Badmans Territory [DVD] [1946] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

BADMAN'S TERRITORY was the first of three solid little RKO oaters from the late 1940s featuring Randolph Scott (the other two were TRAIL STREET and THE RETURN OF THE BAD MEN). All are solid features, very entertaining, with action galore, good plots, although not too much character development (action predominates). BADMAN'S TERRITORY, the first in the series, throws in just about every outlaw of the old West for Scott to deal with. Gabby Hayes adds some zestful comedic antics. Production values are high...great fun. Recommended.

This is a great classic, one that I have tried to find for a long time. I did consider it a bit pricey compared to other old Westerns on sale, but bought it anyway. No regrets.

RKO Radio Pictures presents "BADMAN'S TERRITORY" (1946) (98 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Starring Randolph Scott, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Ann Richards, Ray Collins & Morgan Conway --- Directed by Tim Whelan and released in April 1, 1946, our story line and film an earnest Texas sheriff meets the likes of the James Gang, the Daltons, Sam Bass and Belle Starr as he paves the way for a lawless territitory known as Badman's Territory to become part of the Oklahama Territory and receive the protection of the Union. Rich characterizations especially from Gabby Hayes as the Coyote Kid in his first of five appearances in Randolph Scott westerns ... as always a Randy Scott western is where he looked the most comfortable. As a bonus, we get tough-guy film noir man Lawrence Tierney playing Jesse James!

Under Tim Whelan (Director), Nat Holt (Producer), Jack Natteford (Screenwriter), Bess Taffel (Screenwriter), Luci Ward (Screenwriter), Clarence Upson Young (Screenwriter), Robert de Grasse (Cinematographer), Constantin Bakaleinikoff (Musical Direction/Supervision), Roy Webb (Composer (Music Score), Philip Martin (Editor), Albert S. D'Agostino (Art Director), Walter E. Keller (Art Director), James Altwies (Set Designer), Darrell Silvera (Set Designer), Renie (Costume Designer) - - - - the cast includes Randolph Scott (Mark Rowley), Ann Richards (Henryette Alcott), George "Gabby" Hayes (Coyote), Ray Collins (Col. Farewell), James Warren (John Rowley), Morgan Conway (Bill Hampton), Virginia Sale (Meg), John Halloran (Hank McGee), Andrew Tombes (Doc Grant), Richard Hale (Ben Wade), Harry Holman (Hodge), Lawrence Tierney (Jesse James), Tom Tyler (Frank James), Steve Brodie (Bob Dalton), Philip Warren (Grat Dalton), William Moss (Bill Dalton), Nestor Paiva (Sam Bass), Isabel Jewell (Belle Starr), Chief Thundercloud (Chief Tahlequah), Emory Parnell (Bitter Creek), Robert E. Homans (Trial Judge), John Hamilton (Commissioner), Harry Harvey (Stationmaster) - - - - Randy Scott had a quiet gentleman nature about him which is not seen in the films of today ... Randy took his job and his responsibility to his audience very seriously ,,, would not settle for anything less than his best ... same was true in his personal life.

SPECIAL FEATURES BIOS:
1. Randolph Scott (aka: George Randolph Scott)
Date of birth: 23 January 1898 - Orange County, Virginia
Date of death: 2 March 1987 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Special footnote, George Randolph Scott better known as Randolph Scott, was an American film actor whose career spanned the sound era from the late 1920s to the early 1960s ... his popularity grew in the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in such films as "Gung Ho"! (1943) and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1938); but he was especially famous for his numerous Westerns including "Virginia City" (1940) with Errol Flynn and Humphrey Bogart, "Western Union" (1941) with Robert Young and "Ride the High Country" (1962) with Joel McCrea (a coin was flipped to see whether Scott or McCrea would receive top billing, and Scott won despite having a slightly smaller role) ... his long fistfight with John Wayne in "The Spoilers" (1942) was frequently cited by critics and the press as the most thrilling ever filmed; they were fighting over Marlene Dietrich ... another smash hit film together that same year called "Pittsburgh" (1942) once again with Dietrich, Scott and Wayne --- Daniel Webster defines "Legend", as being a notable person, or the stories told about that person exploits --- well by the time Randolph Scott made his best films he had long established himself as a legend in the film industry --- they say practice makes perfect, if that is true by 1958 at 60 years of age he was the master with these oaters from the 50s ... "The Cariboo Trail" (1950), "The Nevadan" (1950), "Colt .45" (1950), "Santa Fe" (1951), "Sugarfoot" (1951), "Fort Worth" (1951), "Man in the Saddle" (1951), "Carson City" (1952), "The Man Behind the Gun" (1952), "Hangman's Knot" (1952), "Thunder over the Plains" (1953), "The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953), "Ten Wanted Men" (1954), "Riding Shotgun" (1954), "The Bounty Hunter" (1954), "Rage at Dawn" (1955), "Tall Man Riding" (1955), "A Lawless Street" (1955), "Seven Men from Now" (1956), "Seventh Cavalry" (1956), "Decision at Sundown: (1957), "Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend" (1957), "The Tall T" (1957), "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958), "Ride Lonesome" (1959), "Westbound" (1959), "Comanche Station" (1960) --- Scott's age seemed to matter little, they only came to see another Randolph Scott film and always got their money's worth --- Scott's films were good and getting better becoming classics --- so if you ever wonder "What Ever Happened To Randolph Scott", just rent or purchase one of his films and you'll see he's never left us.

2. George 'Gabby' Hayes
Date of Birth: 7 May 1885 - Wellsville, New York
Date of Death: 9 February 1969 - Burbank, California

3. Tim Whelan (Director)
Date of Birth: 2 November 1893 - Cannelton, Indiana
Date of Death: 12 August 1957 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for Film Noir, B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 98 min on VHS ~ Turner Home Video ~ (9/12/1990)