Roger Corman's first gangster movie.
Charles Bronson was about thirty-six years of age when he appeared in this movie.
Actor Dick Miller, a Roger Corman regular, was scheduled to play the title role, but writer R. Wright Campbell kept pushing for his brother, William Campbell, to get it and began tailoring the script to emphasize his brother's strengths. To avoid internal squabbling, Corman assigned the role to Charles Bronson.
George Kelly aka Machine Gun Kelly was chosen as this movie's subject / central character because he had been on the FBI's No. 1 list after the 1933 kidnapping by Kelly of Oklahoma oil magnate Charles F Urschel. This movie was loosely based on this incident where a $200,000 ransom was surrendered.
George Kelly's other nickname, other than Machine Gun Kelly, was, to his friends, Popgun Kelly.
Late appearing with Charles Bronson in Chino as Maral, Marcel Bozzuffi once dubbed Bronson on French release prints of Machine-Gun Kelly when released in France during 1963.
The Florence 'Flo' Becker character was based on George Kelly's girlfriend, Kathryn Thorne aka Cleo Brooks.
The movie was shot in only eight days, before post production started.
Theatrical feature film acting debut for comedian Morey Amsterdam.
This is the only ever movie that director Roger Corman and star actor Charles Bronson made together.
This movie was made because American International Pictures executive producers 'Samuel Z Arkoff' and James H. Nicholson wanted to make a gangster picture.
This was Charles Bronson's first ever lead starring role.
This was released as one of American International's double features when is was paired with the non-Corman The Bonnie Parker Story.