Robin And The 7 Hoods (1964)
In Prohibition-era Chicago, the murder of mob boss Big Jim Stevens leaves a vacuum at the top. As the murder was orchestrated by Gisborne - one of Big Jim's underlings - with the assistance of Sheriff Glick and Deputy Sheriff Potts, who were also in Big Jim's back pocket, Gisborne plans to take over. However, Big Jim would have wanted Robbo, who he treated like a son, to take over. As such, a gangland war ensues, with Robbo having among his men an Indiana pool hustler named Little John, and Will, a sharp shooter. What happens between the two gangs is affected by Marian Stevens, Big Jim's beautiful and sophisticated daughter, who inherited her father's ambition and has more criminal smarts than her father. Among Marian's wants is for her father's murder to be avenged. Marian's intervention into the matter leads to Robbo and his band of merry men gaining some legitimacy within the Chicago public mindset, he giving some of his profits and the profits of others to the less fortunate. But Marian may have a bigger influence on the outcome of the war as she works toward her own end manipulating whichever man she can using her feminine wiles.
Robin and the 7 Hoods - or Who Maid Marion?
Robbo: Big Jim's daughter, there's a big laugh. I thought when you were a kid you didn't have a doll to play with, you had a rattle. It was right on the end of your tail.
Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, USA
(cemetery scenes - now Angelus-Rosedale)
Stage 1, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
Stage 12, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
Stage 18, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
Stage 22, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA
On the same day as the funeral scene was filmed, President John F. Kennedy (a personal friend of Frank Sinatra's) was assassinated.
A scene depicting a kidnapping was filmed, but cut when star Frank Sinatra's son was kidnapped.
The two lesser-known Rat Packers, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford, don't appear in this film. They were essentially "replaced" by Peter Falk and Bing Crosby, respectively.
When Alan Dale (Bing Crosby) is invited to take a seat when first introduced to Robbo (Frank Sinatra), one of the hoods says, "Take a seat, Pops." That hood is played by Crosby's son, Phillip Crosby. Bing gives him a sidewise look.
Making this film should have been fun. Instead, by more than one account, it was a waking nightmare for all involved. John F. Kennedy was assassinated soon after filming started, casting a pall over the entire set. Not long after that, Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped from his dressing room at Lake Tahoe, Nevada. (Upon payment of a large ransom, he was released, unharmed, a few days later.) Victor Buono (Deputy Sheriff Alvin Potts) later observed that it was a minor miracle that filming was completed at all.
Continuity
When John is playing pool with Robbo, and running the table, the position of the balls on the table change between shots, and he appears to sink the same striped ball twice.
Factual errors
Although an exact year isn't given, internal evidence indicates the film is set in the early 1930s,and certainly during Prohibition. However, there are women serving on the jury at Robbo's trial, and women were not permitted to serve on juries in Illinois until1939.
Revealing mistakes
When Will (Sammy Davis Jr.) is shooting up the casino, he fires more shots than either gun holds (12 from one, 11 from the other).
During "Mr. Booze," John (Dean Martin) repeatedly hits his tambourine out of rhythm with the rest of the chorus, yet there is no sound of his tambourine playing.
During Will's song and dance following the destruction of Gisborne's casino, Will kicks a tray of intact plates and cups. Most of the plates and cups are seen to be broken as they fly through the air before they hit the ground (when they should have broken), showing that they are already "broken" props.
Miscellaneous
During "You Got to Have Style" number, the actors' marks are visible on the carpet.
Errors in geography
When the cornerstone for the police station is being dedicated, and again when the pretzel factory cornerstone is being dedicated, mountains can be seen over the rooftops of the buildings in the background. There are no mountains in Chicago.