The Untouchables (TV Series) The Lily Dallas Story (1961) User Reviews

Norma Crane's white heat

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 26 July 2012]

Norma Crane light up the small screen with her portrayal of a vicious and amoral criminal mastermind in this Untouchables episode. Crane's Lily Dallas who masks her activities with a beauty shop front makes Ma Barker look like a Sunday school teacher. Crane borrows a lot from what Virginia Mayo did as James Cagney's tramp of a wife in White Heat, but she adds a whole lot of white heat on her own.

The show starts with the kidnapping of millionaire Dabbs Greer who is shot and killed after the ransom is paid. Now that should have brought the FBI in, but this was apparently slightly before the Lindbergh kidnapping where J. Edgar Hoover's organization assumed jurisdiction in such matters. Here however Eliot Ness and his squad are brought.

Larry Parks plays Crane's husband and Ed Nelson plays her boy toy in the gang as well. All in all it is one of the bloodier Untouchabes episodes.

Still for Crane's dynamic portrayal despite some technical flaws, this episode should be seen.

"You listen HARD laughing boy!!!"

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 4 May 2016]

I noticed one review compared Norma Crane's performance as Lily Dallas was a lot like a female version of "White Heat"...Cagney's most enjoyable and psychotic performance. I think this is very accurate. While a bit more subtle, it's not by much and the character is nasty and wicked in a way you almost never saw on "The Untouchables"....especially from a woman. The only one who came close was season one's "Ma Barker and Her Boys". For this reason alone, this episode is well worth seeing.

The show begins with a kidnapping. George Dallas wants to let their rich hostage go now that they've been paid, but his wife, Lily is the power in that gang and she insists they kill the guy to prevent their being any loose ends. One thing Lily is not is sentimental! She also has a similar attitude towards her family--she couldn't give a rat's butt about her kid, she constantly screams at her alcoholic mother and cheats on her husband...simply because she has no heart and no conscience.

Putting together some very, very, very vague clues the Untouchables somehow catch up to Lily and this is the big problem with this otherwise excellent show. Why, when Ness and his man ransack a house would they focus on a particular sample of lipstick?! This really wasn't logical...and the show could have done this portion better. Still, it's exciting and well worth seeing...just to watch nasty Lily in action. I especially liked her machine gun-stoked tantrum near the end...classic. And that final scene...wow!!

A Wild Episode Featuring A Female Crime Boss

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 24 November 2011]

Norma Crane really chews up the scenery in this unusual story of a female boss criminal. She plays "Lily Dallas," a rough-edged, hot-tempered but very smart and tormented character who pushes around all the men and usually pulls off successful heists. She knows what she's doing, and the men respect that.

Also in the group of thieves-turned-kidnappers is her husband "Blackie" (George Parks) and a flirt "Marty" (Ed Nelson) and the sparks between those two and Lily provide a sub-plot that winds up having a dramatic ending.

This was an interesting story, with a few shocking parts in it.

Notes: Playing Lily's mother is June Vincent, whom film noir fans might recall as the co-star in the 1946 film, "Black Angel." In an uncredited role, we see Barbara Parkins of "Valley Of The Dolls/Peyton Place" fame.

Real Life Followup

[livewell-65840 · 10/10 · 9 August 2020]

It was mentioned at the very end the daughter of Lily Dallas grew up to be a famous actress. Who was she?