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Suddenly (1954)

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Suddenly (1954)

Suddenly is a 1954 film noir starring Frank Sinatra as John Baron, a psychotic assassin intent on the assassination of the President of the United States, who plans to make a stop in the small town of Suddenly, California. In order to carry out his plan, John Baron holds the town sheriff (Sterling Hayden) and a family hostage in a house overlooking the town's train station. The film features much dialogue regarding guns and firearms. The film's copyright fell into the public domain over the years, leading to poor quality releases on video, and only recently did a high quality HD version appear on Blu-ray. It is a surprisingly little-known film but is very dramatic and well-acted by its stars. A remake directed by Uwe Boll was released in 2013.


The following weapons were used in the film Suddenly (1954):


Error creating thumbnail: File missing WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS!


Smith & Wesson M&P

Sheriff Tod Shaw (Sterling Hayden) and his Deputy Slim Adams (Paul Wexler) each carry a Smith & Wesson M&P revolver in their holsters. Some Secret Service agents are also seen with M&P's.

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Smith & Wesson Model 10 - .38 Special
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Sheriff Shaw walks Ellen to her car outside the drugstore with the M&P visible in his holster.
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Deputy Slim Adams (Paul Wexler) fires his M&P during a shootout with Bart Wheeler.
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Secret Service agent Wilson (Kem Dibbs) holds his M&P as he watches the presidential train approaching Suddenly.

Colt Detective Special

Chief Secret Service Agent Dan Carney (Willis Bouchey) draws his Colt Detective Special inside the Benson home. Baron's two assassins, Benny Conklin (Paul Frees) and Bart Wheeler (Christopher Dark), also carry Detective Specials.

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Colt Detective Special 1st Gen - .38 Special
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Bart Wheeler (Christopher Dark) holds his Detective Special on Sheriff Shaw and Carney inside the Benson home.
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Secret Service Agent Dan Carney (Willis Bouchey) attempts to draw his Detective Special.
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Benny Conklin (Paul Frees) with his Detective Special.
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Benny Conklin pulls his Colt DS when he is questioned in town.

Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless

John Baron (Frank Sinatra) keeps a Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless in his shoulder holster, often drawing it to intimidate his hostages and to kill at least two characters in the film.

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Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless Pistol - .32 ACP
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John Baron (Frank Sinatra) with his Colt 1903 while discussing former presidential assassins Booth, Guiteau, and Czolgeoz.
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Baron holds the Colt as he questions Jud.
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Baron holds his Colt 1903 on the hostages as he watches Pidge "hold up" Bart with his cap gun.
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Ellen Benson (Nancy Gates) holds Baron's Colt 1903, unaware that it is unloaded.

Colt Official Police

Peter "Pop" Benson (James Gleason), the ex-Secret Service agent from the Coolidge era, keeps a nickel Colt Official Police hidden in his upper drawer. He loads it when they are first taken hostage but is forced to re-hide it when one of Baron's henchmen catches them. His grandson "Pidge" Benson (Kim Charney) later retrieves the Official Police (substituting his similar-looking cap gun for it) and uses it to shoot at Baron during the climax.

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Nickel Colt Official Police w/5" barrel
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Pop takes his Official Police out of hiding.
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Peter "Pop" Benson (James Gleason) on the right holds the revolver.
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Pidge later finds the Colt Official Police when looking for Pop's heart medicine.
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"Pidge" Benson (Kim Charney) points the revolver at Baron.
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Pidge wisely tosses the Colt Official Police to Sheriff Shaw, where it lands on the ground near him.
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Ellen (Nancy Gates) holds the revolver.
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Sheriff Shaw (Sterling Hayden) uses the Colt Official Police.

Gewehr 43

Baron's (Frank Sinatra) main sniper rifle in the film is a Gewehr 43 with a Zeiss scope and a 20-round box magazine. Baron says the gun has a "heavy recoil and won't stand still", requiring his henchmen to build a contraption to hold it down to the metal table in the Benson living room. Once it is constructed, Shaw asks if it's a "German rifle" in order to stall and anger him by talking about his war service.

Benny Conklin: "A Tommy gun would do just as good."

John Baron: "A Tommy gun stinks! No accuracy, no punch. Might as well use a revolver. This is the gun... This is quite a gun, Benny. Quite a gun. I did a lot of choppin' in the war with a baby like this. A lot of choppin'."

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Gewehr 43 with ZF 4 scope - 7.92x57mm Mauser
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Baron extols the virtues of the Gewehr 43 versus a "Tommy gun".
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Baron with the Gewehr 43 as Benny drills holes into the table for the mount.
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Baron practices aiming out the window with the unloaded Gewehr 43.
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Jud Kelly gets a look at the Gewehr 43.
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The Gewehr 43 with the scope and magazine sits aimed out the window in the Benson living room.
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Baron watches, frightened, as a booby-trapped and electrocuted Bart (Christopher Dark) fires the Gewehr 43 rapidly down at the Secret Service below.
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Bart continues firing as he is electrocuted.
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Baron happily aims the rifle, waiting for the president's train to stop.

M1928A1 Thompson

Several of the state policemen carry, as specified by Sheriff Shaw early in the film, M1928A1 Thompson submachine guns.

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M1928A1 Thompson - .45 ACP
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A California state police sergeant approaches Benny with his M1928A1 Thompson.
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As a Secret Service agent calls in the death of Benny, a police sergeant stands next to him with his Thompson.
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Another California state policeman fires his Thompson up at the Benson home, responding to the Gewehr 43's rapid fire.
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The California state policeman fires his Thompson at the Benson home.

Single Action Army cap gun

"Pidge" Benson (Kim Charney) is given a Single Action Army cap gun by Sheriff Shaw against the wishes of his mother. Baron and his men become used to Pidge carrying the cap gun around and do not notice when he switches it with his grandfather's genuine Colt Official Police revolver.

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Colt Single Action Army w/ 5.5" barrel known as the "Artillery" model - .45 Long Colt
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Pidge spots the SAA cap gun in the store window.
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Pidge holds his SAA cap gun on Bart Wheeler.