''Killers Three'' is an American crime drama film produced in

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark. The studio primarily produces award shows and other music en ...

and released by

American International Pictures American International Pictures (AIP) is an American motion picture production label of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing fi ...

starring

Robert Walker Jr. Robert Hudson Walker Jr. (April 15, 1940 – December 5, 2019) was an American actor who appeared in films including ''Easy Rider'' (1969) and was a familiar presence on television in the 1960s and early 1970s. He became less active in lat ...

Diane Varsi Diane Marie Antonia Varsi (February 23, 1938 – November 19, 1992) was an American film actressHyams, Joe (December 16, 1957)"In Hollywood: Diane Varsi Sees Herself as 'Just an Actor,' Not Star" ''New York Herald Tribune''. p. 15. Retri ...

and

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

. Others in the cast include

Norman Alden Norman Alden (born Norman Adelberg, September 13, 1924 – July 27, 2012) was an American character actor who performed in television programs and motion pictures. He first appeared on television on ''The 20th Century Fox Hour'' in 1957. He p ...

Maureen Arthur Maureen Louise Arthur (April 15, 1934 – June 15, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actress. Life and career Arthur appeared in numerous movies and television programs from the late 1950s through the early 1990s as well as on Br ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...

and

Bonnie Owens Bonnie Owens (October 1, 1929 – April 24, 2006), born Bonnie Campbell, was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later Merle Haggard. Biography She was born Bonnie Campbell in Blanchard, Oklahoma, United Stat ...

. This western crime drama was written for the screen by Dick Clark and Michael Fisher. It was produced by Clark and directed by

Bruce Kessler Bruce Kessler (born March 23, 1936) is an American racing driver and film and television director. Racing career Kessler was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He was the son of a clothing designer. In the ear ...

. The

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

-album featured

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singers Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, Kay Adams and

Jack Clement Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter, and record and film producer. Biography Early life Raised and educated in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, Clement was performing at an early age, ...

. Haggard sings his own compositions including " Mama Tried".

Plot

Johnny Warder gets out of prison and returns to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

to marry sweetheart Carol, with whom he has a five-year-old son. Johnny and Carol decide to rob a local bootlegger's safe during a town picnic. Their accomplice is Roger, a former Army buddy of Johnny's with knowledge of explosives. They blow the safe to get at the $250,000 inside, but the job goes awry. During their escape, Johnny and Roger kill a law-enforcement official. At a diner, a sheriff, Carol's brother Charlie, spots the fugitives. In deference to his sister, Charlie agrees to give them a 10-minute head start before he contacts his fellow lawmen. But when emerging from a restroom, Roger doesn't realize who Charlie is and shoots him dead. The police eventually surround the gang at a sawmill. During a shootout, Roger is killed. Johnny and Carol drive off in a hail of bullets, and Carol is also killed. Johnny drives her body back to her mother and son.

Cast

as Johnny Warder *

as Carol *

as Roger *

as Guthrie *

as Elvira Sweeney *

as Charlie *

as Singer

Production

Much of the movie was filmed in

Ramseur, North Carolina Ramseur is a town in Randolph County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,692 at the 2010 census. Geography Ramseur is located at (35.733582, -79.653931). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of ...

, with additional scenes shot in

Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge (; 21 October 177225 July 1834) was an English poet, literary critic, philosopher, and theologian who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poe ...

References

External links

* 1968 films 1968 crime drama films 1960s crime thriller films American crime drama films American crime thriller films American International Pictures films Films scored by Jerry Styner Films directed by Bruce Kessler 1960s English-language films 1960s American films {{crime-thriller-film-stub