'A gun moll is early 1900s slang for the female companion, girlfriend or mistress of a male professional criminal or mob leader. Some gun molls were themselves gangsters and they were accomplices in criminal activities. BonnieParkerCigar1933

Terminology

They may also be called a gangster moll, gangster's moll or mob moll. "Gun" was British slang for thief, derived from Yiddish ''ganef'' ( גנבֿ). "Moll" is also used as a euphemism for a woman prostitute or it may be the "second element from nickname of Mary, used of disreputable females since early 1600s."

Historical examples

Notable gun molls (and the men they were associated with) include: * Beulah Baird – Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd * Jean Delaney (Crompton) – Tommy Carroll *

Phoolan Devi Phoolan Devi (, 10 August 1963 25 July 2001), popularly known as the Bandit Queen, was an Indian dacoit (bandit) who became a politician, serving as a member of parliament until her assassination. She was a woman of the Mallah subcaste who ...

– Indian

dacoit Dacoity is a term used for "banditry" in the Indian subcontinent. The spelling is the anglicised version of the Hindi word डाकू (ḍākū); "dacoit" is a colloquial Indian English word with the meaning "a robber belonging to an armed ...

, gun moll of Vikram Mallah, later turned into the gang leader after his death * Victoria DiGiorgio Gotti –

John Gotti John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 ( , ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American '' mafioso'' and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambin ...

* Judith Exner – an American woman who claimed to be the mistress of

U.S. president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

and of

Mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

leaders

Sam Giancana Salvatore "Mooney" Giancana ( ; born Gilormo Giangana, ; May 24, 1908 – June 19, 1975) was an American mobster who was boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957 to 1966. Giancana was born in Chicago to Italian immigrant parents. He joined the 42 ...

and

John Roselli John "Handsome Johnny" Roselli (sometimes spelled Rosselli; born Filippo Sacco; July 4, 1905 – August 7, 1976) was an Italian-born mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization exert influence over Hollywood and the Las Vegas Str ...

* Evelyn "Billie" Frechette –

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (; June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He commanded the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing twenty-four banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprison ...

Buda Godman Buda Godman (; December 4, 1888 – January 7, 1945) was an American criminal, actress, and singer. From 1907 to 1910, she was married to the popular songwriter and music publisher Tell Taylor. Six years after Taylor divorced her, Godman was arre ...

(; 1888–1945) – John Homer T. ("Dapper Jackie") French, member of the

Lou Blonger Lou Blonger (May 13, 1849 – April 20, 1924), born Louis Herbert Belonger, was a Wild West saloonkeeper, gambling-house owner, and mine speculator, but is best known as the kingpin of an extensive ring of confidence tricksters that operated ...

Gang of Denver. A photo of Buda holding a gun is found in Philip S. Van Cise's ''Fighting the Underworld.'' Van Cise, Philip S. ''Fighting the Underworld''. Cambridge, MA: The Riverside Press, (1936) * Catherine Greig – James

Whitey Bulger James Joseph "Whitey" Bulger Jr. (; September 3, 1929 – October 30, 2018) was an American organized crime boss who led the Winter Hill Gang, an Irish mob group based in the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, northw ...

* Maria Victoria Henao –

Pablo Escobar Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (; ; 1 December 19492 December 1993) was a Colombian drug lord, narcoterrorist, and politician who was the founder and leader of the Medellín Cartel. Dubbed the "King of Cocaine", Escobar was one of the wealthie ...

* Karen Hill –

Henry Hill Henry Hill Jr. (June 11, 1943 – June 12, 2012) was an American mobster who was associated with the Lucchese crime family of New York City from 1955 until 1980, when he was arrested on narcotics charges and became an FBI informant. Hill testi ...

Virginia Hill Virginia Hill (born Onie Virginia Hill; August 26, 1916 – March 24, 1966) was an American organized crime figure. An Alabama native, she became a Chicago Outfit courier during the mid-1930s. She was famous for being the girlfriend of mobster B ...

–

Bugsy Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel (; February 28, 1906 – June 20, 1947) was an American gangster, mobster who was a driving force behind the development of the Las Vegas Strip. Siegel was influential within the Jewish-American organized crime, Jewish Mo ...

Mary Kinder Mary Northern Kinder (August 29, 1909 – May 21, 1981) was a Prohibition era gun moll, most noted for being the girlfriend of Harry Pierpont and associate of John Dillinger. Along with Pearl Elliott, she was one of two women listed by the Chicago ...

