Cry Chicago (originally ''¡Viva América!'' and also released as ''The Mafia Mob'', it, La vera storia di Frank Mannata) is a 1969 Spanish-Italian crime film directed by the

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film director

Javier Setó Javier Setó (1926–1969) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * '' Forbidden Trade'' (1952) * '' Bronze and Moon'' (1953) * '' Bread, Love and Andalusia'' (1958) * '' Pelusa'' (1960) * ''The Castilian ''The Cast ...

(in the credit ''Saviero Seto''), starring Jeffrey Hunter, Guglielmo Spoletini,

Eduardo Fajardo Eduardo Martínez Fajardo (14 August 1924 – 4 July 2019) was a Spanish film actor born in Meis (Pontevedra), Spain. He appeared in 183 films, 75 plays and made 2,000 television appearances between 1947 and 2002. Biography He was born in ...

Víctor Israel Víctor Israel born José María Soler Vilanova (13 June 1929 – 19 September 2009) was a Spanish film actor. He appeared in more than 140 films, beginning in 1961. He died on 19 September 2009 aged 80 in Barcelona. Selected filmography ...

, Pier Angeli, Margaret Lee and Gogó Rojo.

Plot

After the Great Depression Francesco Mannata started out to America from

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to his brother Salvatore in

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. Francesco takes the name ''Frank Mannata'' and with Salvatore and their sister, Rosella organized a mafia empire. The mafia war breaks out between the Sicilian Mannatas and the Italo-

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

O'Connor-Messina gangs. Many people die in the conflicts (including Salvatore and Rose); finally, Frank Mannata is killed by the minor gangster Dr. MacDonald.

Cast

* Jeffrey Hunter: Frank (Francesco) Mannata * Guglielmo Spoletini: Salvatore Mannata, Frank's brother * Margaret Lee: Lucy Barrett, Frank's wife * Gogó Rojo: Rosella (Rose) Mannata, Frank's sister * Pier Angeli: Bambi (as Anna Maria Pierangeli), Salvatore's lover *

: Dick O'Connor, Irish gangster boos *

: Dr. MacDonald, doctor, consultant and gangster * Beni Deus: Timothy, Rosella's Greek husband *

Paloma Cela María Luisa Cela Molinero (4 March 1943 – 30 March 2019), better known by her stage name Paloma Cela, was a Spanish actress and model. Biography Born in Madrid, Spain, she started out as a model and made her cinema debut in the 1967 film ''O ...

Luis Induni Luis Induni (5 March 1920, in Romano di Lombardia, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy – 31 December 1979, in Barcelona, Spain) was an Italian film actor of the 1950s 1960s and 1970s. He made his debut in the western film ''Billy the Kid'' (1962) al ...

: Buchanan, police chief of Chicago * Sun De Sanders: Patricia * Barta Barri: Matón, O'Connor's henchman *

Antonio Pica Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Pica Serrano (21 March 1933 — 26 April 2014) was a Spanish actor. Pica died on 26 April 2014 at a hospital in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain. Filmography * ''A Fistful of Dollars'' (1964) - Rojo Gang Memb ...

: Federel agent Ethen Lason *

Ricardo Palacios Ricardo López-Nuño Díez (2 March 1940 – 11 February 2015), better known as Ricardo Palacios, was a Spanish actor, film director and screenwriter. Born in Reinosa (Cantabria), Palacios graduated from the Official Film School in Madrid as a ...

: Charlie Romero, bar owner * Lola Villar: prostituta * Mike Brendel * Miguel del Castillo: O'Brian, gangster and O'Connor's mate * Juan Olaguivel: O'Brian's bodyguard and driver * Fernando Bilbao * Kathy Lagarde * Yamil Omar: Turkish immigrant * Antonia Mas: Mammy, proprietress of bordello * Rafael Vaquero * Adolfo Thous * Manuel Bermúdez Boliche * José Solís * Armando Calvo: Senator Charles Temple

Production

Setó's movie partly is the epigon of crime film ''They Paid with Bullets: Chicago 1929'' (1969) of

Julio Diamante Julio Diamante (27 December 1930 – 1 August 2020) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He directed ten films between 1959 and 1976. His 1965 film '' El arte de vivir'' was entered into the 15th Berlin International Film Festival. H ...

. While in Spain in November 1968 to film ''Cry Chicago'', Jeffrey Hunter was injured in an on-set explosion when a car window near him, which had been rigged to explode outward, accidentally exploded inward. Hunter sustained a serious concussion. According to Hunter's wife Emily, he "...went into shock" on the plane ride back to the United States after filming. After landing, Hunter was taken to

Good Samaritan Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital or Good Samaritan Medical Center may refer to: India *Good Samaritan Hospital (Panamattom), Koprakalam, Panamattom, Kerala *Good Samaritan Centre, Mutholath Nagar, Cherpunkal, Kottyam, Kerala United States *Banner - Univer ...

in Los Angeles but doctors could not find any serious injuries. On May 26, 1969, Hunter suffered an

intracranial hemorrhage Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), also known as intracranial bleed, is hemorrhage, bleeding internal bleeding, within the Human skull, skull. Subtypes are intracerebral bleeds (intraventricular bleeds and intraparenchymal bleeds), subarachnoid bleed ...

in Van Nuys, California. He fell and struck his head on a banister, fracturing his skull. He was found unconscious and taken to Valley Presbyterian Hospital where he underwent brain surgery to repair his injuries. He died the following morning at the age of 42. This was Hunter's final completed film role.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0065252, title=¡Viva América! Spanish crime films Italian crime films 1969 films Films directed by Javier Setó Films scored by Gianfranco Reverberi 1969 crime films Films about the Chicago Outfit 1960s Italian films