The Gentleman Bandit (1981 film)

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
The Gentleman Bandit
Written byMilan Stitt
Directed by Jonathan Kaplan
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerJohn E. Quill
Running time98 minutes [1]
Production companyHighgate Pictures
Budget$2 million [2]
Original release
ReleaseMay 6, 1981 (1981-05-06)

The Gentleman Bandit is a 1981 TV movie directed by Jonathan Kaplan and starring Ralph Waite. [3] It is based on the real story of Reverend Bernard Thomas Pagano.

Contents

Plot

A priest is accused of armed robbery by various eyewitnesses.

Cast

Production

Until the eve of the first screening, [4] the working title for the film was The Bandit Priest. [5] [6]

The film was based on a true story of the Reverend Bernard Thomas Pagano [7] who was arrested in 1979 for five armed robberies and one attempted robberies. Eventually another man, Ronald W. Clouser, confessed to the crimes. [8] [9]

Writer Milan Stitt spent a week interviewing Pagano, his attorney, friends and parishioners in December 1979. He wrote the script in four days. [2] Pagano, a native of Newark, New Jersey, served five years as a chaplain at the VA hospital in Lyons and East Orange in the 1990s, according to Tom Malek-Jones, the chief chaplain for the facility. [10] Pagano, himself a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, was considered "a valuable asset for his work with veterans of that era and did not seem like a robber", Malek-Jones said. [10]

Filming took place in New York City and Westchester County. [11] It began on 19 January 1981. Pagano himself acted as technical advisor on the film. [2] Pagano later taught theology at Notre Dame High School in Easton, Pennsylvania in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Related Research Articles

<i>Time Bandits</i> 1981 British fantasy film by Terry Gilliam

Time Bandits is a 1981 British fantasy adventure film co-written, produced, and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars David Rappaport, Sean Connery, John Cleese, Shelley Duvall, Ralph Richardson, Katherine Helmond, Ian Holm, Michael Palin, Peter Vaughan and David Warner. The film tells the story of a young boy taken on an adventure through time with a band of thieves who plunder treasure from various points in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentleman thief</span> Stock character; a sophisticated and well-mannered thief

A gentleman thief, gentleman burglar, lady thief, or phantom thief is a stock character in fiction. A gentleman or lady thief is characterised by impeccable manners, charm, courtesy, and the avoidance of physical force or intimidation to steal, and often has inherited wealth. They steal not only to gain material wealth but also for the thrill of the act itself, which is often combined in fiction with correcting a moral wrong, selecting wealthy targets, or stealing only particularly rare or challenging objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Lee</span> English actor (1908–1981)

John Bernard Lee was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films. Lee's film career spanned the years 1934 to 1979, though he had appeared on stage from the age of six. He was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Lee appeared in over one hundred films, as well as on stage and in television dramatisations. He was known for his roles as authority figures, often playing military characters or policemen in films such as The Third Man, The Blue Lamp, The Battle of the River Plate, and Whistle Down the Wind.

The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime films and the caper story, focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA</span> Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction

The Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A., officially the Military Ordinariate of United States of America, is a Latin Church jurisdiction of the Catholic Church for men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces and their dependents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Waite</span> American actor (1928–2014)

Ralph Waite was an American actor, best known for his lead role as John Walton Sr. on The Waltons (1972–1981), which he occasionally directed. He later had recurring roles as two other heroic fathers; in NCIS as Jackson Gibbs, the father of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and in Bones, as Seeley Booth's grandfather. Waite had supporting roles in movies such as Cool Hand Luke (1967), Five Easy Pieces (1970), The Grissom Gang (1971), The Bodyguard (1992), and Cliffhanger (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Lambert (American actor)</span> American actor (1920–2002)

John Taylor Lambert was an American character actor who specialized in playing movie tough guys and heavies. He is best known for playing the psychotic cat-loving, iron-hooked Steve "the Claw" Michel in Dick Tracy's Dilemma.

