Saturday, October 20, 2007

Kansas Raiders - Ray Enright (1950)

A squeaky clean Jesse James, played by Audie Murphy, learns the meaning of manhood at the feet of a Lear-ish Quantrill played by Brian Donlevy. Firelit rituals, knife fights, runaway wagons, and a minimum of kissy-kissy would have kept the 50s Saturday matinee/Hardy Boys crowd pleased. Calico and sacks of flour act as stand-ins for innocent women on the shoulders of the raiders and keep the film free of Hays Code interference.

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