This was quite an early film from Audie Murphy and a good Western at that which was on TCM over the last weekend.
Audie Murphy plays a young Jesse James. He and his brother Frank join the Quantrill Raiders gang led by the notorious William Quantrill, played by Brian Donlevy.
Jesse and Frank are motivated to join the group to avenge the deaths of their murdered parents. Both quickly become disillusioned with the senseless violence and the looting of innocent people. The gang’s reputation becomes best known for its bloody attack on Lawrence, Kansas.
Jesse finally realises that this is not the life he wants to lead but stays with Quantrill until the soldiers find them.
Quantrill forces Jesse to leave. Quantrill then faces the Yankee’s gunfire alone and is killed.
Jesse James manages to escape with his own gang and rides off into history.
An action scene from the film – the bloody and brutal attack on Lawrence Kansas
This was an action packed sequence in the film and a few moments later we have the brutal gunning down of unarmed men – Audie Murphy as Jesse James and his Brother Frank are visibly appalled by this murderous act.
He is shocked by this murderous act
Now this is a Double Bill I would have loved to see. I loved Tap Roots although it is years since I have seen it- a really good film with Boris Karloff as an Indian. Both these films in Technicolor and both exciting productions
I did not know this actress at all – however on looking her up she seems to have made quite a lot of films from the early 40s onwards and continued into the late 70’s, so it seems that she had a good career
On looking further she does seem to have had a very interesting and varied life in films – with lots of anecdotes on people she came into contact with over the film years – so much so that my next article on this Blog will be on Marguerite Chapman
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