The Hoodlum Priest (1961)
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Director Irvin Kershner, better known for his big-budget films like The Empire Strikes Back, joins with scripters and lead Don Murray to create this moving and effective docudrama. The story is based on the experiences of real-life Rev. Charles Dismas Clark (played here by Murray), a Jesuit priest devoted to working with young ex-convicts who face uphill battles in trying to re-integrate into a society that discriminates against them. At focus is the struggle of Billy Lee Jackson (Keir Dullea) with his personal demons as he gets involved in crimes which are not of his doing alone. His case illustrates the nature of the majority of cases, and like the majority, he pays in spades for his "mistakes." A powerful argument for looking at the horror of the death penalty and society's responsibility for crime, this well-wrought story is compelling and consistently effective. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 102 mins
Complete Cast:
- Don Murray - Rev. Charles Dismas Clark, S.J.
- Cindi Wood - Ellen Henley
- Logan Ramsey - George Hale
- Sam Capuano - Mario Mazziotti
- Al Mack - Judge Garrity
- Bill Atwood - Weasel
- Louise Martini - Angelo Mazziotti
- Norman McKay - Father Dunne
- Larry Gates - Louis Rosen
- Keir Dullea - Billy Lee Jackson
- Don Joslyn - Pio Gentile
- Vince O'Brien - District Attorney
- Joseph Cusanelli - Hector Sterne
- Warren Parker - Warden
- Joe Hamilton - Prison Chaplain
- Director(s):
- Irvin Kershner
- Writer(s):
- Don Deer, Joseph Landon, Don Murray
- Producer(s):
- Walter Wood, Don Murray
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- Subtitles:
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