The Durango Kid (1940)

The first film in which Charles Starrett played an alter-ego character known as "The Durango Kid" but this entry, for all intents and purposes, has only the names of Starrett and "Durango" ... See full summary »

Director:

Lambert Hillyer

Writer:

Paul Franklin (original screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Starrett, Luana Walters, Kenneth MacDonald

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Starrett	...	Bill Lowry / The Durango Kid
Luana Walters	...	Nancy Winslow
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Mace Ballard
Francis Walker	...	Henchman Steve
Forrest Taylor	...	Ben Winslow
Melvin Lang	...	Marshal Dan Trayboe
Bob Nolan	...	Bob - Member of Sons of the Pioneers
Pat Brady	...	Pat - Member of Sons of the Pioneers
Frank LaRue	...	Sam Lowry
Sons of the Pioneers	...	Ranch Hands and Musicians

Storyline

The first film in which Charles Starrett played an alter-ego character known as "The Durango Kid" but this entry, for all intents and purposes, has only the names of Starrett and "Durango" in common with the long (long, long) "Durango Kid" series Starrett starred in from late-1944, beginning with "The Return of the Durango Kid" until 1952. Rancher Sam Lowry is killed by Mace Ballard because he learned that Ballard's men are waging war against the homesteaders. Ballard blames the killing on "The Durango Kid", a a mysterious frontier Robin Hood friendly to the homesteaders. This accusation makes Bill Lowry more than a little suspicious of Ballard for, unknown to anyone, he is the Durango Kid, a role he has assumed in order to fight against the Ballard gang. When Ballard's men raid the Ben Winslow homestead, they are driven off by Bill and his ranch hands but not before the home is burned and the cattle scattered. Taking a shine to Winslow's daughter, Nancy, Bill masks himself as "...

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Plot Keywords:

homesteader | marshal | cattle | durango kid series | mask | 

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Taglines:

Both barrels blazin'! all hands singin'!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Cavaleiro de Durango

Filming Locations:

Agoura Ranch, Agoura, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

61 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor High Fidelity Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben Taggart originally was cast as "Marshal Trayboe" and is even in the press-book for that role, but he was replaced by Melvin Lang.

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Quotes

Mace Ballard: You've been so clever, I thought I might learn something talking to you. They say a dyin' man's words are interesting.

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Connections

Featured in The Lady with the Torch (1999)

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Soundtracks

"The Prairie Sings a Lullaby"
(1940) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Glenn Spencer
Performed by the Sons of the Pioneers

User Reviews

Good 'Oater'

That's what they used to call westerns, buckaroos. I had never seen a " Durango Kid" movie before; that series of films pre-dates me, and I'm glad there is still something I'm too young for. I was impressed with Charles Starrett, the big, strapping actor who plays a dual role as a farm owner and The Kid, and who got stuck in the role as have many Hollywood stars stereotyped into playing the same roles over and over. Too bad, because he was a great presence on the screen and it seems he could have played other parts in other genres.

This picture is entertainment from another time and another era, before Americans lost their innocence to TV and became pseudo-sophisticated. The premise is hackneyed and the outcome predictable; bad guy wants to drive out settlers to own all their land, good guy comes to the rescue, etc. "The Kid" wears a bandanna over his mouth, but still looks so much like the hero that the other folks in the movie come off as very low IQ not to notice the resemblance, much like Clark Kent/Superman.

The genial, stalwart hero is opposed by a no-good bad guy, played by Kenneth McDonald, a very recognizable presence who must have played a thousand villains in his career. Anyone who has seen any '40's westerns can fill in the blanks regarding the outcome to the story. It's 60 minutes well-spent, especially for those of us who remember simpler times.