Jesse James (1939)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Henry King
(more)

Writer:

Nunnally Johnson (original screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

27 January 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance | Western

Tagline:

The Epic Story of the most Colourful Outlaw who ever lived

Plot:

After railroad agents forcibly evict the James family from their family farm, Jesse and Frank turn to banditry for revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Railroad | Bank | Train | Reward | Farmer

Cast

Tyrone Power	...	Jesse Woodson James
Henry Fonda	...	Frank James
Nancy Kelly	...	Zerelda 'Zee' Cobb, later Zerelda 'Zee' James
Randolph Scott	...	Marshall Will Wright
Henry Hull	...	Major Rufus Cobb
Slim Summerville	...	Jailer
J. Edward Bromberg	...	Mr. Runyan
Brian Donlevy	...	Barshee
John Carradine	...	Bob Ford
Donald Meek	...	Mc Coy
Johnny Russell	...	Jesse James Jr. (as John Russell)
Jane Darwell	...	Mrs. Samuels - Jesse's mother
Charles Tannen	...	Charles Ford
Claire Du Brey	...	Mrs. Bob Ford
Willard Robertson	...	Clarke
Harold Goodwin	...	Bill
Ernest Whitman	...	Pinkie
Eddy Waller	...	Deputy
Paul E. Burns	...	Hank (as Paul Burns)
Spencer Charters	...	Minister
Arthur Aylesworth	...	Tom Colson
Charles Middleton	...	Doctor
Charles Halton	...	Heywood (Credits) / Layworth
George Chandler	...	Roy
Harry Tyler	...	Farmer
Virginia Brissac	...	Boy's Mother
Edward LeSaint	...	Judge Rankin (as Ed Le Saint)
John Elliott	...	Judge Mathews
Erville Alderson	...	Old Marshal
George P. Breakston	...	Farmer Boy (as George Breakston)
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	One of James Gang
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Beck	...	Turnkey (scenes deleted)
Victor Kilian	...	Preacher (scenes deleted)
Morgan Brown	...	(uncredited)
Donald Douglas	...	Infantry Captain (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Cavalry Captain (uncredited)
Sam Garrett	...	Rider / Roper (uncredited)
Wylie Grant	...	Barshee's Henchman (uncredited)
Harry Holman	...	Engineer (uncredited)
I. Stanford Jolley	...	(uncredited)
Leonard Kibrick	...	Boy (uncredited)
Sidney Kibrick	...	Boy (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw	...	Barshee's Henchman (uncredited)
Tom London	...	Soldier (uncredited)
George O'Hara	...	Teller (uncredited)
Paul Sutton	...	Lynch (Barshee's Henchman) (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry King
Irving Cummings		(uncredited)

Writing credits
Nunnally Johnson		(original screenplay)
Hal Long		(story contributor) uncredited
Gene Fowler		(contributing writer) uncredited and
Curtis Kenyon		(contributing writer) uncredited

Produced by
Nunnally Johnson	....	associate producer
Darryl F. Zanuck	....	producer
Ben Silvey	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Louis Silvers		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
George Barnes		(photographed by)
W. Howard Greene		(photographed by) (as W.H. Greene)

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
William S. Darling		(as William Darling)
George Dudley

