''Thieves Like Us'' is the second and last published novel written by Edward Anderson (1905–1969). It was published in 1937 by

Frederick A. Stokes Frederick Abbott Stokes (November 4, 1857 – November 15, 1939) was an American publisher, founder and long-time head of the eponymous Frederick A. Stokes Company. Biography Stokes graduated from Yale Law School in 1879. He worked at Dodd, Mea ...

. In a 1974 review of a paperback reissue, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote that "nothing in the book has been diminished by time, including the sentiment of a bank robber named T-Dub Masefeld that bankers are 'thieves just like us.'" See: ''Crime Novels: American Noir of the 1930s and 40s'' by Robert Polito (editor),

The Library of America The Library of America (LOA) is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature. Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LOA has published over 300 volumes by authors rang ...

(1997). Anderson sold the movie rights for $500. The first film version, a black-and-white production by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

, was called '' They Live by Night''. It had a delayed premiere in 1950. Directed by

Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor best known for the 1955 film '' Rebel Without a Cause.'' He is appreciated for many narrative features p ...

(his first major directorial effort) and starring

Farley Granger Farley Earle Granger Jr. (July 1, 1925 – March 27, 2011) was an American actor, best known for his two collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock: ''Rope'' in 1948 and '' Strangers on a Train'' in 1951. Granger was first noticed in a small ...

and

Cathy O'Donnell Cathy O'Donnell (born Ann Steely, July 6, 1923 – April 11, 1970) was an American actor who appeared in '' The Best Years of Our Lives,'' '' Ben-Hur,'' and films noir such as ''Detective Story'' and '' They Live by Night''. Early life O' ...

, it is a classic noir crime film. A second film version was later made by Robert Altman in 1974 and released by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

studios under the same title as the book, '' Thieves Like Us''. In September 2010, The House Theatre of Chicago produced an original live theater adaptation of the script. The production, at Chopin Theatre, ran for four weeks.

References

External links

* * 1937 American novels American crime novels American novels adapted into films Texas literature Frederick A. Stokes Company books {{1930s-crime-novel-stub