The Outlaw (1943)

This movie is always on, usually in the middle of the night. I don't know why. There's just something about the middle of the night that just begs to be filled by mediocre, sixty-year-old westerns.
Okay, so, you might wonder, "Why review a mediocre sixty-year-old western?" The Outlaw isn't just any old mediocre sixty-year-old western. It is one of the most infamous film forays made by billionaire Howard Hughes. Although finished in 1941 "The Outlaw" was not released until 1943, and didn't see a general release until 1946. The reason it wasn’t released was because of serious clashes with Hollywood censors. So why all the drama? I’m guessing it has to do with the scene where Jane Russell is sexually assaulted in a haystack. Or perhaps it was the scene in which Russell, in an effort to comfort a sick man, tells the maid to leave the room, undresses and says "I'll warm you up." Or the scene where her breasts were hanging out everywhere. Oh, wait, that was every scene.

Jane Russell is known mainly for her portrayal of the lovely brunette Dorothy in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. More than a decade before, however, Howard Hughes picked her to star in this off beat, campy film. Thomas Mitchell plays sheriff Pat Garrett, who hooks up with Doc Holiday (Walter Huston) to track down Billy the Kid (Jack Beutel). Doc's best gal, Rio McDonald (Russell) falls for Billy for some mysterious reason. Maybe because he is, in fact, an Outlaw. All in all, it's pretty standard Western fare with okay acting, fine cinematography and editing that's right up there with human resources training videos. It’s Russell as the feisty Rio McDonald that makes this film worth watching. Beautiful, tough and cross-lit for maximum cleavage, Russell makes everyone else look pale. The promotional photograph of Jane sitting seductively in a pile of hay became one of the three photographs most requested by American servicemen during World War Two.

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www.archive.org/details/the_outlaw