Jesse James (1939 film)
Encyclopedia
Jesse James 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. It is "notorious for its historical inaccuracy."
The American Humane Association
began to oversee filmmaking after a horse died when it was driven off a cliff on set.
) forces farmers to give up the land the railroad was going to go through, giving them $1 per acre (much less than fair price) for it. When they come to Jesse's home, Jesse (Tyrone Power
) tells Barshee that his mother Mrs. Samuels (Jane Darwell) is the farm's owner. Barshee repeatedly tries to force her into selling, until her other son Frank James (Henry Fonda
) gets involved. Frank fights and easily beats Barshee, but Barshee's men get involved and Jesse shoots him in the hand. When arrest warrants are issued for Frank and Jesse, Major A. Rufus Cobb (Henry Hull
) editor in nearby Liberty, Missouri and uncle of Zerelda (Zee) Cobb (Nancy Kelly
), Jesse's lover, quickly comes to tell them to leave. Frank and Jesse learn that Barshee is responsible for the death of their mother and Jesse kills him in revenge. This begins Frank and Jesse's career as outlaws. Three years later, with a $5000 on his head, Jesse marries Zee and turns himself in, having been promised a light sentence by Marshall Will Wright (Randolph Scott
). But the judge supersedes Marshall Wright's recommendation and Jesse is given a stiff sentence. So Frank breaks Jesse out of jail but is captured in the process. Jesse continues his life of crime and eventually Zee leaves him, taking their son Jesse Jr. Years later, a wounded Jesse returns home and Zee joins him in the belief that they will escape to California. Meanwhile, Frank has escaped and sends Bob Ford (John Carradine
) to Jesse with a message. But Bob Ford betrays and kills Jesse instead.
, The Wizard of Oz
, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
, and in front of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
. A sequel, The Return of Frank James
, directed by Fritz Lang
and with Henry Fonda
reprising his role as Frank James
, was released in 1940.
A remake was directed by Nicholas Ray
in 1957, The True Story of Jesse James.
against Hollywood's abuse of animals, and led to the association's monitoring of filmmaking.
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)
.
Henry King (director)
Henry King was an American film director.Before coming to film, King worked as an actor in various repertoire theatres, and first started to take small film roles in 1912. He directed for the first time in 1915, and grew to become one of the most commercially successful Hollywood directors of the...
and starring Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
, Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
, Nancy Kelly
Nancy Kelly
Nancy Kelly was an American actress, who was a movie leading lady in the 1930s, making 36 movies between 1926 and 1977, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James , which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone...
, and Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
. Written by Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Johnson
Nunnally Hunter Johnson was an American filmmaker who wrote, produced, and directed motion pictures.Johnson was born in Columbus, Georgia. He began his career as a journalist, writing for the Columbus Enquirer Sun, the Savannah Press, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and the New York Herald Tribune...
, the film is loosely based on the life of the notorious outlaw for which the film derives its name. It is "notorious for its historical inaccuracy."
The American Humane Association
American Humane Association
The American Humane Association is an organization founded in 1877 dedicated to the welfare of animals and children.The AHA's Film and Television Unit has monitored the welfare of animals during the production of films and television programs since 1940. They are the source of the familiar...
began to oversee filmmaking after a horse died when it was driven off a cliff on set.
Plot
A railroad worker named Barshee (Brian DonlevyBrian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste and The Great McGinty...
) forces farmers to give up the land the railroad was going to go through, giving them $1 per acre (much less than fair price) for it. When they come to Jesse's home, Jesse (Tyrone Power
Tyrone Power
Tyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
) tells Barshee that his mother Mrs. Samuels (Jane Darwell) is the farm's owner. Barshee repeatedly tries to force her into selling, until her other son Frank James (Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
) gets involved. Frank fights and easily beats Barshee, but Barshee's men get involved and Jesse shoots him in the hand. When arrest warrants are issued for Frank and Jesse, Major A. Rufus Cobb (Henry Hull
Henry Hull
Henry Watterson Hull was an American character actor with a unique voice, most noted for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London .-Life and career:Hull was born in Louisville, Kentucky...
) editor in nearby Liberty, Missouri and uncle of Zerelda (Zee) Cobb (Nancy Kelly
Nancy Kelly
Nancy Kelly was an American actress, who was a movie leading lady in the 1930s, making 36 movies between 1926 and 1977, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James , which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone...
), Jesse's lover, quickly comes to tell them to leave. Frank and Jesse learn that Barshee is responsible for the death of their mother and Jesse kills him in revenge. This begins Frank and Jesse's career as outlaws. Three years later, with a $5000 on his head, Jesse marries Zee and turns himself in, having been promised a light sentence by Marshall Will Wright (Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
). But the judge supersedes Marshall Wright's recommendation and Jesse is given a stiff sentence. So Frank breaks Jesse out of jail but is captured in the process. Jesse continues his life of crime and eventually Zee leaves him, taking their son Jesse Jr. Years later, a wounded Jesse returns home and Zee joins him in the belief that they will escape to California. Meanwhile, Frank has escaped and sends Bob Ford (John Carradine
John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
) to Jesse with a message. But Bob Ford betrays and kills Jesse instead.
Reception
Jesse James was a smash hit and the fourth largest-grossing film of 1939, behind Gone with the WindGone with the Wind (film)
Gone with the Wind is a 1939 American historical epic film adapted from Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer-winning 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard...
, The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939 film)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1939 American monochrome film starring Charles Laughton as Quasimodo and Maureen O'Hara as Esmeralda. It was directed by William Dieterle and produced by Pandro S. Berman...
