The Baron of Arizona (1950)

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

4 March 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance | Western

Tagline:

He Stole The State Of Arizona And Gave It To His Bride!

Plot:

Master swindler James Reavis painstakingly spends years forging documents and land grants that will make his wife and him undisputed owners of the entire state of Arizona.

Plot Keywords:

Arizona | Swindler | Monastery | Library | Gypsy

Cast

Vincent Price	...	James Addison Reavis
Ellen Drew	...	Sofia de Peralta-Reavis
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Pepito Alvarez
Beulah Bondi	...	Loma Morales
Reed Hadley	...	John Griff
Robert Barrat	...	Judge Adams (as Robert H. Barrat)
Robin Short	...	Tom Lansing
Tina Pine	...	Rita (as Tina Rome)
Karen Kester	...	Sofia as a Child
Margia Dean	...	Marquesa de Santella
Jonathan Hale	...	Governor
Edward Keane	...	Surveyor General Miller
Barbara Woodell	...	Mrs. Carrie Lansing
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Mr. Richardson
Fred Kohler Jr.	...	Demmings
Tristram Coffin	...	McCleary
Gene Roth	...	Father Guardian
Angelo Rossitto	...	Angie - Gypsy (as Angelo Rosito)
Ed East	...	Hank
Joseph Green	...	Mr. Gunther (as Joe Greene)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wheaton Chambers	...	Brother Gregory (uncredited)
Richard Cramer	...	Townsman Watching Beavis Return to Arizona (uncredited)
Sam Flint	...	Board Member - Department of Interior (uncredited)
Terry Frost	...	Morelle - Vigilante (uncredited)
Gil Frye	...	Griff's Associate (uncredited)
Pat Goldin	...	Diminutive Franciscan Monk (uncredited)
Stephen S. Harrison	...	Surveyor's Assistant (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Man in the Governor's Mansion (uncredited)
George Meader	...	Hank - Lansing's Father-in-Law (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Board Member - Department of the Interior (uncredited)
Robert A. O'Neil	...	Brother Paul (uncredited)
Adolfo Ornelas	...	Mr. Martinez (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Guest at Governor's Mansion (uncredited)
Stanley Price	...	Mr. Reynolds (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Man in Mob (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Man at Governor's Mansion (uncredited)
Zacharias Yaconelli	...	Greco (uncredited)

Directed by
Samuel Fuller

Writing credits
Homer Croy		(story) uncredited
Samuel Fuller		(written by)

Produced by
Carl K. Hittleman	....	producer
Robert L. Lippert	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Paul Dunlap

Cinematography by
James Wong Howe

Film Editing by
Arthur Hilton

Casting by
Yolanda Molinari

Production Design by
Jack Poplin

Art Direction by
Frank Paul Sylos		(as F. Paul Sylos)

Set Decoration by
Otto Siegel		(as Otto Seigel)
Edward R. Robinson		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Loretta Francel	....	hair stylist (as Loretta Franzel)
Vern Murdock	....	makeup artist (as Vernon Murdoch)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Frank Fox	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Harry Coswick	....	sound effects
Garry A. Harris	....	sound engineer (as Garry Harris)

Special Effects by
Ray Mercer	....	special effects
Donald Steward	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Edward D. Wood Jr.	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Roy Black	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Joe Carpenter	....	grip (uncredited)
Marty Crail	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Curt Fetters	....	camera operator (uncredited)
E. Truman Joiner	....	key grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Alfred Berke	....	wardrobe
Kitty Mager	....	wardrobe (as Kitty Major)

Music Department
Paul Dunlap	....	conductor

Other crew
Murray Lerner	....	executive assistant
Robert L. Lippert	....	presenter
Millie Winter	....	dialogue coach
Dorothy B. Cormack	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Deputy Corporation

Distributors

• Lippert Pictures (1950) (USA) (theatrical)
• International Film Distributors (1950) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Weiss Global Enterprises (1978) (USA) (DVD)
• Burbank Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD) (as Eclipse from the Criterion Collection)
• Kit Parker Films (2009) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #14333)

Filming Locations:

Corriganville, Ray Corrigan Ranch, Simi Valley, California, USA

Company:

Deputy Corporation

Trivia:

A May 24, 1939 Dorothy Manners column announced that Edward G. Robinson would be playing James Addison Reavis in the Warner Bros film "Prince of Imposters" with Brenda Marshall co-starring and Anatole Litvak directing. The story would not be told until this 1950 version.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
James Addison 'The Baron' Reavis, aka Brother Anthony:I've known many women, but with you, I'm afraid.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Johnny Guitar (1954)

The Case of the "Peralta" Land Claim

Samuel Fuller lived long enough to realize that movie audiences fully appreciated his innovative movies, and considered him a cinematic master. This was good, because all too frequently the tragedy of art careers is an underappreciation in the artist's lifetime. But after 1981 Fuller never made another film, and that is a tragedy. Unlike Orson Welles rumors did not suggest that Fuller was box-office poison, or a spend thrift, or an egomaniac. But like Welles Fuller had a deskful of movie treatments and scripts he couldn't get the funding for. A documentary made in the late 1990s about Fuller showed his desire to make a film biography about his favorite novelist: Honore de Balzac. Unfortunately it never got onto celluloid.

He made many historic films: mostly westerns, though he did do the underappreciated PARK ROW (the only film I know dealing with the construction of the Statue of Liberty and Ottmar Merganthaler's linotype machine and it's revolution on newspaper publishing). But one of the westerns is based on a 19th Century fraud that almost changed the face of the United States. In the middle of the Gilded Age, James Addison Reavis used an elaborate (and sophisticated) fraud to try to convince the U.S. Government to recognize his wife's family claims to ownership (from old Spanish land grants) to the territory of Arizona. The claim was that her ancestors, the Peralta family of Spain and Mexico, were given the lands of the territory by the crown of Spain, in recognition of their services. It took nearly a decade of careful investigation to discover the forgery used by Reavis (the inks he used on old documents were not made as they should have been in the 18th Century). Pictures of the Peraltas (who never existed) turned out to have been purchased at a street fair in Mexico. Instead of installing his barony on the North American map, Reavis went to prison.

Fuller turns the story into that of a basically good person who goes wrong trying to make a big place for himself in society. His Reavis does go to elaborate lengths to make the forgery as real as possible, including forging the necessary entries in ancient real estate books, and living for several years as a monk to do this work. But he is changed by the simplicity of the young woman he picks as his wife and "Peralta" heir. A decent woman, she slowly wins his love by her own devotion to him - with or without the property. Reavis also sees the more violent side of the "good citizens" of Arizona, who become vigilantes against him as they see his claims seem about to become recognized by the U.S. government. Ironically he saves himself when in a moment of disgust with these yahoos he explains that if they lynch him the claim will never be disproved, because (even with the assistance of the government expert) only Reavis knows where he slipped up.

Vincent Price, as Reavis, is a villain in that he is committing a massive fraud, but he proves he is more than a master of horror films. Here he gives one of his quietest and most effective performances, as a man who learns that happiness can be found more easily than by stealing billions of dollars in acreage. Ellen Drew is quite good as the young Mexican peon who saves Price's soul by her devotion. Vladimir Sokoloff and Beulah Bondi, as Reavis's servants are also quite good. If you can, I really recommend this film - which is not as well known as it should be.