Legendary characters of the wild west often get the same treatment in the movies. Their crimes are made understanding by the writers who show them as wronged heroes who turn against the law to right the wrongs done to them. Jesse James, Belle Starr, Billy the Kid, among many others, got lush colorful movies made about them that when you do real research on them seem totally fictionalized. In many cases, their lives other than their criminal proclivities were rather boring, so to make a good movie, elements had to be added to make their lives seem more exciting other than the chase of the law that usually ended up with a shoot-out and the criminal's violent death. Dan Duryea, one of the great movie scoundrels of the 1940's, is very credible as the titled character, a nobleman who turned to crime and during one of his stagecoach robberies came across the elegant Lola Montez, the famous Spanish dancer.
The camera loves Yvonne de Carlo, seen here wearing tons of make-up and ruby red lipstick, but looking gorgeous as Lola, knowing his true identity, but keeping his secret after he returns one of her valuable jewels to her. Duryea's rival for her affections happens to be his old friend Jeffrey Lynn who is on the stagecoach when Duryea makes his attempts. Percy Kilbride offers amusing side-kick comedy relief and is a step above the silliness of such old grizzled character actors such as Fuzzy Knight and Gabby Hayes. Gorgeous Technicolor photography adds well to the many outdoor scenes, although it seems odd that De Carlo didn't recognize Duryea as the man who robbed her. In spite of a few minor short-comings, this is still very entertaining and fast moving. So take it as legend rather than truth (I could not locate any proof that Black Bart ever met Lola Montez) and simply enjoy the beautiful Yvonne (great in the dance sequences) and the wonderful adventure.
The camera loves Yvonne de Carlo, seen here wearing tons of make-up and ruby red lipstick, but looking gorgeous as Lola, knowing his true identity, but keeping his secret after he returns one of her valuable jewels to her. Duryea's rival for her affections happens to be his old friend Jeffrey Lynn who is on the stagecoach when Duryea makes his attempts. Percy Kilbride offers amusing side-kick comedy relief and is a step above the silliness of such old grizzled character actors such as Fuzzy Knight and Gabby Hayes. Gorgeous Technicolor photography adds well to the many outdoor scenes, although it seems odd that De Carlo didn't recognize Duryea as the man who robbed her. In spite of a few minor short-comings, this is still very entertaining and fast moving. So take it as legend rather than truth (I could not locate any proof that Black Bart ever met Lola Montez) and simply enjoy the beautiful Yvonne (great in the dance sequences) and the wonderful adventure.