''Black Bart'' is a 1948 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

George Sherman George Sherman (July 14, 1908 – March 15, 1991) was an American film director and producer of low-budget Western films. One obituary said his "credits rival in number those of anyone in the entertainment industry." Biography George Sherma ...

and starring

Yvonne De Carlo Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and late ...

Dan Duryea Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and seconda ...

as the real-life cowboy bandit

Charles Bolles Charles E. Boles (b. 1829; d. after February 28, 1888), 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 Charles ( ...

, and

Jeffrey Lynn Jeffrey Lynn (born Ragnar Godfrey Lind; – November 24, 1995) was an American stage-screen actor and film producer who worked primarily through the Golden Age of Hollywood establishing himself as one of the premier talents of his time. Thr ...

. It was distributed by

Universal-International Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

and produced by

Leonard Goldstein Leonard Goldstein (May 28, 1903 – July 23, 1954) was an American film producer who produced mainly low-budget films, making multiple films at a time.Vogel p.51 Biography He started as a theatre booking agent in Los Angeles and moved to New Yor ...

. It was shot in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

and was also known as ''Black Bart, Highwayman''. The film was written by

Luci Ward Luci is an English feminine given name variant of Lucy and an Italian surname derived from the Latin personal name Lucius (from Latin '' Lux'', genitive ''Lucis'', meaning "light"). Luci is also an ancient Norman territorial surname derived from t ...

Jack Natteford Jack Natteford (November 27, 1894 – January 7, 1970) was an American screenwriter. He wrote for more than 140 films between 1921 and 1967. He was born in Wahoo, Nebraska and died in Los Angeles County, California. He was married to fellow ...

, and

William Bowers William Bowers (January 17, 1916 – March 27, 1987) 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 turn ...

and was released on March 3, 1948.

Plot

From his jail cell, old-time outlaw Jersey Brady (

Percy Kilbride Percy William Kilbride (July 16, 1888 – December 11, 1964) was an American character actor. He made a career of playing country hicks, most memorably as Pa Kettle in the ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' series of feature films. Early life Kilbride was ...

) tells the story of his ex-partner, notorious highwayman Charles E. Boles, also known as Black Bart (

). Years earlier, Charles, Lance Hardeen (

), 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 ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, Charles meets an ex-partner Clark (

John McIntire John Herrick McIntire (June 27, 1907 – January 30, 1991) was an American character actor who appeared in 65 theatrical films and many television series. McIntire is well known for having replaced Ward Bond, upon Bond's sudden death in Novem ...

), who now uses his position as a lawyer to commit big crimes. Together, the two plan to destroy the local

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

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 (

), 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 Lloyd Gough (born Michael Gough; September 21, 1907 – July 23, 1984) was an American theater, film, and television actor. Life and career Born Michael Gough in New York City, he was a noted character actor. Married to actress-turned-activi ...

) 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, Jersey wraps up his story from his current home, a jail cell.

Main cast

as Lola Montez *

as Charles E. Boles AKA Black Bart *

as Lance Hardeen *

as Jersey Brady *

as Sheriff Gordon *

Frank Lovejoy Frank Andrew Lovejoy Jr. (March 28, 1912 – October 2, 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. He is perhaps best remembered for appearing in the film noir '' The Hitch-Hiker'' and for starring in the radio drama '' Night Beat ...

as Mark Lorimer *

as Clark *

Don Beddoe Donald Theophilus Beddoe (July 1, 1903 – January 19, 1991) was an American character actor. Early years Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Beddoe was the son of Dan Beddoe, a Welsh classical singer, and his wife Mary. He graduated from the ...

as J.T. Hall * Ray Walker as MacFarland * Soledad Jiménez as Teresa * Eddy C. Waller as Ed Mason *

Anne O'Neal Anne O'Neal (born Patsy Ann Epperson; December 23, 1893 – November 24, 1971) was an American actress. She appeared in many films portraying matronly landladies, for example. On television, in 1957, she appeared on ''Gunsmoke'' as “Sabina P ...

as Mrs. Harmon * Chief Many Treaties as Indian *

Eddie Acuff Edward DeKalb Acuff (June 3, 1903 – December 17, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. He frequently was cast as a droll comic relief, in the support of the star. His best-known recurring role is that of Mr. Beasley, the postman, in ...

as Elkins *

Earl Audet Earle Toussaint Audet (May 14, 1921 – December 18, 2002) was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins, as well as the Los Angeles Dons of the All-America Football Conference (A ...

