Black Bart
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
George Sherman
Yvonne Decarlo
Dan Duryea
Jeffrey Lynn
Percy Kilbride
Lloyd Gough
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
From his jail cell, old-time outlaw Jersey Brady tells the story of his ex-partner, notorious highwayman Charles E. Boles, also known as Black Bart: Years earlier, Charles, Lance Hardeen and Jersey are working as outlaws when Charles decides to leave the gang, move to California and pull off one last, big heist, which will allow him to go straight. Although Lance tries to trick Charles out of his share of their hidden loot, Charles secretly double-crosses Lance first and steals all the money. In Sacramento months later, Charles meets Clark, an ex-partner, who now uses his position as a lawyer to commit big crimes. Together, the two plan to destroy the local Wells Fargo bank, create their own bank in its place, and profit from the growing gold rush business. Over the next two months, Clark tips off Charles about all the Wells Fargo money shipments, and a disguised Charles robs each stage until the townspeople lose confidence in the bank. One day, when a masked Charles, who is now known as Black Bart, stops a coach transporting Lance, Jersey and the celebrated dancer, Lola Montez, Lance recognizes Charles' voice and helps to save the coach from his thievery. Lance brings the coach to the bank's relay station, where he further impresses Lola by saving the broken leg of the driver. Soon after, however, Charles, as Black Bart, also intrigues Lola when he sneaks into the station, returns her diamond bracelet and embraces her before fleeing. The next day when they reach Sacramento, Wells Fargo manager Mark Lorimer and Sheriff Gordon hire Lance and Jersey, whom they consider their new heroes, as coach guards. Charles, a respected rancher by day, greets them in the local bar, and although Lance reveals that he knows Charles is Black Bart and tells him that he wants Lola, Charles insists they take out Lola together. One day Charles gets Lola alone and the two fall in love, but after he admits he is Black Bart, she implores him to give up his criminal life to be with her, and he agrees to do so after just one last job. Meanwhile, Sheriff Gordon devises a plan for Lance to act as lookout for a posse of deputies who are to guard a coach carrying the payload that will save Wells Fargo. As Lance and Jersey scheme to rob the stage themselves and blame it on Black Bart, Clark tells Charles that if the stage gets through, their plan will be ruined. Black Bart meets the stage, orders Jersey to throw the money box down as the stage rides past, and escapes from Lance. When he opens the box, however, he finds it empty and realizes the money must still be at the relay station. That night, after Charles tells Lola he has to go back to retrieve the money, she convinces him not to take the risk. Charles then tells Lance that he can steal, and keep, the money. Lance, however, forces Charles to go with him to the relay station, and as soon as they get there, they are ambushed by a waiting posse. They escape into a barn, but when the posse sets it on fire, they are forced to run out and both are shot to death. Jersey wraps up his story from his current home, a jail cell.
Director
George Sherman
Cast
Yvonne Decarlo
Dan Duryea
Jeffrey Lynn
Percy Kilbride
Lloyd Gough
Frank Lovejoy
John Mcintire
Don Beddoe
Ray Walker
Soledad Jimenez
Eddy C. Waller
Anne O'neal
Chief Many Treaties
Douglas Fowley
Ray Teal
Eddie Acuff
Bert Davidson
Marshall Ruth
Russ Conway
Ray Bennett
Nina Campana
Bill O'leary
George Douglas
Everett Shields
Reed Howes
Paul Maxey
Milton Kibbee
William Norton Bailey
Wayne Tredway
Earl Audet
Kenneth Ross-mackenzie
Crew
William Bowers
Leslie I. Carey
Carmen Dirigo
Clemens Finley
Russell A. Gausman
Irving Glassberg
Leonard Goldstein
Bernard Herzbrun
William Holland
Corson Jowett
Natalie Kalmus
Jack Natteford
Jack Natteford
Emrich Nicholson
Val Raset
Russell Schoengarth
Gabriel Scognamillo
Frank Skinner
William Stevens
Luci Ward
Luci Ward
Bud Westmore
Yvonne Wood
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
There was something familiar about that kick in the pants I took.- Lance Hardeen
You must be awfully sensitive to be able to tell one from another.- Charles E. Boles
One thing about being a crook. You can spot another crook at fifty paces.- Lance Hardeen
The scum of the whole country is coming west by the wagon-load. We got more criminals than we have citizens.- Sheriff Gordon
Sounds like an up-and-coming country. Looks like we arrived just in time.- Jersey Brady
Trivia
Notes
The working titles for this film were Adventures of Black Bart, Black Bart, Highwayman and The Legend of Black Bart. The historical figure of Black Bart, whose given name was Charles E. Boles, reportedly held up twenty-eight Wells Fargo stagecoaches in Northern California before he was apprehended in 1882. The real-life Boles operated alone, used an unloaded weapon, and frequently left poems inside the strongboxes he had looted. He disappeared after his release from prison, and the date of his death is not known.
This film was the first of producer Leonard Goldstein's many productions for Universal-International. The Los Angeles Times reported in June 1946 that Charles Korvin was being considered for the lead role. According to Hollywood Reporter, Howard Welsch was the picture's original producer. Hollywood Reporter production charts list Gabriel Scognamillo as the art director and includes Edmond O'Brien and Tom Ladd in the cast. O'Brien did not appear in the film, but Ladd's appearance in the final film cannot be confirmed. Modern sources list Joseph West as the story writer, but his contribution to the final film has not been determined. For more information on the character of Black Bart, see Wrangler's Roost (below). In 1967, Al Rafkin directed a Universal-International remake of Black Bart entitled The Ride to Hangman's Tree starring Jack Lord.
