I Shot Jesse James (1949)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writers:

Samuel Fuller (story)
Homer Croy (article)

Release Date:

26 February 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | Western

Tagline:

THE THRILLING AND COLORFUL LAST DAYS OF AMERICA'S MOST FABULOUS OUTLAW...POWERFULLY WRITTEN IN GUNSMOKE! (original print ad - all caps)

Plot:

Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend but is plagued by guilt and self-disgust.

Plot Keywords:

Jesse James | Amnesty | Prospector | Pardon | Reward

Cast

Preston Foster	...	John Kelley
Barbara Britton	...	Cynthy Waters
John Ireland	...	Bob Ford
Reed Hadley	...	Jesse James
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Harry Kane
Victor Kilian	...	Soapy
Tom Tyler	...	Frank James
Tommy Noonan	...	Charles Ford (as Tom Noonan)
Eddie Dunn	...	Joe, Silver King Bartender
Margia Dean	...	Saloon Singer
Byron Foulger	...	Silver King Room Clerk
Jeni Le Gon	...	Veronica, Cynthy's Maid
Barbara Woodell	...	Mrs. Zee James (as Barbara Wooddell)
Phillip Pine	...	Man in Saloon (as Phil Pine)
Robin Short	...	Troubadour

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Lippert Pictures

Trivia:

Director Samuel Fuller said that he wanted to make this picture because, unlike many filmmakers in Hollywood, he did not see Jesse James as a "folk hero" or someone to be admired. Fuller saw him as a cold-blooded psychopath who shot down women, children, the elderly, the helpless (his gang once stopped a Union hospital train and executed every wounded federal soldier on it) and, in Fuller's words, Bob Ford "did something that should have been done quite a bit earlier in the life of Jesse Woodson James".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the final shootout the background lighting on the closeups and master shots of John Ireland do not match.

Quotes:

John Kelley: Miss Waters, don't be worried about me losing any money in your show. I don't have any, but I'd still like to talk to you again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gunfighters of the Old West (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Jesse James Song

The downfall of the killer of the famed outlaw

Bob Ford(Ireland)kills the famous outlaw for love and money;then must live (and eventually die)with the knowledge that he has committed a cowardly act. Early effort of director Fuller, this is a dark and brooding melodrama. Ireland emotes well as the disturbed assassin, supporting cast is first-rate. The next year(1950)Lippert productions released the lesser effort"The Return of Jesse James" which also starred Ireland.