<i>The Sound of Fury</i> (film) 1950 film by Cy Endfield

The Sound of Fury is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Cy Endfield and starring Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, Richard Carlson. The film is based on the 1947 novel The Condemned by Jo Pagano, who also wrote the screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil McCarthy (actor)</span> English actor (1932–1985)

Eugene Neil McCarthy was an English actor known for his dramatic physical appearance caused by acromegaly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Notre Dame High School (Easton, Pennsylvania)</span> Private, coeducational school in Easton, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States

Notre Dame High School, also known as Notre Dame Green Pond, is a private, Catholic high school in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is located within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Winters (choreographer)</span> American actor, dancer, and choreographer (1939–2019)

David Winters was an English-born American actor, dancer, choreographer, producer, distributor, director and screenwriter. At a young age, he acted in film and television projects such as Lux Video Theatre,Naked City; Mister Peepers,Rock, Rock, Rock, and Roogie's Bump. He received some attention in Broadway musicals for his roles in West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959). In the film adaptation of West Side Story (1961) he was one of the few to be re-cast. It became the highest grossing motion picture of that year, and won 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

<i>Crossroads</i> (1955 TV series) American TV anthology series (1955–1957)

Crossroads is an American television anthology series based on the activities of clergy from different denominations. It aired from October 7, 1955, to September 27, 1957, on ABC. The show was retitled The Way of Life for syndication.

<i>OHMS</i> (1980 film) 1980 American TV series or program

OHMS is a 1980 American made-for-television drama film directed by Dick Lowry. It stars Ralph Waite, David Birney, Talia Balsam, Dixie Carter and also features Leslie Nielsen as the Governor. It was broadcast on CBS on January 2, 1980. The film is about a conservative farmer in the Midwest who leads a group of local residents lobbying against a power company invading their land. It was shot on location in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

<i>Radio Cab Murder</i> 1954 British film by Vernon Sewell

Radio Cab Murder is a 1954 British second feature crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Lana Morris and Sonia Holm. It was made by the independent Eros Films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisbee massacre</span> 1884 homicides in Cochise County, Arizona

The Bisbee massacre occurred in Bisbee, Arizona, on December 8, 1883, when six outlaws who were part of the Cochise County Cowboys robbed a general store. Believing the general store's safe contained a mining payroll of $7,000, they timed the robbery incorrectly and were only able to steal between $800 and $3,000, along with a gold watch and jewelry. During the robbery, members of the gang killed five people, including a lawman and a pregnant woman. Six men were convicted of the robbery and murders. John Heath, who was accused of organizing the robbery, was tried separately and sentenced to life in prison. The other five men were convicted of murder and sentenced to hang.

<i>King Solomons Treasure</i> 1979 Canadian film

King Solomon's Treasure is a 1979 British-Canadian low-budget film based on the novels King Solomon's Mines (1885) and Allan Quatermain (1887) by H. Rider Haggard. It stars John Colicos as Allan Quatermain, as well as David McCallum, Britt Ekland, and Patrick Macnee who replaced Terry-Thomas.

<i>Colonel March Investigates</i> 1953 British film by Cy Endfield

Colonel March Investigates is a 1953 British film directed by Cy Endfield. The film comprises the three pilot episodes of the TV series Colonel March of Scotland Yard that were filmed in 1952, starring Boris Karloff. These episodes were "Hot Money", "Death in the Dressing Room" and "The New Invisible Man".

<i>Cage of Evil</i> 1960 film

Cage of Evil is a low-budget 1960 crime film starring Ron Foster and Patricia Blair.

Marta Heflin was an American actress who appeared in several Robert Altman films, including Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean and A Perfect Couple. Known for her waifish appearance, Heflin also acted in various New York stage musicals prior to her film career, such as Fiddler on the Roof, Hair, and Jesus Christ Superstar.

References

  1. https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-gentleman-bandit/2030056311/
  2. 1 2 3 Caparella, Kitty (11 February 1981). "Once notorious priest takes on reel life". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 2.
  3. Garafola, Peter (22 February 1981). "Optimism Carries Waite". Mount Vernon Argus. p. 51.
  4. Marill, Alvin H. (1987). Movies Made for Television: The Telefeature and the Mini-series, 1964-1986. New York Zoetrope. ISBN   978-0-918432-80-3.
  5. "The Gentleman Bandit (1981)". BFI. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved 2023-06-18.
  6. "The Gentleman Bandit". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2023-06-22.
  7. Roberts, Jerry (2009-06-05). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-6378-1.
  8. Freeman, Mike; Holmberg, David (6 May 1981). "Questions remain in Pagano Case". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 21.
  9. Malone, Peter (2019-08-19). Screen Priests: The Depiction of Catholic Priests in Cinema, 1900-2018. ISD LLC. ISBN   978-1-925872-91-0.
  10. 1 2 Rev. Bernard Pagano, 81; Cleared of Being ‘Gentleman Bandit’ Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  11. "Ralph Waites portrays clerical bandit". The Ottawa Citizen. 18 April 1981. p. 248.