Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were the most famous gangster couple in history, made more so by the wildly popular 1967 Oscar-winning film Bonnie and Clyde starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, a brilliantly made, groundbreaking film that chronicles the short lives of America's most infamous criminals. However the real couple was even more interesting than they were portrayed on film. From 1932 to 1934, during the height of the Great Depression, their gang evolved from petty thieves to nationally known bank robbers and murderers. Though a burgeoning yellow press romanticized their exploits, the gang was believed responsible for at least 13 murders, including 2 policemen, as well as several robberies and kidnappings. The spree ended when they were betrayed by a friend and shot dead at a police roadblock in Louisiana on May 23, 1934.

Even more than their insurgence against their status in life was Bonnie and Clyde’s devotion to each other. With police and government detectives constantly on their trails, sometimes literally by inches, they time and time again risked their own lives to protect the other. Marie Barrow, Clyde’s sister, stated, "They never worried about anything else but each other."

In his article "Bonnie and Clyde: Romeo and Juliet in a Getaway Car," the noted writer Joseph Geringer explained part of their appeal to the public then, and why the continue to capture the imagination now, by saying "Americans thrilled to their 'Robin Hood' adventures. The presence of a female, Bonnie, escalated the sincerity of their intentions to make them something unique and individual — even at times heroic."

Link: Bonnie & Clyde's Hideout is the best website for more info and photos.