''Kansas Raiders'' is a 1950 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

Ray Enright Ray Enright (March 25, 1896 – April 3, 1965) was an American film director. He directed 73 films between 1927–53, many of them for Warner Bros. He oversaw comedy films like Joe E. Brown vehicles, five of the six informal pairings of ...

, and stars

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

Brian Donlevy Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, noted for playing dangerous tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best-known films are ''Beau Geste'' (193 ...

, Marguerite Chapman, and

Scott Brady Scott Brady (born Gerard Kenneth Tierney; September 13, 1924 – April 16, 1985) was an American film and television actor best known for his roles in Western films and as a ubiquitous television presence. He played the title role in the televi ...

. It is set during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

and involves Jesse James coming under the influence of William Quantrill.

Plot

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...

(Murphy) and his friends—brother Frank ( Richard Long), brothers Cole (

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

) and Jim Younger ( Dewey Martin), plus Kit Dalton ( Tony Curtis) -- arrive in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

, 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 (Donlevy). 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 ( Marguerite Chapman). The raiders take part in the Lawrence Massacre in which Jesse and his men rob their first bank. Most of the raiders abandon Quantrill except for Jesse. Quantrill is blinded then killed in a shoot out with Union troops. Jesse leaves Kate and heads off with his friends to a life of crime.

Cast

as Jesse James *

as Quantrill * Marguerite Chapman as Kate Clarke *

as Bill Anderson * Tony Curtis as Kit Dalton *

Richard Arlen Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television. Biography Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Arlen attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served in Canada as a ...

as Union Captain * Richard Long as Frank James *

as Cole Younger * John Kellogg as Red Leg leader * Dewey Martin as James Younger *

George Chandler George Chandler (June 30, 1898 – June 10, 1985) was an American actor who starred in over 140 feature films, usually in smaller supporting roles, and he is perhaps best known for playing the character of Uncle Petrie Martin on the televi ...

as Willie *

Charles Delaney Charles Delaney (August 9, 1892 – August 31, 1959) was an American actor. Biography Delaney was born in New York City in 1892. He was originally a motor mechanic and having learned to fly during World War I, he started doing flying vaud ...

as Pell * Richard Egan as First Lieutenant * David Bauer as Tate (as Dave Wolfe)

Home media

Universal Pictures 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 ...

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 Lawless Breed'' is a 1953 American Technicolor Western biographical film produced and distributed by Universal-International, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Rock Hudson and Julie Adams. The film is a romanticized story based on the ...

''). 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.

References

External links

* * * American historical films 1950 films 1950s historical films 1950 Western (genre) films Audie Murphy 1950s English-language films American Western (genre) films American Civil War films Films set in Kansas Biographical films about Jesse James Films directed by Ray Enright Universal Pictures films 1950s American films {{1950s-Western-film-stub