What Did the Johnston Gang Do?
The Johnston Gang was not mostly known for murders, but members occasionally became more ruthless and reckless. However, even when crimes escalated, their threats and the local lifestyle meant no one would say a word. As William Lamb, then the Chester County district attorney, explained in a 1979 Time article, "When they have a problem, they prefer to settle it themselves.” As the Johnston Gang's crimes escalated throughout the 1970s—like when member Ancell E. Hamm killed two patrol cops—investigators started putting pressure on potential informants.
By the time Bruce Jr. landed in jail for theft in 1978, no one expected him to “snitch” on his own father. Then, he got a letter from his beloved 15-year-old girlfriend, Robin Miller. She informed Bruce Jr. that his father and a friend of his father had sexually assaulted her, which angered him so much that he decided he was ready to tell the FBI everything. Officers offered to protect him, but all he wanted was to be with Robin.
What Happened in August 1978
Bruce Jr. encouraged the Kiddy Gang members to join him in testifying about the Johnston Gang theft ring, but the young men failed to show up when the time came. They were later found dead, some having been buried alive.
On August 30, 1978, Bruce Jr. and Robin arrived at Robin's family's rural farmhouse after a day at Hershey Park. Before they could even get out of the car, they were ambushed by two men. Robin was shot once in the chin. Bruce Jr. was shot at least eight times in the head and torso.
Robin managed to run inside, and Bruce Jr. was able to follow, though she soon died in his arms. Her one shot hit her carotid artery, while Bruce Jr.'s many gunshot wounds mostly only damaged tissue. William Lamb's daughter, reporter Amanda Lamb, explained Bruce Jr.'s miraculous survival in the first episode of her podcast, The Killing Month August 1978. His face may have "looked like hamburger," but his skull was fully intact. This was because the gun was stolen out of a truck and had already been loaded with flat-nosed bullets meant for target practice. Bruce Jr. and Robin were hit with different guns, confirming that there were at least two shooters.
How the Movie Differs
In At Close Range, Bruce Johnston became Brad Whitewood. Walken played Brad Sr., and Penn played Brad Jr. Brad Jr.'s girlfriend was named Terry in the film and portrayed by Mary Stuart Masterson.
William was asked to be a consultant on the film and went to lunch with Foley and Penn. However, he was put off by Kazan's sensationalized script.
"We said we want no parts of this," William told his daughter, Amanda Lamb, when she interviewed him for WRAL News in 2023. "We're not going to help you. We're not going to provide details for you. We're just not going to do it because it's not what happened, and it's not the truth. And you're glorifying homicide."
William told The Los Angeles Times that he was "singularly unimpressed" with a screenplay that "tends to make a folk hero out of Bruce Johnston Sr." and "glorify criminality."
"It was clear from the beginning that there was no interest in making anything that approached the truth," he continued. "There's nothing noble in this story … I think taking a Greek tragedy approach to this story is like taking a weed and putting it in the Smithsonian as a great part of American culture."
The filmmakers added dramatic, pivotal scenes like the confrontation between Brad Sr. and Brad Jr. after Robin's murder.
"Bruce Jr. plays the hero, calling his father out for his transgressions while he stands bleeding to death in his kitchen. This moment never happened. It is pure fiction," Amanda wrote in 2023. "The critics of the film say it makes Bruce Jr. out to be a hero, a person who truly loved his father, but wanted to turn him into the police for the greater good—when in reality, he just wanted revenge on his evil dad."
Former U.S. attorney Doug Richardson said in the same article that the film was "simply, revoltingly bad," and suggested a better angle.
“I thought the real story was so much better," he said. "If they'd made it into how law enforcement collaborated across traditional rivalries in order to gather tons of information and just squeeze the life out of this gang, that would've made a good movie.”
But even Amanda admits the movie is still entertaining, and Roger Ebert described Walken's performance as "one of the great hateful performances of recent years."
The Aftermath
The movie ends with the beginning of Brad Sr.'s trial. In real life, the gang started to scatter after Bruce Jr.'s testimony.
Bruce Sr. was convicted of six murders in 1980, and he and brothers Norman and David were all given life sentences. Bruce Sr. died in 2002, and Norman has never given up hope of getting out of prison. He even escaped for three weeks in 1999, but his attempts to appeal his sentence have all been rejected. Bruce Jr. continued to have brushes with the law and was arrested in 2013 on drug delivery charges.
