On this day, Oct. 31, in 1912, the movie “The Musketeers of Pig Alley” was released to theaters. It is credited with being the first gangster film in history. Directed and written by controversial and groundbreaking director, D.W. Griffith, the film was about a poor married couple in New York City.
The 17-minute silent film co-starred Lillian Gish, one of the greatest female stars of all time, and used actual street gang members as extras.
Today, the gangster genre is one of the most popular in movies. According to the Internet Movie Database, the No. 1-ranked movie of all time is the mob classic “The Godfather,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola.
– Scott McCabe