''(née'' Mary Northern; 1909–1981) –

Harry Pierpont Harry "Pete" Pierpont (October 13, 1902 – October 17, 1934) was a Prohibition era gangster, convicted murderer and bank robber. He was a friend and mentor to John Dillinger. Described as handsome and soft-spoken, Pierpont was a bright, natural- ...

* Opal "Mack Truck" Long – Russell Clark *

Edna Murray Edna "Rabbit" Murray (1898–1966) was an American criminal associated with several high-profile gangs in the Depression-era of the early 1930s. Although popularly known to the press as the "Kissing Bandit" for kissing a male robbery victim, she ...

– wife of "Diamond Joe" Sullivan, who was executed for murder in 1924. She then married Jack Murray, who was imprisoned for 25 years in 1925. She then lived with

Volney Davis Volney Everett "Curley" Davis (February 14, 1902 – July 20, 1979) was an American bank robber and Great Depression-era outlaw. A longtime Oklahoma bandit, he was the boyfriend of Edna Murray and an associate of both the John Dillinger and Al ...

, until they were both arrested for kidnapping in 1935. * Mary O'Dare –

Raymond Hamilton Raymond Elzie Hamilton (May 21, 1914 – May 10, 1935) was a member of the notorious Barrow Gang during the early 1930s. By the time he was 20 years old, he had accumulated a prison sentence of 362 years. Early life Raymond Hamilton was born M ...

Bonnie Parker Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut "Champion" Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were American outlaws who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, committing a ser ...

–

Clyde Barrow Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut "Champion" Barrow (March 24, 1909May 23, 1934) were American outlaws who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression, committing a ser ...

* Geraldine "Geri" McGee Rosenthal –

Frank Rosenthal Frank Lawrence "Lefty" Rosenthal (June 12, 1929 – October 13, 2008) was an American professional sports gambler, Las Vegas casino executive, organized crime associate, and FBI informant. Rosenthal, who was once called "the greatest living expe ...

* Kathryn Thorne ''(née'' Cleo May Brooks; 1904–1985) –

George "Machine Gun" Kelly Machine Gun Kelly most often refers to: * Machine Gun Kelly (gangster) (1900–1954), Prohibition era American gangster * Machine Gun Kelly (musician) (born 1990), American actor and musician Machine Gun Kelly may also refer to: * ''Machine-Gun K ...

* Helen Gillis ''(née'' Wawzynak; 1908–1987) – George "Baby Face" Nelson * Kiki Roberts -

Legs Diamond Jack "Legs" Diamond (possibly born John Thomas Diamond, though disputed; July 10, 1897 – December 18, 1931), also known as John Nolan and Gentleman Jack, was an Irish Americans, Irish-American gangster in Philadelphia and New York City during ...

In fiction

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

movies about

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

, the gangster's moll is usually an attractive, blonde — often a variant of the bimbo stereotype — who may be a former

showgirl A showgirl is a female performer in a theatrical revue who wears an exotic and revealing costume and in some shows may appear topless. Showgirls are usually dancers, sometimes performing as chorus girls, burlesque dancers or fan dancers, and ...

. The gangster often uses the moll as a "

trophy A trophy is a tangible, decorative item used to remind of a specific achievement, serving as recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are most commonly awarded for sports, sporting events, ranging from youth sports to professional level athlet ...

" to boost his

status Status (Latin plural: ''statūs''), is a state, condition, or situation, and may refer to: * Status (law) ** Legal status, in law ** Political status, in international law ** Small entity status, in patent law ** Status conference ** Status c ...

. Examples include: *The gangster's girlfriend in the 1931 film ''

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman, and starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Edward Woods ...

'' *the moll in the 1967 film '' The St Valentine's Day Massacre'' *Hilda, the gun moll played by

Joan Bennett Joan Geraldine Bennett (February 27, 1910 – December 7, 1990) was an American stage, film, and television actress, one of three acting sisters from a show-business family. Beginning her career on the stage, Bennett appeared in more than 70 fil ...

in the 1939 film ''

The Housekeeper's Daughter ''The Housekeeper's Daughter'' is a 1939 comedy/drama film directed and produced by Hal Roach. The film stars Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou and John Hubbard. The screenplay was written by Rian James, Gordon Douglas, Jack Jevne and Claude Marti ...

References

External links

* {{Wiktionary-inline Organized crime members by role Organized crime-related lists Yiddish words and phrases Slang terms for women Female gangsters Stock characters

Terminology

Historical examples

In fiction

See also

References

External links