The Return of Frank James (1940)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writer:

Sam Hellman (original screenplay)

Release Date:

16 August 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Frank James continues to avoid arrest in order to take revenge on the Ford brothers for their murder of his brother Jesse.

Plot Keywords:

Bartender | Preacher | Theater Fire | Actress | Female Reporter

Cast

Henry Fonda	...	Frank James aka Ben Woodson
Gene Tierney	...	Eleanor Stone
Jackie Cooper	...	Clem aka Tom Grayson
Henry Hull	...	Major Rufus Cobb
John Carradine	...	Bob Ford
J. Edward Bromberg	...	George Runyan
Donald Meek	...	McCoy
Eddie Collins	...	Station agent - at Eldora
George Barbier	...	Judge
Russell Hicks	...	Prosecutor
Ernest Whitman	...	Pinky
Charles Tannen	...	Charlie Ford
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Randolph Stone
Victor Kilian	...	Preacher
Edward McWade	...	Colonel Jackson

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #6330)

Filming Locations:

Bishop, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Gene Tierney's debut film.

Quotes:

Bob Ford: Have a drink, Major.
Maj. Rufus Cobb: I don't drink with rats.
Liberty bartender: Watch out, Major!
Maj. Rufus Cobb: No danger. The Fords only shoot at backs.

Movie Connections:

Follows Jesse James (1939)

Frank James (Henry Fonda) sets out to revenge his brother Jesse's death by the murderer Bob Ford(John Carradine) after Ford is pardoned for the murder.

I do not know if this is true or not, but I heard from someone that in order to make Grapes of Wrath, which he really wanted to do, Fonda had to make Jesse James, which he did'nt really want to do, because they were on the same contract, and any sequels or prequels to that. But it does'nt really matter if Fonda did not want to do Jesse James or Return of Frank James, because he has such a great acting ability, which he displays on screen. I think this one is superior to Jesse James for many reasons, all of which are hard to explain. Cooper turns in a worthy role as Frank's sidekick, Clem. But don't you think that the African-American servant is kind of silly? Some people say that Carradine is not a good villain, but when that happens, just refer to McCoy and Co. to fill in that role. I love Henry Hull's character, especially his rantings and ravings in the courthouse, and also his rantings and ravings while he paces up and down the floor of his newspaper office. There isn't very many people that he does not think should be taken out and shot down like a dog, is there?