The Return of Frank James (1940)

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

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writer:

Sam Hellman (original screenplay)

Stars:

Henry Fonda, Gene Tierney, Jackie Cooper

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Fonda	...	Frank James
Gene Tierney	...	Eleanor Stone
Jackie Cooper	...	Clem
Henry Hull	...	Major Rufus Cobb
John Carradine	...	Bob Ford
J. Edward Bromberg	...	George Runyan
Donald Meek	...	McCoy
Eddie Collins	...	Station Agent
George Barbier	...	Judge
Russell Hicks	...	Prosecutor
Ernest Whitman	...	Pinky
Charles Tannen	...	Charlie Ford
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Randolph Stone
Victor Kilian	...	Preacher
Edward McWade	...	Colonel Jackson

Storyline

Frank James sets out to find the men who killed his brother. When the killers are pardoned, he takes matters into his own hands. The reporter who hopes to tell his story winds up in love with him.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | farm | murder | female reporter | revenge | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le retour de Frank James

Filming Locations:

Round Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original treatment had Frank romantically interested in the reporter played by Gene Tierney, but the studio became fearful of a possible lawsuit by Frank's widow and/or son, so it was eliminated from the script.

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Quotes

Clem, aka Tom Grayson: There ain't no right for us poor people than the end of a gun.

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Connections

Follows Jesse James (1939)

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Soundtracks

"Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair"
(uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster

User Reviews

A Satisfying tale of Revenge served hot!

Thanks to the terrific cast and photography, this story makes a terrific western. Henry Hull is terrific as major Cobb, who expresses justified Southern outrage over the depradations of the carpetbaggers and the railroads. Despite the ignorant comments of some who dare to make a ludicrous comparison to fascism, what we get here is an honest expression of southern feelings. Yes, there was a condesencion toward blacks then, but let film show it as it was, let's not try to rewrite history or create a pleasing fiction as all too many modern films do. 'Shoot em down like dogs??!' I would dearly love to see Major Cobb in a modern day courtroom, giving fire and damnation to the lawyers and other parasites that hide behind suits and ties! This is a real satisfying film and Gene Tierney never looked better.