I am heading off to see “Gangster Squad” this morning, not because I expect it to be good, but because I expect it to be very, very bad, as already reflected by the first reviews and the trailers. I have prepared myself by watching “Mulholland Falls” and “The Black Dahlia” to see if “Gangster Squad” can manage to be even worse, which you have to admit, will be an achievement.
I can already tell the contempt this movie shows for reality by having an African American detective. The LAPD was integrated in the 1940s? This script was written by an ex-LAPD cop?
Oh wait! We have the current L.A. skyline in a 1940s movie. There’s City Hall and the Hall of Justice, but where’s the Hall of Records?
ladailymirror.com 
Praying for you and Rosemary’s Baby. From the graphic above, it may be a silly symphony of men wearing hats badly.
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That was my thought, too, when reading Larry’s title here….I think just by judging the embarrassing mis-wearing of faux-vintage fedoras in the ad, it’s going to be a very bumpy night, indeed! Larry, you have to come up with a good, snappy name for this “syndrome”. Ever since you pointed out the awfulness of the hats (and wearing of the same) in “period” films, I find that it really does work as a barometer of how good or bad the rest of the film is! What would you call this, I wonder?
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Please let us know the verdict, as we were going to see “Gangster Squad” but maybe you can save us a trip.
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One online review called it a two-hour commercial for flashbulbs, Tommy guns and fedoras… Really. Check out the LAT and NYT reviews. As if you couldn’t tell by the trailers. The only question is whether it will be “Plan 9 From Outer Space” bad or “Heaven’s Gate” bad.
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Please don’t forget a hat-wearing report!
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I would like to know how they portray the Hat Squad compared to the real guys. Interesting to note there becoming attorneys and eventually judges.
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Boy, I like a reviewer with an open mind!! Now you know how wikipedia feels!
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Gangster Squad by Ralph Lauren.See it today at your nearest drugstore cosmetics counter.
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You questioned the film for showing an integrated LA Police Force in the 1940’s. According to Los Angeles Police Museum website, LA hired its first black officer, Robert William Stewart, in 1886, followed by its first woman officer in 1888.
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Did the LAPD have African American police officers in the 1940s? Sure. Did they work alongside white officers as peers? No. The African American officers in the 1940s were restricted to all-black units. The LAPD was strictly segregated at the time.
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In fact, I recall reading that African American officers were limited to serving only in African American neighborhoods like Newton Div’s Central Ave. and always supervised by whites. The old color line pre 1950s LA was once Adams Ave
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