Black Hand

An unusual film for Kelly, whose fortunes had dipped at MGM before he came back as a superstar with blockbusters like SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. To keep him busy, the studio produced THE BLACK HAND, one of the first films to take on the Mafia, although the script cautiously sets the time at the turn of the century and confines the criminal activities to NYC's "Little Italy." Organized secret groups terrorize their own by demanding money and threatening to blow up pushcarts and shops, always signing the extortion notes with an ink-coated handprint, hence the notorious "Black Hand." Kelly's father, a conscientious Italian lawyer, is murdered by Black Handers. His mother ta...