Billy the Kid in Santa Fe (1941) User Reviews

While I hate the historical inaccuracies, I did appreciate the way the story was told.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 17 October 2013]

This is my first Bob Steele film and I am sure it won't be my last. While I have watched dozens and dozens of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and other B-westerns, I never got around to a Steele film and I am glad I finally did. While Steele is NOT a handsome or super-charismatic leading man, he was solid and the film was entertaining--even if it played fast and loose with the facts from a historical point of view. In fact, this is my one big gripe--that so many B-westerns portrayed William Bonny (Billy the Kid) as a hero and not a low-down skunk killer that he really was. Here in "Billy the Kid in Santa Fe", he's actually a lawman and upholds justice!!! What were those writers smoking?!

The film begins with Billy getting convicted of a crime he never committed. The leaders of the town know he's innocent and have conspired to hand him--but fortunately Billy and his sidekicks are too smart and manage to escape their clutches. Now, in another town, they help to bring law and order to the place and Billy becomes sheriff!!! What exactly comes next is something you'll need to see for yourself, though I must admit I really liked the final 15 minutes of the film. I also liked the sort of sidekick Al 'Fuzzy' St. John played here. I've seen him play worthless and dopey sidekicks for other cowboys but here he is NOT comic relief but very smart and capable! Overall, enjoyable even if the history teacher within me balks at the notion of making Billy the Kid anything other than a lawless jerk.

UPDATE: After posting this review, I noticed that Steele made several more Billy the Kid films. I'll be seeing these and posting reviews sometime in the near future.

Dennis Moore, Dennis Moore Riding Through the Glen!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 11 October 2020]

"Billy the Kid in Santa Fe" is another of poverty row's PRC cut rate westerns starring the ever reliable Bob Steele in the lead. Steele essentially plays the same character that he had always played except that Billy the Kid was a real life character bearing no resemblance to Steele either in age or height.

Billy the Kid (Steele) is framed for a murder in the dusty town of Carton City by Hank Baxter (Frank Ellis) and Texas Joe (Dave O'Brien) who lies on the stand. Billy is sentenced to hang and is jailed to await his fate. The sheriff (Hal Price) lets Billy escape but has set up an ambush outside. Billy's two pals Fuzzy Q. Jones (Al St. John) and Jeff (Rex Lease) foil the sheriff's plans and help Billy to escape. Billy feels that Steve Barton (Charlie King) is behind it all. The three pals then head to Santa Fe to confront Barton.

Pat Walker (Marin Sais) is a rancher who heads up the Cattlemen's Association and has had a past relationship with Billy. When Billy and his pals arrive at Walker's ranch. they are brought in by her foreman Allen (Steve Clark) under suspicion. When Walker clears Billy she explains that she and the other ranchers had been planning to bring in Billy to clean up Santa Fe's lawlessness. Billy the realizes that this was the reason that Barton had him framed.

As it turns out, Texas Joe is also in Santa Fe but plans to leave when he learns that Billy is in town. Billy also meets up with a former pal Silent Don Benson (Dennis Moore) who is less than friendly toward his old pal. Texas Joe is sent to a remote cabin by Barton where he promptly gets drunk. While in his drunken stupor, Baxter arrives and tries to shake him out of it. When Bert Davis" (Karl Hackett) arrives on the scene Barton, who has been waiting outside guns the rider down and puts the blame on Joe.

Billy arrives finds the body as Joe escapes and finds evidence linking Joe to the crime. Joe goes to Benson for help. When Billy and his pals arrive at Benson's, Joe surrenders and is arrested. Barton's men break Joe out of Jail and Barton gives him money and sends him to a pre-arranged location. Barton's men form a posse catch up to Joe and lynch him. When Billy and Benson find out Joe's fate, Benson becomes enraged.

Benson who had been reading about a Zorro like hero, decides to wreak a vigilante justice of his own. He dons a black outfit and systematically kills the members of the posse who were responsible for what we later learn was his brother's death. Unless I missed it, I didn't see Charlie King "get his". Did he escape justice? I suppose we'll never know.

A better than average PRC oater. Having Bob Steele as the lead and good ole Charlie King as the bad guy didn't hurt. Dave O'Brien and Dennis Moore were both regulars in these westerns as well. Also look for frequent "B' western bad guy Kenne Duncan as one of Barton's henchmen.

A strong woman in the wild west is a wonderful thing.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 18 January 2023]

The character played by Marin Sais in this Bob Steele Billy the Kid is the ticket that makes this one worth watching. The plot deals with Billy framed for murder and escaping from the law, hiding out in Santa Fe desperate to prove his innocence. Marin plays a powerful land owner who goes out of her way to help Billy, and shows strength, feistiness, compassion, and a ton of humor, the type of character that commands respect and attention just by her presence alone. Usually characters like this (a throwback to rolls that Marie Dressler had played) were portrayed by large plain women like Marjorie Main and Minerva Urecal, but there's something very motherly and even attractive about her, and you can't take your eyes off of her while she's on screen.

This is a pretty good entry in the Billy the Kid in an alternate universe B Western, certainly nothing even close to the truth, presenting Billy as a wrong man once again, and if you look at it as a complete piece of fiction, you'll enjoy it. It's fast moving as it's just over an hour, filled with action and interesting supporting characters, and even Al St. John tones it down here, not adding unnecessary comedy that just isn't remotely funny. The film has lots of suspense as it develops its stronger than normal plot, and there's a few surprising twists along the way. I normally wouldn't consider an actor in a B Western award worthy, but I'm adding Sais to my list of one of the Best Supporting Actresses of 1941.

Billy The Kid Goes Good?

[frank4122 · 10/10 · 17 April 2020]

While some revisionist history at play here, it's all works well for entertainment's sake. Bob Steele plays the lawless gunman who's framed by Charles King. He makes a jail break with Al 'Fuzzy' St. John and Rex Lease riding shotgun. Multi talented Marin Sais plays the strong head of the cattle association who has some pull in Steele's fate. Silent Don Benson (Dennis Moore) has reasons to help the card shark (Dave O'Brien) even though he's heavily involved with the henchmen. Legendary director 'Sammy' Newfield did an admirable job here as did the many talented stuntmen and wonderful supporting cast.