Kansas Raiders | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ray Enright |
Screenplay by | Robert L. Richards |
Story by | Robert L. Richards |
Produced by | Ted Richmond |
Starring | Audie Murphy Brian Donlevy Marguerite Chapman Scott Brady |
Cinematography | Irving Glassberg |
Edited by | Milton Carruth |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Universal International Pictures |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 80 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $1.2 million (US rentals) [1] |
Kansas Raiders is a 1950 American Western film directed by Ray Enright, and stars Audie Murphy, Brian Donlevy, Marguerite Chapman, and Scott Brady. It is set during the American Civil War and involves Jesse James coming under the influence of William Quantrill.
Jesse James and his friends—brother Frank, brothers Cole and Jim Younger, plus Kit Dalton—arrive in Lawrence, Kansas, and are falsely accused of being members of Quantrill's Raiders. They are about to be lynched but are saved by the intervention of a Union officer.
The men are released and they go on and join Quantrill. Jesse at first admires Quantrill but comes to question his devotion after seeing atrocities committed by the man and his troops. He also falls for Kate Clarke. Events in their home state of Missouri mean the James Brothers cannot return home without being prosecuted for serious crimes; so they figure they might as well stay with Quantrill and the protection he offers.
The raiders take part in the Lawrence Massacre in which Jesse and his men rob their first bank. Jesse prevents the senseless murder of a helpless Union officer and kills Quantrill's second in command, Bill Anderson, to back up his opinion. When the Confederacy disowns Quantrill for his war crimes, most of the raiders abandon Quantrill except for Jesse. Quantrill is blinded during an escape, and neither Jesse or Kate can bring themselves to abandon him. When Union troops surround their hideout, they are led by the same Union officer whose life Jesse saved. He gives them a grace period of until sun-up to surrender. Quantrill literally shoots it out blindly with Union troops to give Jesse and his group a chance to escape out the rear. Jesse leaves Kate and heads off with his friends to a life of crime. The narrator gives Quantrill "credit" for teaching the five young men the arts of robbery, murder, and notoriety.
Universal Pictures released the film on DVD in 2007 as part of its Classic Western Round-Up, Volume 1 set, a 2-disc set featuring three other films ( The Texas Rangers , Canyon Passage , and The Lawless Breed ). The exact same set was re-released in 2011, as part of Universal's 4 Movie Marathon DVD series, being repackaged as the "Classic Western Collection". In 2014, the film was bundled in a different Universal set, Classic Westerns, 10 Movie Collection; the only difference in this release is that no subtitles were provided on-screen.
Alexander Franklin James was a Confederate soldier and guerrilla; in the post-Civil War period, he was an outlaw. The older brother of outlaw Jesse James, Frank was also part of the James–Younger Gang.
Quantrill's Raiders were the best-known of the pro-Confederate partisan guerrillas who fought in the American Civil War. Their leader was William Quantrill and they included Jesse James and his brother Frank.
William Clarke Quantrill was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War.
Waldo Brian Donlevy was an American actor, who was noted for playing dangerous and tough characters. Usually appearing in supporting roles, among his best-known films are Beau Geste (1939), The Great McGinty (1940) and Wake Island (1942). For his role as the sadistic Sergeant Markoff in Beau Geste, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
The Lawrence Massacre was an attack during the American Civil War (1861–65) by Quantrill's Raiders, a Confederate guerrilla group led by William Quantrill, on the Unionist town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing around 150 unarmed men and boys.
William T. Anderson, known by the nickname "Bloody Bill" Anderson, was a soldier who was one of the deadliest and most notorious Confederate guerrilla leaders in the American Civil War. Anderson led a band of volunteer partisan raiders who targeted Union loyalists and federal soldiers in the states of Missouri and Kansas.
Thomas Coleman Younger was an American Confederate guerrilla during the American Civil War and later an outlaw leader with the James–Younger Gang. He was the elder brother of Jim, John and Bob Younger, who were also members of the gang.
James Hardin Younger was an American outlaw and member of the James–Younger Gang. He was the brother of Cole, John and Bob Younger.
John Harrison Younger was an American outlaw, the brother of Cole, Jim and Bob. He was briefly a member of the James–Younger Gang, a band of outlaws who also included the infamous Jesse James.
Bushwhacking was a form of guerrilla warfare common during the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War and other conflicts in which there were large areas of contested land and few governmental resources to control these tracts. This was particularly prevalent in rural areas during the Civil War where there were sharp divisions between those favoring the Union and Confederacy in the conflict. The perpetrators of the attacks were called bushwhackers. The term "bushwhacking" is still in use today to describe ambushes done with the aim of attrition.
Edward T. Miller was a Missouri-born outlaw.
Captain Kit Dalton ---.
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie" area of Missouri, James and his family maintained strong Southern sympathies. He and his brother Frank James joined pro-Confederate guerrillas known as "bushwhackers" operating in Missouri and Kansas during the American Civil War. As followers of William Quantrill and "Bloody Bill" Anderson, they were accused of committing atrocities against Union soldiers and civilian abolitionists, including the Centralia Massacre in 1864.
Fighting Man of the Plains is a 1949 American Western film produced by Nat Holt and directed by Edwin L. Marin. It starred Randolph Scott, Bill Williams, Victor Jory, and Jane Nigh. The supporting cast included Joan Taylor, Barry Kelley, Douglas Kennedy, Paul Fix, Rhys Williams, James Millican and, in his first credited role, Dale Robertson as Jesse James.
The Cimarron Kid is a 1952 American western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Audie Murphy, Beverly Tyler and Yvette Duguay. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Arizona Raiders is a 1965 American Techniscope Western film directed by William Witney and starring Audie Murphy.
Best of the Badmen is a 1951 Western film directed by William D. Russell that is set in Missouri during the post-American Civil War period. It stars Robert Ryan, Claire Trevor and Robert Preston. It was a loose follow-up to Return of the Bad Men (1948).
Woman They Almost Lynched is a 1953 American Western film directed by Allan Dwan and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars John Lund, Brian Donlevy, Audrey Totter, Joan Leslie, Ben Cooper, James Brown, and Nina Varela. The film was released on March 20, 1953, by Republic Pictures.
Young Jesse James is a 1960 American Western film directed by William F. Claxton and written by Orville H. Hampton and Jerry Sackheim. The film stars Ray Stricklyn, Willard Parker, Merry Anders, Robert Dix, Emile Meyer and Jacklyn O'Donnell. The film was released on August 2, 1960, by 20th Century Fox.
Cultural depictions of Jesse James appear in various types of media, including literature, video games, comics, music, stage productions, films, television, and radio. James is variously described as an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James–Younger Gang. After the American civil war, as members of various gangs of outlaws, Jesse and Frank James robbed banks, stagecoaches, and trains across the Midwest, gaining national fame and even sympathy despite their crimes. James became an iconic figure from the era, and his life has been dramatized and memorialized numerous times.