The True Story of Jesse James (1957)

Director:

Nicholas Ray

Writers:

Nunnally Johnson (earlier screenplay)
Walter Newman (screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Western

Plot:

The last eighteen years in the life of Jesse James, showing his home life in Missouri, his experiences with Quantrill's raiders...

Plot Keywords:

Bare Chested Male Bondage | Whipping | Bare Chested Male | Remake | Character Name In Title

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Dec. 3

6:30 AM

MAX

Cast

Robert Wagner	...	Jesse James
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Frank James
Hope Lange	...	Zee
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Samuel
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Cole Younger (as Alan Hale)
Alan Baxter	...	Remington
John Carradine	...	Reverend Jethro Bailey
Rachel Stephens	...	Anne James
Barney Phillips	...	Dr. Samuel
Biff Elliot	...	Jim Younger
Frank Overton	...	Major Rufus Cobb
Barry Atwater	...	Attorney Walker
Marian Seldes	...	Rowena Cobb
Chubby Johnson	...	Askew
Frank Gorshin	...	Charley Ford

Also Known As:

Jesse James (USA) (working title)
The James Brothers (UK)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: #18321) | UK:U | West Germany:18 (nf) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Behind scenes, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

John Carradine plays Rev. Bailey in this re-make . He played Robert Ford in the 1939 original production .

Movie Connections:

Remake of Jesse James (1939)

Sturdy But Slanted, With A Solid Supporting Cast

Every re-telling of the Jesse James story has been flawed. This picture has neither the carelessly cobbled script of "The Long Riders" nor the Robert Duvall version's annoying quirkiness and skewed morality. However, it is a highly selective narrative omitting much of the suffering caused by the Jameses and with several outright distortions of the historical record. For example, when he was shot by Robert Ford, Jesse James was in the process of assembling a new gang, not about to retire to the life of a farmer as depicted here.

Robert Wagner is appropriately youthful in the title role. The impossibly handsome Jeffrey Hunter has little to do but acts well. Agnes Moorehead plays Mrs. Samuel, the matriarch, as too saintly for my taste. But portraying a media-savvy Cole Younger, Alan Hale leads a particularly able supporting cast including, as an honorable Union soldier, the father of contemporary star Kurt Russell.

The narrative is anchored to the disastrous expedition to Northfield. One nice touch, copied in a later retelling, was the inclusion of a Swedish-speaking actor to play one of the two town residents killed by the gang.