The Kansan (1943)

Wounded while stopping the James gang from robbing the local bank, a cowboy wakes up in the hospital to find that he's been elected town marshal. He soon comes into conflict with the town ... See full summary »

Director:

George Archainbaud

Writers:

Harold Shumate (screenplay), Frank Gruber (from the story "Peace Marshal")

Stars:

Richard Dix, Jane Wyatt, Albert Dekker

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Richard Dix	...	John Bonniwell
Jane Wyatt	...	Eleanor Sager
Albert Dekker	...	Steve Barat
Eugene Pallette	...	Tom Waggoner
Victor Jory	...	Jeff Barat
Robert Armstrong	...	Malachy
Beryl Wallace	...	Soubrette
Clem Bevans	...	Bridge-Tender
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Josh Hudkins
Francis McDonald	...	Gil Hatton
Willie Best	...	Bones
Douglas Fowley	...	Ben Nash
Rod Cameron	...	Kelso
Eddy Waller	...	Ed Gilbert
Ray Bennett	...	Messenger (as Raphael Bennett)

Storyline

Wounded while stopping the James gang from robbing the local bank, a cowboy wakes up in the hospital to find that he's been elected town marshal. He soon comes into conflict with the town banker, who controls everything in town and is squeezing the townspeople for every penny he can get out of them.

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Plot Keywords:

hospital | texas | outlaw | gambling | 1870s | 

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Taglines:

SMASHING FISTS AND CRASHING BULLETS...OF DESPERATE MEN IN LOVE! (original poster - all caps)

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 September 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meet John Bonniwell

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Harry Sherman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Lullaby of the Herd"
Lyrics by Foster Carling
Music by Phil Ohman
Sung by The King's Men

User Reviews

Slightly Offbeat

No need to recap the plot. Though conventional in most respects, this western does have some imaginative wrinkles. The Victor Jory character (Jeff) is a real novelty for the western format. Unlike most oaters, we can't tell where his loyalties lie. His intentions remain something of an enigma, which adds greatly to the plot since we can't be sure what he'll do next. With his unusual looks, Jory is perfectly cast. Then there's the super slick Albert Dekker who uses his extraordinary business guile instead of a six-gun to take over the town. All in all, it's a fine cast of colorful movie veterans, especially the froggish Eugene Palette.

I get the feeling someone in production was aiming for an epic scale western. Consider features like the host of extras, the big shootouts, the massive barroom free-for-all, the cattle stampede that's not all stock shots, along with the well-mounted musical numbers. The trouble is they spent all their money on big events but filmed in the very un-epic LA area scrublands, which gives the visuals a flat, pedestrian appearance. The story may be grandly conceived but the canvas is ordinary, at best. All in all, it's an interesting, slightly offbeat western.