Black Bart (film)

Last updated

Black Bart
Blackbart Bel.jpg
Belgian film poster
Directed by George Sherman
Written by William Bowers
Jack Natteford
Luci Ward
Produced by Leonard Goldstein
Starring Yvonne De Carlo
Dan Duryea
Jeffrey Lynn
Cinematography Irving Glassberg
Edited byRussell F. Schoengarth
Music by Frank Skinner
Leith Stevens
Production
company
Distributed by Universal-International
Release dates
  • February 17, 1948 (1948-02-17)(San Francisco)
  • March 3, 1948 (1948-03-03)(New York City)
Running time
80 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million [1]

Black Bart is a 1948 American Western Technicolor film directed by George Sherman and starring Yvonne De Carlo, and Dan Duryea as the real-life stagecoach bandit Charles E. Boles, known as Black Bart. The movie was produced by Leonard Goldstein with a screenplay written by Luci Ward, Jack Natteford and William Bowers. The film, also known under the alternate title Black Bart, Highwayman, [2] was released by Universal Pictures on March 3, 1948.

Contents

Plot

Old-time outlaw Jersey Brady (Percy Kilbride) tells the story of his ex-partner, notorious highwayman Charles E. Boles, also known as Black Bart (Dan Duryea).

Years earlier, Charles, Lance Hardeen (Jeffrey Lynn), and Jersey are working as outlaws when Charles decides to leave the gang, move to California, and pull off one last, big heist, which will allow him to go straight. Although Lance tries to trick Charles out of his share of their hidden loot, Charles secretly double-crosses Lance first and steals all the money.

Months later in Sacramento, Charles meets an ex-partner Clark (John McIntire), who now uses his position as a lawyer to commit big crimes. Together, the two plan to destroy the local Wells Fargo bank, create their own bank in its place, and profit from the growing gold rush business. Over the next two months, Clark tips off Charles about all the Wells Fargo money shipments, and a disguised Charles robs each stage until the townspeople lose confidence in the bank.

One day, when a masked Charles, now known as Black Bart, stops a coach transporting Lance, Jersey, and the celebrated dancer Lola Montez (Yvonne De Carlo), Lance recognizes Charles' voice and helps to save the coach from his thievery. Lance then brings the coach to the bank's relay station, where he further impresses Lola by saving the broken leg of the driver. Soon after, however, Charles, as Black Bart, also intrigues Lola when he sneaks into the station, returns her diamond bracelet, and embraces her before fleeing.

The next day when they reach Sacramento, Wells Fargo manager Mark Lorimer and Sheriff Gordon (Lloyd Gough) hire Lance and Jersey, whom they consider their new heroes, as coach guards. Charles, a respected rancher by day, greets them in the local bar, and although Lance reveals that he knows Charles is Black Bart and tells him that he wants Lola, Charles insists they take out Lola together. One day, Charles gets Lola alone and the two fall in love, but after he admits he is Black Bart, she implores him to give up his criminal life to be with her, and he agrees to do so after just one last job.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Gordon devises a plan for Lance to act as lookout for a posse of deputies who are to guard a coach carrying the payload that will save Wells Fargo. As Lance and Jersey scheme to rob the stage themselves and blame it on Black Bart, Clark tells Charles that if the stage gets through, their plan will be ruined. Black Bart meets the stage, orders Jersey to throw the money box down as the stage rides past, and escapes from Lance. When he opens the box, however, he finds it empty and realizes the money must still be at the relay station.

That night, after Charles tells Lola he has to go back to retrieve the money, she convinces him to not take the risk. Charles then tells Lance that he can steal and keep all the money himself. Lance, however, forces Charles to go with him to the relay station, and as soon as they get there, they are ambushed by a waiting posse. They escape into a barn, but when the posse sets it on fire, they are forced to run out and both of them are shot.

Making a final statement about not knowing what happened to Lola after the incident and that Charles's death convinced him to go straight, Jersey wraps up his story from his current home, a jail cell.

