Jesse James (film)
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| Jesse James | |
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 Jesse James movie poster |
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| Directed by | Henry King |
| Produced by | Darryl F. Zanuck Nunnally Johnson |
| Written by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Starring | Tyrone Power Henry Fonda Nancy Kelly Randolph Scott |
| Music by | Louis Silvers |
| Cinematography | George Barnes W. Howard Greene |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | January 27, 1939 |
| Running time | 106 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.6m U.S. |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Jesse James (1939) is a western movie directed by Henry King and starring Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda, Nancy Kelly, and Randolph Scott. Written by Nunnally Johnson, the film is loosely based on the life of the notorious outlaw for which the film derives its name. The American Humane Association began to oversee filmmaking after a horse died during a stunt on the film.
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[edit] Plot
The film follows the life and death of Jesse James (Tyrone Power), as well as his adventures with his brother, Frank James (Henry Fonda).
[edit] Reception
Jesse James became a moderately successful film upon release, but was mostly ignored at the time, as a number of more notable films were released either at the same time or shortly thereafter (Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, etc.).
[edit] Animal cruelty
The film gained a measure of notoriety, however, for a scene in which a horse falls to its death down a rocky slope toward the end of the film. This scene was one of many cited by the American Humane Association against Hollywood's abuse of animals, and led to the association's monitoring of filmmaking. [1]
[edit] Cast
- Tyrone Power as Jesse James
- Henry Fonda as Frank James
- Nancy Kelly as Zerelda 'Zee'
- Randolph Scott as Will Wright
- Henry Hull as Maj. Rufus Cobb
- John Carradine as Bob Ford
- Charles Tannen as Charlie Ford
- Slim Summerville as Jailer
- J. Edward Bromberg as Mr. Runyan
- Brian Donlevy as Barshee
- Donald Meek as McCoy
- Claire Du Brey as Mrs. Bob Ford
- Jane Darwell as Mrs. Samuels
- Lon Chaney Jr. as James Gang member
[edit] Trivia
Much of the filming for Jesse James took place around the town of Pineville, Missouri in McDonald County, Missouri, because at the time the town and surrounding area looked much the same as it would have in the 1880s and 1890s. Pineville still celebrates Jesse James Days annually in homage to the film and the movie stars who descended on the small town to make it. In their off time from filming, the films stars and crew, including Tyrone Power, Henry Fonda and Randolph Scott, would seek out relaxation at the Shadow Lake resort in Noel, Missouri, on the shores of Elk River (Oklahoma).
[edit] References
[edit] See also
- The Return of Frank James (1940), sequel starring Henry Fonda.
