigTrain". However, the real proof is a photo I saw on-line depicting Capone being led to the train & Ness is walking with him.
@@foreverblueclassics Robert Stack was in a remake of the untouchables, in movie format with color but unfortunately it was really awful and couldn't finish watching it. The shoot them up bang! bang!! was absolutely terrible. The use of old time black & white filming and a much better director truly made the original "Untouchables" series far better. Robert Stack was a great choice to play Elliot Ness.
@@drydesert8036 I think the movie you're thinking of was 'The Return of Eliot Ness'. I didn't find it too bad really but it was nowhere near as good as the TV series, which at the time was the most expensive show on American TV. The sets were incredible, as were the cars, and the clothes fit the period. It was the cost which led to its cancellation as it never lost its popularity. I love it.
@@foreverblueclassics Hello again I just wanted to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. Tis the season to be Holly & Jolly and all that is Good... Well hoping your in good health and spirits bye...
@@drydesert8036 Thank you, you are very kind! I also wish you all good wishes for the season and hope that you and your family have a fantastic festive season and a great new year!
