La ville des sans-loi

Hollywood and History do not, as a rule, go well together.

Once again a western movie is damaged by over-saturation of big-name outlaws -- real people but who lived and died very differently from the script's portrayal.

Frankly, I watched with trepidation, but was soon more than placated by the very high quality of cast -- and, shucks, the presence of Randolph Scott alone will usually save any movie.

Here he is assisted by Gabby Hayes, in an unusual but surprisingly moving characterization, and by an actress of whom I know nothing, Ann Richards, a very lovely woman, but whose allegedly English accent never did sound quite right. Turns out she is from Australia.

The bad guys were played by some, not just veterans, but champions, people such as Lawrence Tierney, Tom Tyler, Steve Brodie, and Nestor Paiva.

A character named Belle Starr just captivated, just stole each scene she was in, and looking later at the list of players I realize why: She was played by the great Isabel Jewell.

Several more wonderful actors did not even get credit, and once more we have to pause and say a little prayer of thanks for IMDb.com. There are John Hamilton, Buddy Roosevelt, Kermit Maynard, Emory Parnell, who even has some lines, and Elmo Lincoln.

The great and unheralded Bud Osborne has a pivotal role early in the film, but no credit.

Despite the foolishness in using some of the outlaw names, the script has a lot of very good dialog, and it moves, with lots of characters having lots of action.

"Badman's Territory" is, finally, a very good movie.

This is a fine western, one of the better ones of its era and one that, sadly, is hardly known. Generally speaking, it''s a fun movie that should have a big audience. You can't find it on VHS or DVD and few people have ever heard of it. Just look at how few reviews there are on this website.

The story is fast-moving because of a nice mixture of action, suspense, romance and even some comedy. Randolph Scott, Gabby Hayes, Ann Richards and Ray Collins are all fun to watch. Scott acted with Shirley Temple and with Astiare & Rogers, etc., but a western is where he looked the most comfortable. As a bonus, we get tough-guy film noir man Lawrence Tierney playing Jesse James!

Not super, but a solid old western.

Badman's Territory is directed by Tim Whelan and written by Jack Natteford and Luci Ward. It stars Randolph Scott, George Hayes, Ann Richards, Ray Collins, James Warren, Morgan Conway, Virginia Sale and John Halloran. Music is by Roy Webb and cinematography by Robert de Grasse.

The area known as Badman's Territory is a sort of no mans land not yet governed by statehood. No law resides there, the citizens themselves run the area, so as it stands it has become a safe haven for the outlaws and ragamuffins of the West. Into the Badman's Territorial town of Quinto comes lawman Mark Rowley (Scott), who after trailing his injured deputy brother into the area, finds a town bursting at the seams with political intrigue.

A lively Oater out of RKO, Badman's Territory is only really guilty of cramming too much onto its plate of beans. The town of Quinto is home to some of the Wild West's most notable criminals, such as The James and Dalton Gangs et al, it's also home to many shifty politician types, Indians (as it's their land), business men, a leading lady of the press (Richards) and of course Randolph Scott and his bro played by James Warren.

The writers take these character threads and try and weave them all together into a cohesive whole, thus we get an outlaw backdrop that never really materialises, a power of the press motif that apparently needed a romantic angle to push it along, and the looming annexation of the area into the Union provides the heartbeat of the story but comes off as a complex narrative piece since so much is going on. While director Whelan is required to insert a horse race, a square dance and the obligatory shoot-out to ensure nobody is bogged down by the ever present politico chatter.

Scott is as always splendid in this environment, a natural, while Richards does fine work with a pleasingly strong female lead role. "Gabby" Hayes provides the lively comic relief and Conway is suitably oily as crooked lawman William Hampton. However, again because there is so much going on, supporting actors like Lawrence Tierney and Steve Brodie (Jessie James and Bob Dalton respectively) barely get time to impact on proceedings. Which since this is called Badman's Territory is a bit of a bum steer. But in spite of the too many cooks spoiling the broth theme at work, it's watchable stuff and definitely one for Randolph Scott fans to seek out. 6/10

There are so Many Names of Outlaws and Such in this Murky Story of Bandits and Marshalls that in the End it is just One Big...Ho-Hum. This Western from RKO has a Good Look about it but what it's About is Anybody's Guess.

Randolph Scott is OK but is Not the Stoic, Sombre Presence that He Assumed in the Budd Boetticher Classics. Here He is just Randolph Scott, Tall and Unwavering. The Cast has some Familiar Faces and some Not So Familiar to Casual Moviegoers.

Gabby Hayes is just a Heartbeat from Irritating and is Most Effective with a Double Take Glance than with that Grovely, Grating Galoot of a Voice that is So Recognizable. He has Much to Do in this Mediocre Western and is as Good as Anybody here.

There is a Boring Horse Race Among other Boring Things in this Long Story that is Never Woven Together Adequately. Lawrence Tierney is Wasted as Jesse James as is just about Everyone Else. The Movie Needs more Edge and more Grit, because as it Stands it is a Plate Full of Campfire Comfort that Almost Works but Ultimately is Nothing More than Name Dropping.

Randolph Scott and Gabby Hayes!! doesn't get better than that for an old cowboy western. and Jesse James. purports to tell the story of Badman's territory, the lawless land of the Oklahoma handle. Ray Collins is in here.. he usually played the bad guy. Mark and Johnny (Scott and James Warren) go after the James gang, after they rob the train. as usual, stuff happens, and we're not sure who's telling the truth. Ann Richards is "Henryetta", editor of the local paper, trying to tame the wild town and get the simple town fixtures, like roads, hospitals, schools. The other gal in town is Belle Star (Isabel Jewell).. she owns the horse that's going to compete with Mark's horse. thousands of men, but only two women. hmmm. This one is only okay. story is a little un-even, and kind of changes direction here and there. Directed by Tim Whelan.