The Moonshine War

The smash hit "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) sparked a revival of 1930s gangster yarns and Elmore Leonard got on it with his novel, "The Moonshine War" (1969), which he adapted for the screen the following year. After much success with westerns and crime stories, this movie seemed to combine both genres, but, too often, it strains credulity. Leonard was an excellent novelist, but this script ill serves his reputation: a taut, clever, suspenseful scene in the stage depot, by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank from "Hombre" (1967) is tortured into a lengthy, silly, annoying scene in an eatery here. Writers are fading or just making a buck when they start imitating themselves. But better writers adapted some later stories on which Leonard got some co-producing credit. Sadly, some antique cars are wrecked.

G-man frank long (mcgoohan) wanders into town and starts sniffing around the stills. Right away, long zeroes in on the supply made by john martin (alda, just before "mash". ) but long doesn't want to destroy it... he wants to buy it! As a speculator. Is he really even from the guv-ment? Now it's a showdown. Long calls in some old shifty friends (widmark and others) to help "negotiate". It snowballs out of control, and the bodies start piling up. Keep an eye out for teri garr, the wife in the diner, a couple years before "young frankenstein". This must be where she met alan alda, since they both appeared in mash. It's good! Not perfect, but good stuff. Martin's accent comes and goes. Lots of the "n" word, but that was probably historically accurate during prohibition. Directed by richard quine. Directed an odd collection of films and tv series over his career. Story by elmore leonard. Check out his list of written work... you'll recognize many of them!

I thoroughly enjoyed this offbeat movie. Patrick McGoohan as a Tennessee revenooer? Yep, he pulls it off. Alan Alda as a moonshiner? Alda plays it low key. He's as cool as a cucumber despite facing considerable adversity. With more great performances from Richard Widmark, Will Geer, Bo Hopkins and, as a demented killer, Lee Hazlewood. Widmark played a bad guy but without the sneering, evil tones he was known for. Not sure whether previous reviewers watched the entire movie as the low ratings were a surprise to me. Regardless, I took the plunge and I'm glad that I did. Everyone in town loved Son Martin (Alda) so I found it interesting that the writers refrained from making this a typical rally around your buddy film, instead portraying all of Son's friends as nothing more than interested spectators. I say give this movie a try and you won't be disappointed.

It's obvious with the 1932 presidential election coming up that Roosevelt will be in and Hoover (and thus prohibition) will be out, but with the need for corn moonshine still abundant, the industry of bootlegging is booming. Realizing that his days as a federal prohibition agent are numbered, Patrick McGoohan decides that he's going to make some last-minute money by getting involved in the industry he's been fighting against and turns to old army Buddy Alan Alda who owns one of the biggest stills in Kentucky. Sheriff Will Geer (always looking the other way with the illegal bootlegging going on around him) has a hysterically funny description of a man's right to do whatever he wants with the corn he grows, anf when McGoohan fails in his attempts, he brings in dr. Richard Widmark who brings along his own kiss of death in infiltrating this industry which result in a ton of violence and death. Fast moving and always enjoyable but with some very bizarre sequences (one involving a scene in a restaurant where McGoohan and his girlfriend are forced at gunpoint to give up their clothes), this is nevertheless a good film on a historical level about the months of a failed amendment. Fortunately it doesn't overdo the twangy accents in a way that is cartoonish (although that twang is still prevalent), and the bluegrass music in the background isn't overpowering either. Alda, not yet at the time associated with "MASH", plays against the good-natured type that he would become known for, and McGoohan and Geer are very good as well, with Richard Widmark, now a fabulous Silver Fox, returning to his fun loving bad guy image. Only Suzanne Zenor as Alda's dizzy girlfriend, is annoying, but that's based more on the character than her performance. This was obviously influenced by the period crime films that became popular after "Bonnie and Clyde", and while not a classic of that nature is still worth seeing.

This movie gets 5 stars just for having both those guys in it. The other 5 is for being a fun movie with great period flavor. Alda is electrifying as a hillbilly. Lee Hazlewood looks much seedier in person than on his album covers but gives a great performance. It's cool to see cast members of MASH the TV show and the movie together. Great songs too. The finale is a blast. Watch it.

