Kansas Raiders (1950)

Outraged by Redleg atrocities, the James and Younger Brothers along with Kit Dalton join Quantrill's Raiders and find themselves participating in even worse war crimes.

Director:

Ray Enright

Writer:

Robert L. Richards (story)

Stars:

Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Audie Murphy	...	Jesse James
Brian Donlevy	...	Col. William Clarke Quantrill
Marguerite Chapman	...	Kate Clarke
Scott Brady	...	Bill Anderson
Tony Curtis	...	Kit Dalton
Richard Arlen	...	Union Captain
Richard Long	...	Frank James
James Best	...	Cole Younger
John Kellogg	...	Red Leg leader
Dewey Martin	...	James Younger
George Chandler	...	Willie
Charles Delaney	...	Pell
Richard Egan	...	First Lieutenant
David Wolfe	...	Rudolph Tate (as Dave Wolfe)

Storyline

Audie Murphy plays a young Jesse James falling under the Svengali-like spell of the outlaw William Quantrill, played by Brian Donlevy. Jesse and his youthful gang join the rebels to avenge the death of his parents only to become disillusioned with the senseless violence and looting of innocent civilians. Goaded by Quantrill's girl to leave, Jesse vacillates until the Yankess close in. Quantrill forces Jesse to leave and faces the Yankess gunfire alone. Jesse rides off with his gang and the rest is history.

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Plot Keywords:

william quantrill | jesse james | outlaw | atrocity | war crime | 

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Taglines:

THE FURIOUS, FIGHTING STORY OF QUANTRILL'S GUERILLAS! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | War | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 November 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Reiter ohne Gnade

Filming Locations:

Garner Valley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Seems most of the actors are using handguns invented after the Civil War. Quantrill is not using French Pinfire revolvers and his uniform is the wrong style - incorrect button pattern for a Confederate Officer.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Narrator: And so into the pages of crime history rode five young men: Kit Dalton, Cole and Jim Younger, Frank and Jesse James, five whose warped lives were to be a heritage from their teacher, William Clarke Quantrill.

User Reviews

Audie Murphy rides again

What are you going to do when you are a national hero; the most decorated combat soldier of WWII? Among his 33 awards was the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award for bravery that a soldier can receive. In addition, he was also decorated for bravery by the governments of France and Belgium, and was credited with killing over 240 German soldiers and wounding and capturing many more.

Well, I guess you go kill out in the Ole West, and that is JustWhat Audie Murphy did. This is one of his early efforts and it really is not a bad one. He plays Jesse James who, along with his brother Frank, the Younger brothers and Kit Dalton join Quantrille's Raiders until they realize just what he was and become sick of the whole thing.

Tony Curtis is here - I think it may have been the second film he did.

A good shoot 'em up about a sordid chapter of our history.