, and in front of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a 1939 American drama film starring Jean Arthur and James Stewart about one man's effect on American politics. It was directed by Frank Capra and written by Sidney Buchman, based on Lewis R. Foster's unpublished story. Mr...
. A sequel, The Return of Frank James
The Return of Frank James
The Return of Frank James is a 1940 western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. It is a sequel to Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James. Written by Sam Hellman, the film loosely follows the life of Frank James following the death of his outlaw brother, Jesse James at...
, directed by Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
and with Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
reprising his role as Frank James
Frank James
Alexander Franklin "Frank" James was a famous American outlaw. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James.-Childhood:...
, was released in 1940.
A remake was directed by Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
in 1957, The True Story of Jesse James.
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 AssociationAmerican Humane Association
The American Humane Association is an organization founded in 1877 dedicated to the welfare of animals and children.The AHA's Film and Television Unit has monitored the welfare of animals during the production of films and television programs since 1940. They are the source of the familiar...
against Hollywood's abuse of animals, and led to the association's monitoring of filmmaking.
Cast
- Tyrone PowerTyrone PowerTyrone Edmund Power, Jr. , usually credited as Tyrone Power and known sometimes as Ty Power, was an American film and stage actor who appeared in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan,...
as Jesse JamesJesse JamesJesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary... - Henry FondaHenry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
as Frank JamesFrank JamesAlexander Franklin "Frank" James was a famous American outlaw. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James.-Childhood:... - Nancy KellyNancy KellyNancy Kelly was an American actress, who was a movie leading lady in the 1930s, making 36 movies between 1926 and 1977, including portraying Tyrone Power's love interest in the classic Jesse James , which also featured Henry Fonda, and playing opposite Spencer Tracy in Stanley and Livingstone...
as Zerelda 'Zee' JamesZerelda JamesZerelda Elizabeth Cole James Simms Samuel was the mother of Frank James and Jesse James.Born as Zerelda Elizabeth Cole in Woodford County, Kentucky her parents were James and Sarah Lindsay Cole; she had one younger brother, Jesse Richard Cole... - Randolph ScottRandolph ScottRandolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
as Will Wright - Henry HullHenry HullHenry Watterson Hull was an American character actor with a unique voice, most noted for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London .-Life and career:Hull was born in Louisville, Kentucky...
as Maj. Rufus Cobb - John CarradineJohn CarradineJohn Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
as Robert FordRobert Ford (outlaw)Robert Newton "Bob" Ford was an American outlaw best known for killing his gang leader Jesse James in 1882. Ford was shot to death by Edward O'Kelley in his tent saloon with a shotgun blast to the front upper body... - Charles TannenCharles TannenCharles David Tannen was an American actor. He appeared in over 200 movies, including Jesse James and The Return of Frank James and some TV-series, such as The Rifleman. His father, Julius Tannen and his brother, William Tannen were both actors. -References:...
as Charlie FordCharlie FordCharles Glenn Ford is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Buffalo Bills, and the New York Giants. He played college football at the University of Houston and was drafted in the second round of the 1971 NFL Draft.... - Slim SummervilleSlim SummervilleSlim Summerville was an American film actor, best known as a comedy performer.-Life and career:Born George Joseph Summerville in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Summerville began his career as a "Keystone Kop" in 1912...
as Jailer - J. Edward BrombergJ. Edward BrombergJoseph Edward Bromberg was a Hungarian-born American character actor in motion picture and stage productions dating mostly from the 1930s and 1940s....
as Mr. Runyan - Brian DonlevyBrian DonlevyBrian Donlevy was an Irish-born American film actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best known films are Beau Geste and The Great McGinty...
as Barshee - Donald MeekDonald MeekDonald Meek was a Scottish-born American character actor. He first worked as a stage actor and later became a film actor, starring in several movies including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair. Before becoming an actor, he fought in the Spanish-American War and...
as McCoy - Claire Du BreyClaire Du BreyClaire Du Brey was an American actress. She appeared in over 200 films between 1916 and 1959.She was born in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho and died in Los Angeles, California, aged 100 years, 11 months....
as Mrs. Bob Ford - Jane Darwell as Mrs. Samuels
- Lon Chaney, Jr.Lon Chaney, Jr.Lon Chaney, Jr. , born Creighton Tull Chaney, was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles in monster movies and as the son of famous silent film actor, Lon Chaney...
as James Gang member - Eddy WallerEddy WallerEdward C. "Eddy" Waller was an American film and television actor. He was born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.-Career:...
as Deputy
Production
Much of the filming for Jesse James took place around the town of Pineville, MissouriPineville, Missouri
Pineville is a city in and the county seat of McDonald County, Missouri, United States. The population was 916 at the 2009 census, at which time it was a town. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers, AR-MO Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in McDonald County, Missouri
McDonald County, Missouri
McDonald County is a county located in Southwest Missouri in the United States of America. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 23,083. Its county seat is Pineville...
, 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
Noel, Missouri
Noel is a city in McDonald County, Missouri, United States, along the Elk River. The population was 1,615 at the 2009 census. It is part of the Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area....
, on the shores of Elk River (Oklahoma)
Elk River (Oklahoma)
The Elk River is a tributary of the Neosho River in southwestern Missouri and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. Its tributaries also drain a small portion of northwestern Arkansas...
.
See also
- List of American films of 1939
- The Return of Frank JamesThe Return of Frank JamesThe Return of Frank James is a 1940 western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. It is a sequel to Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James. Written by Sam Hellman, the film loosely follows the life of Frank James following the death of his outlaw brother, Jesse James at...
(19401940 in filmThe year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released....
), sequel starring Henry FondaHenry FondaHenry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
.