Prohibition enforcement agent Patrick McGoohan shows up and tries to track down Alan Alda's reported stash of moonshine, thousands of gallons he is aging in anticipation of Roosevelt's election and legalization of booze. When Alda says no, McGoohan brings in bootlgeer Richard Widmark, who starts a war with Alda for the liquor. It's filled with thoroughly unlikable characters, with Widmark returning to his early, sociopathic roles, McGoohan utterly corrupt, and Alda very convincing as an unlikable moonshiner. Quine, who had been riding high in the 1950s, was near the end of his string, and was clearly trying to get some of that Bonnie-and-Clyde vibe, but everything is too clean for the back-end setting of hillbilly country just before the 1932 election. Still, it's a fine opportunity to see some classic supporting actors in brief bits, including Will Geer, Harry Carey Jr., and Max Showalter, and some players becoming well known inbits, including Teri Garr, John Schuck, and Tom Skerritt. Despite these small pleasures, it's a thoroughly and probably deliberately nasty movie. Elmore Leonard scripted from his own novel.

When this strange story begins, a federal agent (Patrick McGoohan) arrives in rural Kentucky in 1932...during the final days of Prohibition. He has a scheme to buy up all the local corn whiskey in order to sell it and get rich when the law changes...allowing the sale of alcohol. At first, this seems like it might be a winning proposition for him and the farmers. But when his sociopathic partners arrive in town, their methods are a bit more violent...and soon stills are being destroyed,and folks are getting killed. Eventually this leads to a weird standoff where the folks in town come out to watch the killing...just like they were going to an afternoon picnic! This is a most unusual film for many reasons. Seeing Alan Alda, Richard Widmark and Patrick McGoohan in a rural film like this did seem odd...though they did reasonably well. It's also unusual because at times, realism seemed to mean very little...with the inexplicably strange character, Dual, does things that simply don't make sense (such as the clothing scene in the restaurant). I think the film would have been much, much better without him. So is it any good? Well, it's made okay and obviously folks enjoyed it when you read through the reviews. As for me, I didn't particularly enjoy what I watched,. it was a bit slow and it seemed awfully unrealistic. By the way, this is far from a politically correct movie....with the infamous n-word being used again and again. Sadly, it did make the film seem more real (after all, folks DID talk like this back in the day)...that's for sure.

It's Prohibition Kentucky. Federal agent Frank Long (Patrick McGoohan) arrives to squeeze money from the local moonshiners. He tracks down old army buddy John W. (Son) Martin (Alan Alda) and demands a cut. Son figures on waiting him out as Prohibition is rumored to be ending soon. A cold war starts heating up between Long and everybody else. He recruits gangster Dr. Emmett Taulbee (Richard Widmark) from Louisville. It's a little weird to see Alan Alda playing this humorless role. It's an odd bird. It's not actually funny and they have a couple of great comedic actors including Alda. It's not actually thrilling. It's not even that tense despite plenty of shooting. The story meanders and unfolds. It's based on an Elmore Leonard novel. It may work better if the movie makes Son the protagonist. There is an edge to the material that is missing from the film. Its quirky tone doesn't work.

There are quite a few Hollywood A stars such as Alan Alda,Richard Widmark, Patrick McGoohan,Will Geer,Harry Carey Jr., and Bo Hopkins but even this all star cast could not provide any razz matazz to this late, late night 1970 clunker. Some local southern townsfolk in Prohibition-era Kentucky survive on making bootleg booze which a federal agent decides he can take over the entire venture and make his fortune just by using the long arm of the law to his benefit. If it sounds interesting and maybe the story did have some opportunity but this director, Richard Quine was unable to capitalize on it just like the Kentucky moonshiners of the Prohibition time. I found the entire film boring. the only appeal to me was the good looks and allure of the local sleezy hotel owner of 37 year old actress Melodie Johnson. I can only give this clunker a 3 out of 10 IMDB rating, and if it happened to be made available again at a late night Drive-In triple bill, and/or on the late, late night archive films I would pass and hit the hay, as this film would certainly put me to sleep anyway.

A tale of a lot of moonshine & the people out to get it. A down on his luck T-Man played by Patrick McGoohan, tries to muscle in on a bootlegger & buy his stash since the upcoming election will probably mean the end of prohibition. When the moonshiner, played by Alan Alda (before he rose to fame in TV's MASH) disagrees, McGoohan brings in outside help to convince him otherwise. When it turns out his help comes in the form of a sadistic dentist/gangster (are there any other kind?) played by Richard Widmark, the bullets go flying & blood & liquor is spilled. Based on a novel by Elmore Leonard & scripted by him, this offbeat tale is great at concept but lousy on delivery as evidenced by the off-putting & wishy/washy lead & abrupt ending. Look for a young Teri Garr (her name is spelled Terry here which makes no sense since she was in a Star Trek episode a few years earlier & her name was spelled correctly there) & future Alien actor Tom Skeritt unbilled here as a fellow moonshiner.