1939's "Jesse James" is a hugely enjoyable Western that was shot on gorgeously saturated color landscapes in Missouri, but about all it has to do with the real Jesse was shared by his granddaughter: "well, there was a man named James and he did ride a horse!" Cast against type in an effort to counter his 'pretty boy' image was Tyrone Power, paired with Henry Fonda as brother Frank, so good that he received his own sequel a year later, "The Return of Frank James." Present in both films was the flamboyant John Carradine, in one of his best remembered roles, the 'dirty little coward' who shoots Jesse in the back to conclude this entry, then facing the wrath of his vengeful brother in the follow up, finishing with a climactic encounter in court. Carradine doesn't make his first appearance until after the 20 minute mark, wearing a mask as the James gang wage war on the Midland railroad by robbing their first train. Brian Donlevy's opening salvo against Jesse's mother (Jane Darwell) includes Lon Chaney inside and outside the James home, billed 31st out of 31 as 'One of James Gang,' speaking only four words but granted far more screen time than one might at first suspect (he lasts all the way until the Northfield raid, flying off his horse once he gets shot). If anything brings it down it's the thankless intrusion of Nancy Kelly, bringing the picture to a dead stop every time she pops up, but at least Henry Hull's bluster counters with a number of sharp retorts.
Review of Jesse James
