Nonureva Really Surprised!

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

MartinHafer During the golden years in Hollywood, studios created an image of the old west that was pretty much hogwash. Despite these movies, folks DIDN'T have shootouts on Main Street nor were there that many folks running about in cowboy hats. But the biggest mistake the films made was by taking real life westerners and completely fictionalizing their lives. The Jesse James, Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp of film fame simply bore very little similarity to their onscreen characters. In "Badlands of Dakota" they manage something many of these films didn't do...it used several of these fictional real life characters...such as Wild Bill*, Calamity Jane** and General Custer. As long as you don't take any of this as fact, it is entertaining and features a lot of familiar character actors.The story concerns two brothers who have a falling out over a girl in the old west. There on hand are Wild Bill and others....all helping to bring truth(?) and justice to the West.The younger brother is played by Robert Stack. I've seen several of his early films and have noticed that he must have taken voice lessons, as his voice has a different cadence and is much higher than it was in the late 50s onward. He does NOT sound like Elliot Ness in this one! He is supported in the film by Richard Dix (Wild Bill), Ann Rutherford, Broderick Crawford (the older brother) and many character actors such as Andy Devine, Fuzzy Knight, Hugh Herbert and Lon Chaney Jr.. The quality and caliber of these actors help out the film a lot and elevate it far above the usual quickie B-western. The only cheap portion was the runaway wagon sequence...with its awful rear projection. Also, I wasn't taken by Ann Rutherford's speech about the west (just before Robert Stack snogs her)...talk about ridiculous dialog! But apart from that, on balance, it's a pretty good FICTIONAL story.*The death of Wild Bill was accurate in the film...shot in the back while playing poker and he had what's known (because of this) as the dead man's hand (with two pair...both spades).**Calamity Jane was NOT the pretty rootin' tootin' cowgirl who loved fightin' and shootin' like she is seen in the movies. In reality she was quite different--a cross-dressing woman who was NOT especially beautiful and was an alcoholic. She also worked, off and on, as a prostitute and even a frontier scout! But she also was apparently incredibly kind and accounts of her helping the poor and destitute abound. I actually think the real Calamity would be the great subject of a film!

kevin olzak 1941's "Badlands Of Dakota" is a higher budgeted 'B' Western from Universal, with a fascinating cast. Top billed Robert Stack gives the least interesting performance (not really his fault), as Jim Holliday, freewheeling brother of tough saloon owner Bob Holliday (Broderick Crawford); when Bob finds that his girl back east (Ann Rutherford) has decided to marry Jim, he falls in with Deadwood villain Jack McCall (Lon Chaney), whose gang commits raids disguised as native Indians. Of greater interest are the supporting players, Richard Dix as Wild Bill Hickok, and especially Frances Farmer as Jane (minus the 'Calamity'), who carries a torch for Bob, and must play a part in his downfall. With Hugh Herbert, Andy Devine, and Fuzzy Knight, we have an abundance of comic relief, and future Frankenstein Monster Glenn Strange is among Chaney's gang. Broderick Crawford and Hugh Herbert were coming off the comic Poe "The Black Cat"; Chaney and Crawford would work together again in "North to the Klondike," "Not as a Stranger," and "Big House, U. S. A."; Richard Dix soon reunited with Chaney in "Eyes of the Underworld." But in this film, no one can steal the thunder from Frances Farmer, whose commanding presence and captivating beauty prove to have been unique and unforgettable.

Alex da Silva Robert Stack (Jim) is the wimpy younger brother of Deadwood saloon owner Broderick Crawford (Bob) who sends him to bring Ann Rutherford (Anne) from another town so that Crawford can marry her. However, on the journey back to Deadwood, Stack and Rutherford fall in love and marry. Guess what - Crawford isn't too happy about this! Crawford plans his revenge and gets brother Stack elected Marshall of Deadwood while he joins up with the town's bad guys and takes part in a couple of robberies. At the end, we have an Indian attack on the town of Deadwood and the inevitable confrontation between the brothers.The quality of this film is poor and unfortunately, the story drags. It's not very interesting. Frances Farmer (Jane) and Richard Dix (Wild Bill Hickok) are wasted in this film. The emphasis should have been on these two characters and Crawford rather than the sickeningly bland relationship between Stack and Rutherford. The film picks up pace at the end with the Indian attack but it's too late to save the day. It's a shame because given the cast, the film promises more than it delivers, apart from the comedy characters who are always annoying. In particular Andy Devine's irritating voice - he sounds like he has got a frog permanently in his throat. CLEAR YOUR THROAT BEFORE TALKING. Don Barclay as the drunk is another low-point - please get him off the screen, he's not funny.The 2 leads in this film fail to excite the audience and this, coupled with the poor quality, results in your mind wandering off to more interesting places.

bsmith5552 "Badlands of Dakota" is one of those compact little westerns, running about an hour and a quarter, that Universal churned out in the forties. As was the case with most of them, it is filled with lots of recognizable faces. Usually the leads were up and comers or second leads from the studio's bigger budgeted features. The story briefly, starts out with rough and tough saloon owner (Broderick Crawford) sending his seemingly meek brother (a very young Robert Stack) back east to fetch his intended bride (Ann Rutherford). On the return journey they meet Wild Bill Hickock (Richard Dix) and fall in love and marry much to Crawford's chagrin. Crawford becomes bitter and joins up with Jack McCall (Lon Chaney Jr.) and his gang after arranging to have Stack appointed town marshal. You can probably figure out the inevitable ending. The beautiful and troubled Frances Farmer appears as "Jane" (for some reason they dropped the rather obvious "Calamity"), and gives an excellent performance as the frontier gal Crawford tries to leave behind. Along for comic relief are Hugh Herbert as the Fire Chief/bartender, Andy Devine as the mayor and Fuzzy Knight as the stagecoach driver. Riding with Chaney are the likes of Glenn Strange, Carleton Young and Richard Alexander. Addison Richards appears as Colonel Custer. Poor old Charlie King is around just long enough to be gunned down by Dix. Also,look for Kermit Maynard as a card player. Stack does OK as the hero and Ann Rutherford fresh from the Andy Hardy series, makes an appealing heroine. Dix does what he can with a limited role, Crawford growls as usual and Chaney is good as the chief bad guy, but it is Farmer who virtually steals the picture. One can only wonder how really great she could have been. There is plenty of action including chases, stage holdups, fights, comedy and a slam bang Indian attack of the town at the film's climax. A really entertaining little western.