The Baron of Arizona (1950)

Master swindler James Reavis painstakingly spends years forging documents and land grants that will make his wife and him undisputed owners of the entire state of Arizona.

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller

Stars:

Vincent Price, Ellen Drew, Vladimir Sokoloff

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Price	...	James Addison Reavis 'The Baron'
Ellen Drew	...	Sofia de Peralta-Reavis 'The Baroness'
Vladimir Sokoloff	...	Pepito
Beulah Bondi	...	Loma
Reed Hadley	...	Griff
Robert Barrat	...	Judge (as Robert H. Barrat)
Robin Short	...	Lansing
Tina Pine	...	Rita (as Tina Rome)
Karen Kester	...	Sofia as a Child
Margia Dean	...	Marquesa
Jonathan Hale	...	Governor
Edward Keane	...	Surveyor General Miller
Barbara Woodell	...	Mrs. Carrie Lansing
I. Stanford Jolley	...	Mr. Richardson
Fred Kohler Jr.	...	Demmings

Storyline

The U.S. government recognizes land grants made when the West was under Spanish rule. This inspires James Reavis to forge a chain of historical evidence that makes a foundling girl the Baroness of Arizona. Reavis marries the girl and presses his claim to the entire Arizona territory.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona territory | forged document | 1800s | arizona desert | phoenix arizona | 

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Taglines:

The lustiest adventure a man ever lived!

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Baron von Arizona

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$135,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Deputy Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A May 24, 1939, Dorothy Manners column announced that Edward G. Robinson would be playing James Addison Reavis in the Warner Bros. film "Prince of Imposters" with Brenda Marshall co-starring and Anatole Litvak directing. The story would not be told until this 1950 version.

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Quotes

Brother Gregory: [Indicating a very old book] The Mazarin Bible, the first work of Gutenberg printed in 1450.
James Addison 'The Baron' Reavis, aka Brother Anthony: I thought it was in two volumes.
Brother Gregory: You're right, Brother Anthony. Christopher Columbus' son borrowed the second volume and, uh, never returned it.

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Connections

Referenced in Johnny Guitar (1954)

User Reviews

Baron story deserves better.

In one of the boldest land grabs in US history Confederate vet Samuel Reavis through energetic and ambitious duplicity managed to claim and convince the government and the land's occupants that Arizona Territory belonged to him through his wife by way of recognized Spanish decree who supposedly deeded the rights to her family. In the Baron of Arizona Sam Fuller does an effective job of briskly and clearly detailing the convoluted and exhausting efforts of Reavis but his threadbare production values and awkward handling of tension inducing moments fails to do the audacious act itself justice and the film fails to ignite.

After his quirky directorial debut in I Shot Jesse James Fuller follows up with another offbeat Western legend in Reavis and while Vincent Price has the sinister chops and countenance to smugly bamboozle those that need to be he fails abjectly when called on to wield weapon or punch it out with the locals. In a sloppily edited climax, Price with a rope does save his best for last but the film's solid story begs ( and deserves) a bigger budget with more of a two fisted huckster (Douglas or Lancaster) in the lead displaying more energy and guile, less contempt and condescension.