Cast

Production

The script is a highly fictionalized portrayal of real-life highwayman, Charles E. Boles, also known as Black Bart, who robbed several stagecoaches in Northern California and Southern Oregon between 1875 and 1883. Universal announced the film in June, 1946 and that Charles Korvin might be cast and the film would be titled Black Bart – Highwayman. [3]

When Universal merged with International Pictures, the film was temporarily shelved, but was revived in January, 1947 under the title The Adventures of Black Bart. Luci Ward and Jack Natteford, who had written Badman's Territory , were assigned to write the script. Paul Malvern was initially named producer for the film but Leonard Goldstein eventually got the job, his first as a producer. George Sherma was assigned to direct. [4] [5]

In April, 1947, Universal announced the lead roles were to be played by Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea, and Edmond O'Brien; [6] O'Brien soon dropped out to appear in A Double Life and was replaced by Jeffrey Lynn who had just completed his long career at Warner Bros. [7]

Portions of the movie were filmed in Utah at Kanab Canyon, Strawberry Valley, and Strawberry Point. [8] :288

Reception

The film was popular at the box office. [9]

Home media

The film is available on DVD in Europe, presented in PAL format where the film is sped-up slightly to fit this different format and has a runtime of 77 minutes. Most DVD-Rs of the movie made for North American purchasers use the same print from the PAL DVDs. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broderick Crawford</span> American actor (1911–1986)

William Broderick Crawford was an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Willie Stark in the film All the King's Men (1949), which earned him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Often cast in tough-guy or slob roles, he later achieved recognition for his starring role as Dan Mathews in the crime television series Highway Patrol (1955–1959).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom London</span> American actor (1889–1963)

Tom London was an American actor who played frequently in B-Westerns. According to The Guinness Book of Movie Records, London is credited with appearing in the most films in the history of Hollywood, according to the 2001 book Film Facts, which says that the performer who played in the most films was "Tom London, who made his first of over 2,000 appearances in The Great Train Robbery, 1903. He used his birth name in films until 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Bart (outlaw)</span> English-born American outlaw (1829–1888)

Charles E. Boles, also known as Black Bart, was an American outlaw noted for the poetic messages he left behind after two of his robberies. Often called Charley by his friends, he was also known as CharlesBolton. Considered a gentleman bandit with a reputation for style and sophistication, he was one of the most notorious stagecoach robbers to operate in and around Northern California and Southern Oregon during the 1870s and 1880s.

The Giant of Thunder Mountain is a 1991 drama film starring Richard Kiel and Noley Thornton. Bart the Bear also appeared in the movie. The screenplay was jointly written by Richard Kiel, Chrystle Fiedler, and Tony Lozito. It was directed by James W. Roberson.

William Bowers was an American reporter, playwright, and screenwriter. He worked as a reporter in Long Beach, California and for Life magazine, and specialized in writing comedy-westerns. He also turned out several thrillers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan White (actor)</span> American actor (1908–1980)

Dan White was an American actor, well known for appearing in Western films and TV shows.

William Anton Gittinger, best known as William Steele, was an American actor of small roles in Westerns, particularly those of John Ford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Desmond (actor)</span> American actor (1878–1949)

William Desmond was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1915 and 1948. He was nicknamed "The King of the Silent Serials."

<i>Tomahawk</i> (film) 1951 film

Tomahawk is a 1951 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Van Heflin and Yvonne De Carlo. The film is loosely based on events that took place in Wyoming in 1866 to 1868 around Fort Phil Kearny on the Bozeman Trail such as the Fetterman Fight and Wagon Box Fight. In the UK, the film was released as The Battle of Powder River.

<i>River Lady</i> 1948 film by George Sherman

River Lady is a 1948 American lumberjack Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea. It was filmed on the Universal Studios Backlot.

<i>Go West, Young Lady</i> 1941 film by Frank R. Strayer

Go West, Young Lady is a 1941 American comedy western film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Glenn Ford and Ann Miller. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures.

<i>Silver City</i> (1951 film) 1951 film by Byron Haskin

Silver City is a 1951 American Western film directed by Byron Haskin and starring Edmond O'Brien, Yvonne De Carlo, and Barry Fitzgerald.

