With John Dillinger folklore given WAY too much attention, Balladeer’s Blog takes a look at some of the legends versus the ugly reality regarding some of his contemporary gangsters.
TWO-GUN CROWLEY
Real Name: Francis Crowley
Birth – Death: October 31st, 1912 – January 21st, 1932
Lore: Crowley was supposedly born out of wedlock to a German-American woman and a New York police officer who refused to marry Crowley’s mother. This supposedly accounts for his intense hatred of the police.
Reality: Such shallow, Pulp Magazine thinking doesn’t seem likely. The young man was adopted by a family in which Francis grew up alongside a cop-killing older brother named John Crowley. John himself would be killed in a battle with police.
This background seems a more likely explanation for Francis’ issues than some mythical hatred of an unknown father who abandoned him and his mother.
Criminal Career: By age 19, Crowley had a reputation as a competent holdup man and hit & run armed robber who never slipped up enough for a conviction. He might have escaped suspicion entirely if not for his excessively belligerent attitude when questioned by authorities.
On February 21st, 1931 Crowley, packing the omnipresent pair of hand-guns that earned him his nickname, crashed an American Legion dance in the Bronx. Two-Gun was accompanied by a pair of male accomplices, one of whom was believed to be frequent associate Rudolph “Fats” Durringer.
When the Legionnaires attempted to expel the uninvited trio Crowley whipped out his pair of firearms and opened fire, wounding at least two innocent men before fleeing. With charges of attempted murder now hanging over his head, Two-Gun was about to enter the busiest period of his career. Continue reading
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CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in this tournament were the 4 seeds – the MID-ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS – and the 2nd seeded TRINITY BAPTIST COLLEGE EAGLES. (Insert my usual remark about there being way too many college teams called Eagles.) 
DAY ONE, GAME ONE – The storied OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AMBASSADORS opened the action with a game against the ASSOCIATION FREE LUTHERAN BIBLE SCHOOL CONQUERORS. 
THE RATINGS GAME (1984) – Danny DeVito directed and starred in this telefilm – now being re-released under the vague-to-the-point-of-meaningless title The Mogul, which was produced by Showtime back when they and HBO Films were emerging as a genuine creative force in original content. 
The Ratings Game – written by Jim Mulholland and Michael Barrie – was a perfectly respectable satire on the network television ratings system but it has become unjustly forgotten. The change of title for its latest release seems like a desperate attempt to change the telefilm’s fortunes. 
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – A pair of Cinderellas vied for the Division One title in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association). The 5th seeded ROCHESTER COLLEGE WARRIORS played the 6 seeds – the OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS. 
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From the U.K. it’s the latest issue of The Fantastic Fifties: Filmland’s Most Fabulous Decade. 
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