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Royer

Makeup Department
Robert Cowan	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Buddy King	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Ray Lopez	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Ben Nye	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Webster Philips	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Doris Rowland	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Dot Snyder	....	body makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Sid Bowen	....	unit manager (uncredited)
William Koenig	....	production manager (uncredited)
V.L. McFadden	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Otto Brower	....	second unit director (uncredited)
Hal Herman	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Robert D. Webb	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Henry Weinberger	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Joe Behm	....	props (uncredited)
G.L. Cooper	....	painter (uncredited)
Charles Fremdling	....	props (uncredited)
Tom Gillette	....	carpenter (uncredited)
L. Paul Haines	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Frank E. Hughes	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Frank Patterson	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Jack Stubbs	....	props (uncredited)
Al Withers	....	carpenter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Arthur von Kirbach	....	sound
Hal Lombard	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Jack Miller	....	cable person (uncredited)
Roy Potts	....	boom operator (uncredited)
W.R. Snyder	....	assistant sound (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
William F. Mittlestedt	....	photographic effects (uncredited)
Ben Southland	....	photographic effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt double: Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles Bohny	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
A.C. Bumpus	....	additional grip (uncredited)
James Cairns	....	electrician (uncredited)
Robert Campbell	....	electrician (uncredited)
R.M. Harmon	....	additional grip (uncredited)
J. James	....	electrician (uncredited)
Wendell Jones	....	additional grip (uncredited)
W. Harry Jones	....	additional grip (uncredited)
Phil Mandella	....	additional grip (uncredited)
W. Nugent	....	electrician (uncredited)
Hugh C. Peck	....	additional grip (uncredited)
Jack Percy	....	head grip (uncredited)
Bobby Petzoldt	....	best boy electric (uncredited)
Edward Petzoldt	....	gaffer (uncredited)
R. Pipes	....	generator operator (uncredited)
Frank Powolny	....	still photographer (uncredited)
C.E. Richardson	....	second grip (uncredited)
Irving Rosenberg	....	camera operator (uncredited)
William Russell	....	generator operator (uncredited)
Gordon Sandsberry	....	electrician (uncredited)
Sheridan Smith	....	generator operator (uncredited)
W. Stewart	....	electrician (uncredited)
Paul Uhl	....	film loader: Technicolor (uncredited)
S. Warn	....	electrician (uncredited)
Paul Woods	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eddie Armand	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Steve Brandt	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Ollie Hughes	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Josephine Perrin	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Richard Billings	....	assistant cutter (uncredited)
Robert Fritch	....	assistant cutter (uncredited)

Music Department
Louis Silvers	....	musical director
Cyril J. Mockridge	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Jo Frances James	....	assembler of historical data
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Rosalind Schaeffer	....	assembler of historical data
Teresa Brachetto	....	script clerk (uncredited)
Duke Callaghan	....	assistant: Technicolor (uncredited)
Edwin H. Curtis	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
Paul Hill	....	assistant: Technicolor (uncredited)
Henri Jaffa	....	associate technicolor color director (uncredited)
Max Larey	....	script clerk (uncredited)
R.C. Moore	....	location manager (uncredited)
Joe Noecker	....	technician: Technicolor (uncredited)
Cliff Shirpser	....	assistant: Technicolor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1939) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2005) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2005) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Norway:16 | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #4590) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Lake Ozark, Missouri, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In the scene where a wagon and its two horses go over the edge of a 75-foot cliff into the river below, the stuntman driving the wagon wasn't hurt, but the two horses were killed.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The movie shows a bomb killing Frank and Jesse's mother. In reality, the "bomb" thrown through the window by the Pinkertons killed their little brother and seriously wounded their mother. She survived, however, although she lost an arm in the attack.

Quotes:

Bob Ford: [masked and holding a gun on train passengers] If you don't know what this is, folks, it's a hold-up!
[a woman screams]
Bob Ford: Stay in your seats, keep your hands in sight, and the gent who just threwed his pocketbook in the spittoon will kindly take it out and wipe it clean before we get to him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dudes (1987)

Soundtrack:

The Battle Cry of Freedom

Excellent western + Gorgeous man = Something for everyone

If you go to Pineville, Missouri, where part of Jesse James was filmed, and ask about the making of the movie, everyone you meet will tell you the same thing. One of the extras became pregnant by Tyrone Power and gave the baby up for adoption. When Power learned of this, he spent thousands upon thousands of dollars but never located his offspring. Just think, today she'd drag him into court and sell her story to People. But the times were different. Frankly, I'm not surprised it happened. Even Power's younger daughter Taryn thinks her father was his most devastatingly handsome in Jesse James. She's right.

Darryl F. Zanuck gave his biggest star a first-class production in color no less. Not remarkable considering that Power in 1939 would hit the pinnacle of his popularity, beating Gable in the year of GWTW in box office receipts.

In this version, Jesse is a folk hero who seeks revenge on the railroad for cheating people out of their property and allowing its representatives to resort to violence against the property owners. That's one way of looking at it.

What puts this movie over is the top-notch cast, headed by Power. Critics could never see beyond his looks, and it is difficult, but his Jesse is ruthless, loving, defeated, and angry as the story demands. Henry Fonda is perfect as Frank James, and the scene between the two men after Jesse argues with the gang is wonderful. One sees Jesse's pain and feels Frank's concern. The rest of the cast includes Nancy Kelly, Henry Hull, Brian Donlevy, John Carradine, Jane Darwell, and Randolph Scott - all first-rate.

I'm not a particular fan of westerns, but this one held my interest. Of course, it helps when the Jesse is the stuff dreams are made on.