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Thompson Submachine Gun
Note: The M1921 Thompson and the M1928 Thompson are nearly identical from a distance. The M1921 has a very fine high blued polish finish and has a very fast rate of fire (faster than an Uzi but slower than a MAC-10). The M1928 has a more matte blued finish (or a black paint finish) and it has a much slower rate of fire (like M3 Grease Gun). Since sound effects are so often 'foleyed' after the fact and since sound engineers can place the wrong sound effect for a gun, one can never be 100% sure of the fire rate of a weapon. However if the rate of fire seems fast or the gun is obviously a high polished blued finish, then the weapon should go into the M1921 Category, not the M1928.
The Thompson submachine gun, or "Tommy Gun", has appeared in the following films, television series, and video games used by the following actors:
M1921 Thompson
The M1921 is the original production version of the Thompson Submachine Gun, as manufactured by Colt Firearms in 1921. The M1921 is of the highest quality, fit, and along with a high polish blued finish, more like high grade sporting arm, than a military weapon. Standard features of the M1921 are the finned barrels, some sent with Cutts compensators, knurled lightweight bolt handles, Lyman Model 55B adjustable rear sights, push button detachable butt stocks, vertical fore grips and checkered fire control levers.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Enemies | Johnny Depp | John Dillinger | with 50-round drum and 30-round box magazines | 2009 |
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Ray Winstone | Mac | With M1928A1 handguard | 2008 |
| Mobsters | With 50-round drum magazines | 1991 | ||
| Dick Tracy | 1990 | |||
| Moonwalker | 1988 | |||
| Dillinger | 1973 | |||
| The FBI Story | With 50-round drum and 30-round box magazines | 1959 | ||
| Sahara | Humphrey Bogart | Sgt. Joe Gunn | 1943 | |
| Sahara | Rex Ingram | Sgt. Major Tambul | With 50-round drum magazine | 1943 |
| Sahara | Bruce Bennett | Waco Hoyt | 1943 | |
| The Story of G.I. Joe | Freddie Steele | Sgt. Steve Warnicki | 1945 | |
| They Were Expendable | With M1928A1 handguards | 1945 | ||
| Bataan | 1943 | |||
| Each Dawn I Die | Prison Guard | With 50-round drum magazine | 1939 | |
| Angels With Dirty Faces | Police officers | With 50-round drum magazines | 1938 | |
| San Quentin | Prison Guard | With 50-round drum magazine | 1937 | |
| Bullets or Ballots | Police Officers | With 50-round drum magazines | 1936 | |
| G Men | James Cagney | Brick Davis | With 50-round drum magazine | 1935 |
| G Men | Robert Armstrong | Jeff McCord | with 50-round drum magazine | 1935 |
| Little Caesar | With 50-round drum magazines | 1931 | ||
| The Untouchables | With 50-round drum magazines | 1987 |
Television
| Actor | Character | Show Title / Episode | Note | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Stashwick | Myron Stark / T-888 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | 2008 - 2009 | |
| The Untouchables | 1959 - 1963 | |||
| The Untouchables | 1993 - 1994 | |||
| Sam Neill | Reilly | Reilly: Ace of Spies | 1983 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Mods | Passwords | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth | 2005 | ||
| No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In HARM's Way | As the "M1921-A1", with 50-round drum magazine | 2002 | |
| Contract J.A.C.K. | As the "M1921-A1" | 2003 | |
| Medal of Honor: Airborne | "Upgrade" from M1A1 Thompson, with 50-round drum magazine | 2007 | |
| Bioshock | As the "Machine Gun", with 40-round drum magazine | 2007 | |
| Silent Storm | With 50-round drum magazine | 2003 |
M1928/M1928A1 Thompson
The Model 1928 was more of an modified version rather than an upgrade. They are visually the same as the M1921 except they were outfitted with heavy actuators and smaller less powerful recoil springs to reduce the rate of fire. The earliest of these were converted M1921 Thompson receivers that were merely re-stamped "1928" over the original markings (hence the terminology "overstamp"). The M1928A1 was the military contract version of this weapon in 1928. It had a more crude military grade blued finish, a heavier actuator and the vertical foregrip was replaced with a horizontal handguard.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Enemies | M1928A1 | 2009 | ||
