Character Relationship Map: Gun Crazy

Characters

• Annie Laurie Starr (played by Peggy Cummins) — protagonist

  Annie Laurie Starr is a carnival sharpshooter who defeats and then recruits Bart Tare into her act. She falls in love with him but pressures him into robbery, kills several people during their crimes,...

• Bart Tare (played by John Dall) — protagonist

  Bart Tare is the central protagonist, a lifelong gun enthusiast who nevertheless fears killing living creatures. After reform school and army marksmanship training, he joins Laurie in robberies, tries...

• Packett (played by Berry Kroeger) — supporting

  Packett is the carnival boss who employs Bart and Laurie after Bart wins their shooting contest. Jealous because he wants Laurie for himself, he tries to force himself on her. Bart fires a warning sho...

• Clyde Boston (Age 14) (played by Paul Frison) — supporting
• Ruby Tare Flagler (played by Anabel Shaw) — supporting

  Ruby Tare Flagler is Bart's older sister and one of the people who supports him after he breaks a hardware-store window to steal a gun. She testifies that Bart would not kill a living creature. Later,...

• Dave Allister (Child) (played by David Bair) — minor
• Sheriff Clyde Boston (played by Harry Lewis) — supporting

  Sheriff Clyde Boston is Bart's former friend and a local law officer. After noticing that the curtains at Ruby's house are drawn and children are absent from school, he alerts Dave and joins him in ur...

• Sheriff Boston (played by Trevor Bardette) — supporting
• Dave Allister (played by Nedrick Young) — supporting

  Dave Allister is one of Bart's supportive friends from earlier in life. He helps testify that Bart would never kill a living creature and later responds to Clyde's concerns about Ruby's house. Dave jo...

• Bart Tare (Age 14) (played by Russ Tamblyn) — supporting

  As a teenage Bart Tare, he is caught breaking a hardware-store window to steal a gun and is sent to reform school for four years. His friends and older sister defend his character, emphasizing that de...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Packett → Annie Laurie Starr (Professional Employer And Employee) — Packett is Laurie's carnival boss, and his possessive interest contributes to her leaving.

  Packett employs Laurie at the carnival and wants her for himself.

• Bart Tare → Annie Laurie Starr (Romantic Husband And Wife) — Their marriage and attachment drive their shared flight and crimes.

  Bart and Laurie fall in love, marry, and embark on a honeymoon together.

• Bart Tare (Age 14) → Ruby Tare Flagler (Family Brother And Sister) — Ruby supports her younger brother and later provides a place near which he and Laurie arrive while fleeing.

  Ruby is identified as Bart's older sister and testifies in his defense after he is caught breaking a hardware-store window.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Bart Tare → Sheriff Boston (Conflict Pursued Fugitive And Law Officer) — The sheriff represents the law pursuing Bart and Laurie.

  Sheriff Boston is listed among the characters, and the story describes police pursuit of Bart and Laurie through their final flight.

• Bart Tare → Dave Allister (Social Former Friends) — Dave's earlier loyalty is renewed in his attempt to reach Bart during the manhunt.

  Dave supported Bart when they were young and later joins Clyde in pleading with Bart to surrender.

• Bart Tare → Sheriff Clyde Boston (Social Former Friends) — Their former friendship persists as Clyde attempts to bring Bart in peacefully.

  Clyde is identified as Bart's former friend and later joins Dave in urging Bart to surrender.

• Bart Tare → Packett (Conflict Rivals) — Packett's jealousy provokes Bart's intervention and their departure from the carnival.

  Packett is jealous of Bart's mutual attraction with Laurie and tries to force himself on her; Bart fires a warning shot close to Packett's nose.

• Sheriff Clyde Boston → Dave Allister (Alliance Allies) — The two cooperate in trying to persuade Bart to surrender.

  After noticing the signs at Ruby's house, Clyde informs Dave; they then plead with Bart to surrender and approach the fugitives together.

• Clyde Boston (Age 14) → Bart Tare (Age 14) (Social Friend) — Clyde is Bart's childhood friend and defender.

  Clyde is among the friends who support Bart after the hardware-store incident and testify to his character.

• Dave Allister (Child) → Bart Tare (Age 14) (Social Friend) — Dave is Bart's childhood friend and defender.

  Dave is one of Bart's friends who supports him and testifies that Bart would never kill a living creature.

Story Analysis

Bart's lifelong fascination with guns collides with his reluctance to kill as love draws him into Laurie's crimes and their flight ends in tragedy.

Plot Progression

1. A Boy and His Guns — Bart is caught stealing a gun and sent to reform school despite testimony from his friends and sister. His childhood experience with a BB gun helps explain his reluctance to shoot living creatures.
2. A Carnival Romance — After returning home, Bart meets Laurie at a carnival and wins their shooting contest. Their attraction and Packett's jealousy lead the couple to leave the carnival together.
3. Love Turns to Crime — Bart and Laurie marry, but their honeymoon savings run out. Laurie pressures Bart into robbery, and their crimes bring police pursuit and expose their opposing responses to violence.
4. The Deadly Payroll Heist — Laurie persuades Bart to join one last major robbery at a meat-processing plant. The robbery leaves two people dead, and Bart learns the extent of Laurie's past violence.
5. Flight into the Fog — The FBI manhunt drives Bart and Laurie from California toward Ruby's house and then into the mountains. Dave and Clyde try to persuade Bart to surrender, but Laurie prepares to shoot them; Bart shoots...