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

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions, LLC (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 Awards ceremony, award sh ...

and released by

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

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. Early life Walker was born ...

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 television and radio personality and television producer who hosted ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 1989. He also hosted five incarnations of the Pyramid (game show), ...

. Others in the cast include

Norman Alden Norman Alden ( 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 provided ...

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 B ...

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential figures in country music, he was a central pioneer of the Bakersfield ...

and

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

. 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 (March 23, 1936 – April 4, 2024) was an American racing driver and film and television director. Racing career Bruce Kessler was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He was the son of a clothin ...

. The

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

-album featured

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singers Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens, Kay Adams and

Jack Clement Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, record producer, film producer and music executive. He was producer and engineer for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in its early days, discovering ...

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

Plot

Johnny Warder gets out of prison and returns to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

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 state trooper, 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 According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.3 km), of which ...

, with additional scenes shot in

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

References

External links

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