Bullets or Ballots

film by Keighley [1936]

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July 16, 2026

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The film Bullets or Ballots, released in 1936, was directed by William Keighley. This crime drama features an undercover detective, played by Edward G. Robinson, confronting a mob boss and his henchman, portrayed by Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart. The film was a success in the crime genre for Keighley, following his work on the Al Jolson musical The Singing Kid. Keighley's career spanned various genres, and he worked extensively with Warner Brothers, directing notable films with actors like James Cagney and Errol Flynn.1

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William Keighley
…to the crime genre with Bullets or Ballots (1936), in which an undercover detective (played by Edward G. Robinson) is pitted against a mob boss (Barton MacLane) and his henchman (Humphrey Bogart). Then came the biblical musical The Green Pastures (1936), an adaptation of Marc Connelly’s Pulitzer Prize-winning
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…to the crime genre with Bullets or Ballots (1936), in which an undercover detective (played by Edward G. Robinson) is pitted against a mob boss (Barton MacLane) and his henchman (Humphrey Bogart). Then came the biblical musical The Green Pastures (1936), an adaptation of Marc Connelly’s Pulitzer Prize-winning
Read More

Edward G. Robinson
…fine understated comedy, whereas in Bullets or Ballots (1936) he at last got to play somebody on the right side of the law, an undercover policeman. In 1937 he began a five-year run on the popular radio series Big Town, playing a newspaper editor.
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…fine understated comedy, whereas in Bullets or Ballots (1936) he at last got to play somebody on the right side of the law, an undercover policeman. In 1937 he began a five-year run on the popular radio series Big Town, playing a newspaper editor.
Read More