Joe minimizes things quickly, calling his gun only a "good-luck charm." She asks if he can leave his gangland connections, but he responds:Joe: Once in the gang, you know the rest.]The stylistic film, shot in only thirty-six days - an adult story with children as major characters, was extremely unusual and unpopular for its time for other reasons.They believed that Dolarhyde was dead, according to Reba's account.Dolarhyde's scrapbook was retrieved from his safe, telling the tragic story of the serial killer's childhood with a despising grandmother who called him a "filthy little beast.Director Mervyn LeRoy (who had directed the early great gangster filmLittle Caesar (1930)), delivered this pure and straight-forward film to expectant audiences.