Montana Belle (1952)

Director:

Allan Dwan

Writers:

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

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gregg Barton	...	Deputy Stewart (uncredited)
Hank Bell	...	Blackjack Bystander (uncredited)
Rodney Bell	...	Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Ralph Bucko	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Roy Bucko	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Jess Cavin	...	Blackjack Game Spectator (uncredited)
George Chesebro	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Cherokee (uncredited)
Tex Cooper	...	Fire Wagon Bellringer (uncredited)
Art Dillard	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Frank Ellis	...	Kibitzer (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Man in Audience (uncredited)
Chick Hannon	...	Deputy Conway (uncredited)
Jack Kenny	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Rex Lease	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Pierce Lyden	...	Deputy (uncredited)
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Sheriff with Marshall Combs (uncredited)
Dennis Moore	...	Mac's Pal with Message (uncredited)
George Plues	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Tom Smith	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Charles Soldani	...	Running Elk (uncredited)
Glenn Strange	...	Deputy Baldy (uncredited)
Jack Tornek	...	Gambler (uncredited)

Directed by
Allan Dwan

Writing credits
M. Coates Webster		(story) and
Howard Welsch		(story)
Horace McCoy		(screenplay) and
Norman S. Hall		(screenplay)

Produced by
Robert Peters	....	associate producer
Howard Welsch	....	producer

Original Music by
Nathan Scott

Cinematography by
Jack A. Marta		(director of photography) (as Jack Marta)

Film Editing by
Arthur Roberts

Art Direction by
Frank Arrigo

Set Decoration by
John McCarthy Jr.
George Milo

Costume Design by
Adele Palmer

Sound Department
Earl Crain Sr.	....	sound
Howard Wilson	....	sound

Special Effects by
Howard Lydecker	....	special effects
Theodore Lydecker	....	special effects

Stunts
David Sharpe	....	riding double: Iron Eyes Cody (uncredited)
Paul Stader	....	stunt double: Scott Brady (uncredited)
Tom Steele	....	riding double: Stanley Andrews (uncredited)
Terry Wilson	....	stunt double: Forrest Tucker (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen	....	stunt double: Jack Lambert (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department
Stanley Wilson	....	orchestrator
R. Dale Butts	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Fidelity-Vogue Pictures Inc.

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV) (black and white)
• Sascha Filmverleih (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  optical effects

Also Known As:

Runtime:

82 min | West Germany:76 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #13565) | Australia:PG | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Company:

Fidelity-Vogue Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

Ann Sheridan and Brian Donlevy had been considered for the leads.

Quotes:

[after the Marshal and his deputy were placed in a jail cell by bandits]
Marshal Ripple:Some deputy you are, sitting there reading the newspaper. You're under arrest!
[Marshal rips off the deputy's badge]

Movie Connections:

Version of Belle Starr (1941)

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.