The Kid from Texas *** (1950, Audie Murphy, Gale Storm, Albert Dekker, Shepperd Strudwick, Will Geer) – Classic Movie Review 6490

Director Kurt Neumann’s nifty, action-packed 1950 Western stars Audie Murphy who is fine as Texan tough-guy Billy the Kid, one of the Old West’s most legendary outlaws. He takes time off fighting the other villains to romance Irene Kain (played by the wonderfully named Gale Storm), the young wife of his ageing new employer Alexander Kain (Albert Dekker).

A showy gallery of support turns and Charles Van Enger’s great Technicolor cinematography showcasing ravishing New Mexican scenery compensate for any pacing problems. It was also shot at the Jack Garner Ranch, San Bernardino National Forest, California; Idyllwild, California; and at the Universal Studios.

Also in the cast are Shepperd Strudwick, Will Geer, William Talman, Martin Garralaga, Frank Wilcox, Robert H Barrat, Walter Sande, Ray Teal, Dennis Hoey, Don Haggerty, John Phillips, Paul Ford, Robert J. Wilke, Edward Gargan, Jack Ingram, Dick Wessel, William Fawcett, Al Ferguson, Edmund Cobb and James Burke.

It is written by Robert Hardy Andrews and Karl Kamb, produced by Paul Short and scored by Milton Schwarzwald, with Art Direction by Bernard Herzbrun and Emrich Nicholson.

The Kid from Texas was released in March 1950 and quickly followed up by Kansas Raiders in November 1950, playing Jesse James. Completing the trilogy, Murphy played one more of the Old West’s legendary outlaws – Bill Doolin – in The Cimarron Kid (1952)

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6490

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