Billy the Kid Trapped (1942)

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writer:

Joseph O'Donnell (original screenplay)

Release Date:

27 February 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Western

Tagline:

They Foolishly Tried To Match Bullets With "The Kid"!

Plot:

Stanton breaks Billy and his two friends Fuzzy and Jeff out of jail. He wants them free so three of...

Plot Keywords:

Jailbreak | Impersonation | B Movie | Cigarette Smoking | Gunfight

Cast

Buster Crabbe	...	Billy the Kid
Al St. John	...	Fuzzy Jones
Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart	...	Jeff Walker (as Bud McTaggert)
Anne Jeffreys	...	Sally Crane (as Ann Jeffries)
Glenn Strange	...	Boss Stanton
Walter McGrail	...	Judge Jack McConnell
Ted Adams	...	Sheriff John Masters
Jack Ingram	...	Henchman Red Barton
Milton Kibbee	...	Judge Clarke (as Milt Kibbee)
Eddie Phillips	...	Stage Driver Dave Evans
Budd Buster	...	Montana / Fake Fuzzy (as Bud Buster)

Runtime:

59 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation

Trivia:

Film debut of Anne Jeffreys,

Quotes:

[reading a wanted poster which accuses Billy, Fuzzy and Jeff of crimes they didn't commit]
Billy 'The Kid' Bonney: They'll be accusing us of starting the Civil War next.

This is what a B western should be!

Billy The Kid Trapped is one of those western team movies. In this case it is a trio rather than just a hero and a sidekick. Buster Crabbe plays Billy The Kid, as in William Bonney, rather than Billy Carson. He also gets to be a hero in this one instead of letting Fuzzy St. John hog all the scenes. Fuzzy's beard is a little short in this film instead of the full forward thrusting beard he had at other times. The character Jeff Walker (Bud McTaggart) really doesn't do much more than support Billy and Fuzzy, but he adds to the fun. There are no automobiles or radios in this one, either. It's a real western.

The movie starts off with the trio in jail, accused of murder, when someone mysteriously breaks them out. We find out later that there are three imposters posing as Billy The Kid and his gang. They dress just like Billy, Fuzzy, and Jeff. When Fuzzy gets shot at by his "pals" and then "himself" the three so-called outlaws figure out why they have been accused of so many crimes. Sheriff Masters (Ted Adams) recognizes this after Billy saves his life and tells them the bad guys are in Mesa City. As they investigate Mesa City they run into Stanton, the local crime boss running the town.

Stanton is played by Glenn Strange. I've seen Strange play a sheriff in one movie, but he was almost always a henchman. In Billy The Kid Trapped he is the bad guy in the suit. Glenn Strange was good at being the boss in this movie.

The sets are absolutely perfect with the exception of flimsy railing in the bar fight scene. The details and the props in every scene are full of western imagery. The bouncing railing ruins the effect of the stage dressing, but then it wouldn't be a B western without it.

Billy The Kid Trapped is what a B western should be. The action never slows down and the movie has a great western feel to it.