| Miracle at St. Anna | Derek Luke | Staff Sgt. Aubrey Stamps | M1928A1 | 2008 |
| Miracle at St. Anna | Michael Ealy | Sgt. Bishop Cummings | M1928A1 | 2008 |
| Miracle at St. Anna | Laz Alonzo | Cpl. Hector Negron | M1928A1 | 2008 |
| Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Ric Young | Kao Kan | With 50-round drum magazine | 1984 |
| Road to Perdition | Tom Hanks | Michael Sullivan | 2002 | |
| Road to Perdition | Mobsters | 2002 | ||
| Star Trek: First Contact | Patrick Stewart | Captain Jean-Luc Picard | 1996 | |
| King Kong | S.S. Venture crew | With 50-round drum magazines | 2005 | |
| The Shadow | Tim Curry | Farley Claymore | M1928A1 | 1994 |
| Dawn of the Dead | Larry Varia | Biker | with 50-round drum and 30-round box magazines | 1978 |
| The Inglorious Bastards | Bo Svenson | Lt. Robert Yeager | 1978 | |
| Bonnie and Clyde | Warren Beatty | Clyde Barrow | With 50-round drum magazine | 1967 |
| Bonnie and Clyde | Faye Dunaway | Bonnie Parker | With 50-round drum magazine | 1967 |
| Home Alone | Johnny | With 50-round drum magazine | 1990 | |
| Scarface | Police | 1934 | ||
| Scarface | Gangsters | 1934 | ||
| The Rocketeer | FBI Special Agents | 1991 | ||
| The Rocketeer | Gangsters | 1991 | ||
| Last Man Standing | Christopher Walken | Hickey | 1996 | |
| Assault on Precinct 13]] | With 50-round drum magazine | 2005 | ||
| The Matrix Reloaded | Henchman | With 50-round drum magazine | 2003 | |
| The Mummy Returns | Oded Fehr | Ardeth Bay | With 50-round drum magazine | 2001 |
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor | Brendan Fraser | Rick O'Connell | With "25"-round box and 50-round drum magazines | 2008 |
| The Godfather | Barzini hitmen | With 50-round drum magazines | 1972 | |
| Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia | Gangsters | 1974 | ||
| Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Soviet soldiers | M1928A1 | 2008 | |
| Them! | Soldiers | 1954 | ||
| Them! | Police | 1954 | ||
| The Untouchables | Mobsters | 1987 | ||
| The Untouchables | Police | 1987 | ||
| The Untouchables | Federal Agents | 1987 | ||
| The Devil's Brigade | William Holden | Col. Robert T. Frederick | M1928A1 | 1968 |
| The Devil's Brigade | Cliff Robertson | Major Alan Crown | M1928A1 | 1968 |
| The Devil's Brigade | U.S. Army soldiers | M1928A1 | 1968 | |
| Pearl Harbor | U.S. military personnel | M1928A1, with 50-round drum and 30-round box magazines | 2001 | |
| Miller's Crossing | With 50-round drum magazines | 1990 | ||
| The Big Red One | M1928A1 | 1980 | ||
| Too Late the Hero | Michael Caine | Pvt. Tosh Hearne | M1928A1 | 1970 |
| Too Late the Hero | Ian Benn | Pvt. Jock Thornton | M1928A1 | 1970 |
| The Bridge at Remagen | M1928A1 | 1969 | ||
| Jet Pilot | U.S. Air Force personnel | M1928A1 | 1957 | |
| To Hell and Back | Audie Murphy | Himself | M1928A1 | 1955 |
| The Enforcer | 1951 | |||
| The Story of G.I. Joe | Robert Mitchum | Lt. Bill Walker | M1928A1 | 1945 |
| A Walk In The Sun | M1928A1 | 1945 | ||
| Patton | U.S. Army soldiers | M1928A1 | 1970 | |
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | Mobsters | 2009 | ||
| Blown Away | IRA terrorists | M1928A1 | 1994 |
Television
| Actor | Character | Show Title / Episode | Note | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Shatner | Captain James T. Kirk | Star Trek / A Piece of the Action | With 50-round drum magazines | 1966 - 1969 |
| Leonard Nimoy | Lt. Spock | Star Trek / A Piece of the Action | With 50-round drum magazines | 1966 - 1969 |
| DeForest Kelley | Dr. Leonard H. McCoy | Star Trek / A Piece of the Action | With 50-round drum magazines | 1966 - 1969 |
| Sigma Iotia II natives | Star Trek / A Piece of the Action | With 50-round drum magazines | 1966 - 1969 | |
| Holographic gangster | Star Trek: The Next Generation / Manhunt | 1987 - 1994 | ||
| Tim Russ | Tuvok | Star Trek: Voyager / The Killing Game | M1928A1 | 1995 - 2001 |
| U.S. Army soldiers | Combat! | M1928A1 | 1962 - 1967 | |
| Gangsters | Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman / That Old Gang of Mine | With 50-round drum magazine | 1993 - 1997 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Mods | Passwords | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: World at War | M1928A1, box art only | 2008 | |
| Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts | M1928A1, box art only | 2008 | |
| Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven | With 50-round drum magazine | ||
| Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault | With 30-round box and 50-round drum magazine | 2004 | |
| Medal of Honor: Vanguard | 2007 | ||
| Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie | With 50-round drum magazine | 2005 | |
| Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb | 2003 | ||
| Timesplitters 2 | As the "Tommy Gun", can be dual-wielded | 2002 | |
| Turning Point: Fall of Liberty | 2008 | ||
| Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway | 2008 | ||
| Call of Duty: United Offensive | M1928A1, box art only | 2004 | |
| Blood | 1997 |
M1 Thompson
The M1/M1A1 were versions of the M1928A1 Thompson that were streamlined and simplified for manufacture during World War 2. Features include a non-finned barrel, simple fixed "L" style sights, no Cutts Compensators, and no knurling on actuators, or fire select levers. Also there are examples that were parkerized rather than blued that ended up in the hands of U.S. Soldiers.
The older style M1 Thompson had simple rear peep sights and a slightly more complex bolt design, which was simplified with the M1A1 Thompson and the sights were improved as the "L type" was prone to bend if the weapon was dropped or dig into the Soldier when in cramped conditions. It must be noted the M1/M1A1 Thompson's are not compatable with the 50/70 round drum magazines used on the M1921/M1928A1 models.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly's Heroes | Clint Eastwood | Pvt. Kelly | 1970 | |
| Kelly's Heroes | Telly Savalas | Master Sgt. Big Joe | 1970 | |
| Kelly's Heroes | Don Rickles | Staff Sgt. Crapgame | 1970 | |
| Magnum Force | Thug | 1973 | ||
| Reign of Fire | British Refugee | 2002 | ||
| The Longest Day | Allied soldiers | 1963 | ||
| Hot Fuzz | Seen in evidence room | 2007 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Mods | Passwords | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silent Storm | With 20-round magazine | 2003 |
M1A1 Thompson
Basically the same as the M1 but with a few more improvements such as the noted rear sight guard.
Film
| Title | Actor | Character | Note | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly's Heroes | Clint Eastwood | Pvt. Kelly | 1970 | |
| Kelly's Heroes | Telly Savalas | Master Sgt. Big Joe | 1970 | |
| Kelly's Heroes | Don Rickles | Staff Sgt. Crapgame | 1970 | |
| Saving Private Ryan | Tom Hanks | Captain John H. Miller | ||
| Saving Private Ryan | Ted Danson | Captain Fred Hamill | ||
| Aliens | Used as part of M41A Plse Rifles | |||
| The Omega Man | Paul Koslo | Dutch | ||
| Forrest Gump | Gary Sinise | One of Lt. Dan Taylor's ancestors | ||
| Diamonds Are Forever | CIA Agents | |||
| Band of Brothers | U.S. Army soldiers | |||
| Pretty Boy Floyd | With vertical foregrips and fake Cutts compensators | 1960 | ||
| A Walk in the Sun | 1945 |
Video Games
| Game Title | Mods | Passwords | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield: 1942 | 2002 | ||
| Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 | 2005, 2008 | ||
| Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood | 2005 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Frontline | 2002 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Heroes | 2006 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | 2003 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Infiltrator | 2003 | ||
| Medal of Honor: Allied Assault | 2002 | ||
| Call of Duty | 2003 | ||
| Call of Duty: United Offensive | 2004 | ||
| Call of Duty: Finest Hour | 2004 | ||
| Call of Duty 2 | 2005 | ||
| Call of Duty 2: Big Red One | 2005 | ||
| Call of Duty: World at War | 2008 | ||
| Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts | With 20-round box magazine | 2008 | |
| Call of Duty 3 | 2006 | ||
| Resident Evil 4 | As the "Chicago Typewriter", with optional 50-round drum magazine and vertical foregrip | Mafia costume required | 2005 |
| Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway | 2008 |