The Outlaw
(1943)
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A 'Billy The Kid' western which is noted for its advertising and emphasis on Jane Russell. |
“Mean, moody, magnificent” was the advertising tag for this infamous movie, and it didn't refer to the outlaw of the title — Billy the Kid — but to Doc Holliday's delectable mistress, Rio, played so memorably here by Howard Hughes's exciting discovery, Jane Russell. Censorship and reshooting led to a three-year release delay for this languorous western, originally directed by the estimable Howard Hawks, which contrives strange fictional relationships between Billy (colourless newcomer Jack Buetel), Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell) and Holliday (the superb Walter Huston). Best remembered today for Russell's cleavage — she never quite lived down the attendant publicity — there's also salty dialogue from Hawks's regular collaborator, Jules Furthman.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Half-baked Western with much pretentious chat and the main interest squarely focused on the bosom of the producer's new discovery. This aspect kept censorship ballyhoo going for six years before the film was finally released in truncated form, and audienc