Badlands of Dakota (1941)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Alfred E. Green

Writers:

Harold Shumate (story)
Gerald Geraghty (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 September 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Tagline:

THE LAND OF LAWLESSNESS! (original ad - all caps)

Plot Keywords:

Cavalry | Deadwood South Dakota | Prospecting | Gold | Troop

Cast

Robert Stack	...	Jim Holliday
Ann Rutherford	...	Anne Grayson
Richard Dix	...	Wild Bill Hickok
Frances Farmer	...	Calamity Jane
Broderick Crawford	...	Bob Holliday (as Brod Crawford)
Hugh Herbert	...	Rocky Plummer
Andy Devine	...	Spearfish
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Jack McCall
Fuzzy Knight	...	Hurricane Harry
Addison Richards	...	Gen. George Custer
Bradley Page	...	Jesse Chapman
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Uncle Wilbur Grayson
The Jesters	...	1876 Saloon Entertainers
Dwight Latham	...	'Jester' Member
Guy Bonham	...	'Jesters Member

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | Finland:S | Sweden:15

Company:

Universal Pictures

Soundtrack:

No One To Love

Farmer was a great actress!

The plot is simple: It's based around 1876 in South Dakota and the Custer/Wild Bill Hickok events. Farmer plays Calamity Jane, although they never use the tag "Calamity" when speaking to or about her. One varied notice from other films, she's not in love with Wild Bill in this one but a saloon owner (Broderick Crawford) and then winds up killing him.

This is a typical early day Western with lots of shootin', ridin', Indians, outlaws, and, of course, duo love interests which rival each other. It's a really good Western based upon that and comes even with some comedy (Andy Devine). It was well worth the money I paid to get it and I will certainly watch it again later.

I won't speak about the historical points because, although there are a few of them (such as Wild Bill getting killed) they are not anywhere close to accurate.

Rather, I bought the video because it had Francis Farmer in it. I'd never seen a movie with her until yesterday when I viewed two of them. I was most curious about this beautiful woman whose mother had her mutated.

I gave this movie an 8 simply based upon Francis Farmer's acting in the movie. She was a great actress. I say that now based upon viewing two of her films this past week (Son of Fury). Criminals, like those who did what they did to this wonderful woman ought to be damned but time has taken them, as well as she, from our presence so we can. I notice she only made 15 films before they cut her brain. I would have loved to have seen more movies with her and, no doubt, had they not had their way, she would have made many more.