The title of this film was changed in October 1949 to Deadly Is the Female, under which title it was reviewed by most trade publications. By the time the film played in New York, in August 1950, the title had been changed back to Gun Crazy. Pre-production news items in Hollywood Reporter announced that Hy Jason and Dick Foote were to be cast in the picture, but their appearance in the final film has not been confirmed. According to a March 1949 Hollywood Reporter news item, Veronica Lake was sought for the female lead. A May 27, 1949 Hollywood Reporter news item reports that six-year-old Jimmy Ingram and his six sisters were cast in the film, but their appearance in the completed film has not been confirmed. Portions of the film were shot on location in Montrose and Reseda, CA, and at the Angeles Crest Highway. According to information in the file on the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, the first draft of the screenplay was rejected by the Breen Office.
In 1992, Millard Kaufman revealed that he had acted as a "front" for blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo, and asked the Writers Guild of America to remove his own name from the credits. In a Daily Variety interview, Kaufman explained that although he and Trumbo did not know each other, he agreed to the arrangement at the request of their mutual agent, George Willner. "I've been telling people for years that I didn't write that movie," Kaufman told Daily Variety, "but I guess it never becomes official until it appears in the newspaper." In a modern interview in Hollywood Reporter, Kaufman added that he had never even seen the film. In October 1992, at Kaufman's request, the Writers Guild gave Trumbo (who died in 1976) official writing credit, along with MacKinlay Kantor, for Gun Crazy. Also in 1992, Academy Entertainment released Guncrazy, starring Drew Barrymore, a film loosely inspired by Gun Crazy.
Released in United States Winter January 1, 1949
Shown at FILMEX: Los Angeles International Film Exposition (A "B-Movie" Marathon) April 13 - May 1, 1983.
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Millard Kaufman was originally credited, along with MacKinlay Kanto, as screenwriter. In 1992 the Writers Guild of America determined, at Kaufman's urging, that Dalton Trumbo was the actual co-screenwriter. Trumbo, a member of the "Hollywood Ten," was blacklisted and imprisoned in 1948 for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee. "Gun Crazy" is the only film for which Kaufman acted as a front. His actual credits include "Bad Day at Black Rock," "Raintree Country" and "Take the High Ground."
Selected in 1998 for inclusion in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.
Released in United States Winter January 1, 1949
