On October 29, 1964 the American Museum of Natural History in New York was the stage of “the jewel heist of the century”, as the media reported at the time. Jack Roland Murphy, Allan Kuhn and Roger Clark managed to steal 24 precious gems, most prominent of which were the Star of India, the Eagle Diamond and the DeLong Star Ruby. Even though they were caught and arrested only a couple of days later, they became a story of national interest, and the spotlight was especially put on Murphy, who, as a former surfing champion, went by the nickname Murph the Surf. Eleven years later, this story became the basis of Live a Little, Steal a Lot (also known as Murph the Surf), an American International Pictures’ crime film directed by Marvin J. Chomsky and starring Robert Conrad and Don Stroud.
Surprisingly well-shot for a film that seems as though made for TV, Live a Little, Steal a Lot is an interesting heist film based on the story provided by Allan Kuhn, one of Murphy’s partners on the burglary that brought him international fame. Slightly deviating from the true story for cinematic purposes, Chomsky chose a lighter tone and intertwined thrill and comedy. The 101-minute-long heist flick is carried on the shoulders of The Wild Wild West’s star Robert Conrad and deserves a couple of hours of your time.
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