The Kid from Texas

For the 1939 film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, see The Kid from Texas (1939 film).

The Kid from Texas
Film poster
Directed by	Kurt Neumann
Written by	Robert Hardy Andrews Karl Kamb
Based on	a story by Robert Hardy Andrews
Produced by	Paul Short
Starring	Audie Murphy Gale Storm
Cinematography	Charles Van Enger
Edited by	Frank Gross
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal-International Pictures
Release dates	February 10, 1950 (1950-02-10)(Toronto) [1] March 24, 1950 (1950-03-24)(Los Angeles) [2] June 1, 1950 (1950-06-01) [3]
Running time	78 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Kid from Texas is a 1950 American film starring Audie Murphy in his first Technicolor Western. It was directed by Kurt Neumann and features Gale Storm and Albert Dekker. ^[4]

Plot

In Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory in 1879, a group of men who work for Major Harper, led by gunslinger Minniger, attempt to arrest rancher Alexander Kain and his English partner Jameson. They are stopped by William Bonney, also known as Billy the Kid, who shoots and injures them.

Jameson offers Billy a job as a ranch hand. A drunken group of Harper's men attack the ranch and kill Jameson. Billy embarks on a killing rampage, encouraged by the manipulative Kain, who publicly decries Billy's efforts. Governor Lew Wallace offers Billy a pardon, which he declines. Pat Garrett is sent to catch Billy.

Cast

• Audie Murphy as Billy the Kid
• Gale Storm as Irene Kain
• Albert Dekker as Alexander Kain
• Shepperd Strudwick as Jameson
• Will Geer as O'Fallon
• William Talman as Minniger
• Martin Garralaga as Morales
• Robert H. Barrat as General Lew Wallace
• Walter Sande as Crowe
• Frank Wilcox as Pat Garrett
• Dennis Hoey as Major Harper
• Ray Teal as Sheriff Rand
• Don Haggerty as Morgan
• Paul Ford as Sheriff Copeland
• John Phillips as Sid Curtis
• Harold Goodwin as Matt Curtis
• Zon Murray as Lucas
• Tom Trout as Denby
• Rosa Turich as Maria
• Dorita Pallais as Lupita
• Pilar Del Rey as Marguarita

Production

The film fictionalizes the true events of the Lincoln County War but follows the basic facts. Jameson (Shepperd Strudwick) is based on John Tunstall and Alexander Kain (Albert Dekker) on Alexander McSween.

Audie Murphy was cast after his performance as a juvenile delinquent in Bad Boy. J. Edgar Hoover offered to narrate the film, ^[5] but Parley Baer was selected as the narrator.

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New York Times , critic A. H. Weiler wrote: "[T]he redoubtable Billy picked mighty nice country in which to operate even if those operations were not especially exciting. ... But despite an occasional bit of gunplay and the facts as supplied by the commentary, 'The Kid From Texas' doesn't give special stature to a noted saga. Anyway, that saga isn't dead." ^[3]

References

1. Karr, Jack (February 11, 1950). "Showplace". The Toronto Star . p. 39.
2. "'Kid From Texas' Screening Today at Five Houses". Los Angeles Times . March 24, 1950. p. 10, Part III.
3. Weiler, A. H. (June 2, 1950). "The Screen in Review". The New York Times . p. 26.
4. The Kid from Texas at the Audie Murphy Memorial Site
5. Hopper, Hedda (September 8, 1948). "Audie Murphy Set as 'Kid From Texas'". Los Angeles Times . p. 6, Part II.

External links

• The Kid from Texas at IMDb
• The Kid from Texas at Audie Murphy Memorial Site
• The Kid from Texas at the TCM Movie Database