as Townsman * William Bailey as Townsman * Ray Bennett as Henry * Nina Campana as Mamacita * Tom Coleman as Wells Fargo Representative *

Russ Conway Russ Conway, DSM (born Trevor Herbert Stanford; 2 September 1925 – 16 November 2000) was an English popular music pianist and composer. Conway had 20 piano instrumentals in the UK Singles Chart between 1957 and 1963, including two number one ...

as Wells Fargo Agent Clayton * Bert Davidson as Blake * George Douglas as Alcott *

Franklyn Farnum Franklyn Farnum (born William Smith; June 5, 1878 – July 4, 1961) was an American character actor and Hollywood extra who appeared in at least 1,100 films. He was also cast in more films that won the Academy Award for Best Picture than any ot ...

as Al *

Douglas Fowley Douglas Fowley (born Daniel Vincent Fowley, May 30, 1911 – May 21, 1998) was an American movie and television actor in more than 240 films and dozens of television programs, He is probably best remembered for his role as the frustrated m ...

as Sheriff Mix * Ray Harper as Townsman *

Reed Howes Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * R ...

as Bartender * Si Jenks as Tobacco-Chewing Barfly * Jack Kenny as Townsman *

Milton Kibbee Milton Kibbee (January 27, 1896 – April 17, 1970) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 360 films between 1933 and 1953. He was the brother of actor Guy Kibbee and his daughter was actress Lois Kibbee. He died in Simi Valle ...

as Townsman *

Kenneth Ross MacKenzie Kenneth Ross MacKenzie (June 15, 1912 – July 4, 2002) together with Dale R. Corson and Emilio Segrè, synthesized the element astatine, in 1940. MacKenzie received his PhD under Ernest Lawrence at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. L ...

as Townsman *

Paul Maxey Paul Regan Maxey (March 15, 1907 – June 3, 1963) was an American actor. Born in Wheaton, Illinois, the rotund Maxey played character roles in films from 1937, notably as the composer Victor Herbert in ''Till the Clouds Roll By'' (1946) ...

as Townsman * Frank O'Connor as Wells Fargo Executive * William O'Leary as Wells Fargo Man *

Artie Ortego Artie A. Ortego (February 9, 1890 – July 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 240 films between 1912 and 1955. Ortego portrayed cowboys, henchmen and American Indians in a large number of westerns and performed hors ...

as Townsman * Marshall Ruth as Bandleader * Everett Shields as Keller * George Sowards as Stage Driver *

Ray Teal Ray Elgin Teal (January 12, 1902 – April 2, 1976) was an American actor.The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Teal's birth date as January 12, 1908. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the televis ...

as Pete *

Harry Tenbrook Harry Tenbrook (born Henry Olaf Hansen, October 9, 1887 – September 4, 1960) was an American film actor. Henry Olaf Hansen was born in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. His family migrated to the United States in 1892. Under the stage nam ...

as Barfly * Jack Tornek as Townsman * Wayne C. Treadway as Townsman * Henry Wills as Ambush Deputy

Production

The script was based on a real life bandit. Universal announced the film in June 1946 saying that

Charles Korvin Charles Korvin (born Géza Kárpáthi, November 21, 1907 – June 18, 1998) was a Hungarian-American film, television and stage actor. He was also a professional still and motion picture photographer and a master chef. Korvin was born in P� ...

might be cast and the film would be called ''Black Bart – Highwayman''. When Universal merged with International Pictures, the project was shelved, but it was revived in January 1947 under the title ''The Adventures of Black Bart''. Luci Ward and Jack Natteford, who had written ''

Badman's Territory ''Badman's Territory'' is a 1946 American Western film starring Randolph Scott. It was followed by the loose sequels '' Return of the Bad Men'' (1948) and ''Best of the Badmen'' (1951). Plot Just north of Texas and west of the Oklahoma borde ...

'', were assigned to write the script. Paul Malvern was initially supposed to produce for the film but

eventually got the job, his first as producer. George Sherma signed to direct. In April 1947 Universal announced the lead roles were to be played by Yvonne de Carlo, Dan Duryea, and

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...

. In June O'Brien dropped out to make ''Imagination'' (which became '' A Double Life'') and was replaced by

who had just finished his long-term career at Warners. Parts of the film were shot in Kanab Canyon, Strawberry Valley, and Strawberry Point in Utah.

Reception

The film was popular at the box office.

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.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Black Bart (1948 Film) 1948 films 1948 Western (genre) films 1940s English-language films Films directed by George Sherman Films scored by Frank Skinner Films scored by Leith Stevens American Western (genre) films Films shot in Utah 1940s American films