Montana Belle (1952)

Director:

Allan Dwan

Writers:

M. Coates Webster (story) and
Howard Welsch (story) ...

Release Date:

2 February 1953 (Sweden)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Warm Lips...Hot Lead!

Plot:

In a fictionalized biography, Oklahoma outlaw Belle Starr meets the Dalton gang when rescued from lynching by Bob Dalton...

Plot Keywords:

Belle Starr | Trucolor | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Jane Russell	...	Belle Starr
George Brent	...	Tom Bradfield
Scott Brady	...	Bob Dalton
Forrest Tucker	...	Mac
Andy Devine	...	Pete Bivins
Jack Lambert	...	Ringo
John Litel	...	Matt Towner
Ray Teal	...	Emmett Dalton
Rory Mallinson	...	Grat Dalton
Holly Bane	...	Ben Dalton
Roy Barcroft	...	Jim Clark
Ned Davenport	...	Bank clerk
Dick Elliott	...	Jeptha Rideout (banker)
Gene Roth	...	Marshal Ripple (as Eugene Roth)
Stanley Andrews	...	Marshal Combs

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #13565) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Fidelity-Vogue Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

Shot between late October and late November 1948, this film was intended to be issued by Republic. In April 1949, Howard Welsch, who had produced the movie for his company, Fidelity Pictures, sold the negative to RKO for $875,000, about $225,000 above the picture's cost. Finally, this Western obtained a Manhattan debut at the Palace Theatre on November 7, 1952.

Quotes:

[after he and a Dalton brother are cornered during a gunfight]
Mac: Let's walk out of this town.

Soundtrack:

MY SWEETHEART'S THE MAN IN THE MOON

Montana Bull

Montana Belle which probably at best started out to be an average B western product from RKO got to Howard Hughes's attention because it starred his protégé Jane Russell. This make believe account of the famous female outlaw Belle Starr got cut and recut and edited down to a mess of a story if you're looking for coherency. The film was made in 1948 and released in 1952 and that's always bad news.

Like Jane's first feature, The Outlaw, certain western legends who never in real life met up with each other, have dealings in the Hollywood west. In The Outlaw, it's the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid story rewritten to have Doc Holiday's participation. In Montana Belle, Jane as Belle Starr is rescued by Bob Dalton played by Scott Brady. But later when she mistakes a doublecross she forms her own gang with Forrest Tucker and Jack Lambert as a most stereotypical Indian.

In the meantime another guy with his hormones in a tizzy over Jane's titanic weaponry is George Brent, gentleman gambler and owner of the largest liquor&gaming establishment in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He's going to reform Jane and separate her from her disreputable outlaw companions. Nice work if you can get it.

You can't say too much about the story, Howard Hughes muddled this one, the same as he muddled, The Outlaw, Jet Pilot, and My Forbidden Past. One thing he didn't do for which we can thank the Deity is that he didn't cut Jane's number, The Gilded Lily from the film. It's definitely the best thing about Montana Belle.

But over at Republic they were shooting westerns with all their B stars that had more coherent plots than you see here.