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 historic Lawrence, Kansas raid...aflame again in all its fury!

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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

Kit Dalton: I'm thinking this may not be the sweetest smelling way to live, but it's downright better than walking behind a plow.

User Reviews

Neat little curio

Kansas Raiders is a neat little film, with, one suspects, a higher budget than most Audie Murphy westerns. An interesting cast (I didn't realise Kit Dalton was from Da Bronx) and an ambitious and ambiguous premise make this a worthwhile way of passing the time.