FOUR BOYS AND A GUN

Hinnant, Franciscus, Sutton, and Green -- with the gun

FOUR BOYS AND A GUN (1957). Director: William Berke.

Four young neighborhood buddies have their problems. Eddie (Tarry Green) learns that his girlfriend, Marie (Diana Herbert), is dating their boss, who fires him. Ollie (Frank Sutton) has gambling debts that could get his legs broken. Johnny (James Franciscus of I Passed for White), who has a wife and baby on the way and has high hopes for a boxing career, is told he's strictly an amateur with no future. Stanley (William Hinnant) is a little nerd who can't get a girlfriend. To make matters worse, the proceeds for a dance they put together, hundreds of dollars, are stolen by some hoods.

James Franciscus

The "boys" -- with the exception of Johnny -- go on a nasty spree where they mug a cab driver and walk out of an expensive restaurant without paying. They then importune Johnny in joining them in a robbery of the arena where he had his last fight. Unfortunately, during the botched robbery, a police officer with a family is shot and killed. Although technically all four of the participants are guilty of murder, the DA wants to know specifically which one fired the gun. Amidst flashbacks showing events leading up to the robbery, the boys contemplate their future and try to blame each other for what happened.

Frank Sutton and Tarry Green

Four Boys and a Gun is an unusual feature with an intriguing storyline. None of the characters are especially likable, however, even the more sympathetic Stanley and the more mature Johnny. In fact, most of them come off like total creeps. The boys develop some very unlikely nobility at the end, which is otherwise uncompromising. The dialogue as they analyze each other's shortcomings in crude fashion rings true, although the legal aspects are suspect. The performances are too stagy at times, with Sutton making the best impression. Of the four actors, Franciscus had the biggest career, although Sutton eventually played the nasty marine on Gomer Pyle. This was the only film Tarry Green appeared in, although he did have a couple of TV credits. William Hinnant had a few more credits and also did a lot of stage work. He died at 42 in a drowning accident. Smaller roles are played by Frank Campanella as a cop, Nancy Devlin as Eddie's sister, who likes Ollie, and Patricia Bosworth as Johnny's pregnant wife.

Verdict: Something different. **3/4.