Henry Nicholson Morse, "bloodhound of the far west," was an Old West lawman. Elected September 2, 1863 served from 1864 to 1878, as the sheriff of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office of Alameda County, California. He was a Republican. He later founded the Harry N. Morse Detective Agency in California. One of his accomplishments was to help identify Charles E. Boles as the perpetrator of the Black Bart stagecoach robberies. Other notable early California outlaws he helped bring to justice include Bartolo Sepulveda, Narrato Ponce, "Red-Handed Procopio, and Juan Soto.

<i>Cheyenne</i> (1947 film) 1947 film by Raoul Walsh

Cheyenne is a 1947 American western mystery film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Janis Paige and Bruce Bennett. It was produced and released by Hollywood major Warner Bros.

<i>Arizona Bushwhackers</i> 1968 film by Lesley Selander

Arizona Bushwhackers is a 1968 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Howard Keel, Yvonne De Carlo, John Ireland, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady and Brian Donlevy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Cason (actor)</span> American actor (1918–1961)

John Lacy Cason, also credited as Bob Cason and John L. Cason, was an American actor active in both films and television. During his 20-year career he appeared in over 200 films and television shows. He is best known for his work on the television program The Adventures of Kit Carson, where he appeared in several roles from 1951 to 1953.

<i>The Bounty Killer</i> (film) 1965 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet

The Bounty Killer is a 1965 American Technicolor and Techniscope Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, written by Ruth Alexander and Leo Gordon, and starring Dan Duryea and Rod Cameron. The supporting cast features Audrey Dalton, Richard Arlen, Buster Crabbe, Fuzzy Knight, Johnny Mack Brown and Tom Kennedy. Broncho Billy Anderson, the cinema's first Western film star, makes his final appearance in the film. The film was released on July 31, 1965, by Embassy Pictures.

<i>The Law vs. Billy the Kid</i> 1954 film by William Castle

The Law vs. Billy the Kid is a 1954 American western film directed by William Castle and starring Scott Brady, Betta St. John and Paul Cavanagh. It was produced by Sam Katzman for distribution by Columbia Pictures.

<i>The Phantom Stagecoach</i> 1957 film by Ray Nazarro

The Phantom Stagecoach is a 1957 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring William Bishop, Kathleen Crowley, Richard Webb, Hugh Sanders, John Doucette, and Frank Ferguson. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on April 1, 1957.

<i>Gun Code</i> 1940 film

Gun Code is a 1940 American western film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Tim McCoy, Inna Gest and Carleton Young. It was distributed by the independent company PRC which specialized in handling low-budget second features. The film's sets were designed by the art director Fred Preble.

References

  1. "109 Mill Techni Sked". Variety. February 18, 1948. p. 14.
  2. THOMAS F. BRADY (April 17, 1947). "U-I SELECTS CAST FOR 'BLACK BART': Dan Duryea, Yvonne de Carlo and Edmond O'Brien Named for Leads in Adventure". New York Times. p. 35.
  3. Schallert, Edwin (June 27, 1946). "Ramsden Inspires New 'Flaming Youth' Trend". Los Angeles Times. p. 27.
  4. THOMAS F. BRADY (January 25, 1947). "LAUGHTON TO PLAY ROLE IN 'BIG CLOCK': Will Appear With Ray Milland in Paramount Mystery Film Based on Novel by Searin". p. 12.
  5. "Leonard Goldstein Papers". Margaret Herrick Library . Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  6. THOMAS F. BRADY (April 17, 1947). "U-I SELECTS CAST FOR 'BLACK BART': Dan Duryea, Yvonne de Carlo and Edmond O'Brien Named for Leads in Adventure". p. 35.
  7. THOMAS F. BRADY (June 5, 1947). "NEWS OF THE SCREEN". p. 31.
  8. D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: A history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN   9781423605874.
  9. Hedda Hopper (March 18, 1948). "LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD". Los Angeles Times. p. 22.
  10. "Black Bart-DVD-R-Starring Dan Duryea ,Charles Bolles and Yvonne DeCarlo-1948". Amazon.