Product: Montana Belle [VHS] (1952)
Rating: 2.0
Jane sings and dances
Belle Starr (1848-89) was the first of the female outlaws, and even to this date, more than a century and a half later, she heads a very short list (e.g., Ma Barker and Bonnie Parker). Her story was popularized in dime novels beginning in 1889 and in films beginning in 1928. She was played by Betty Compson in "Court Martial" (1928), Gene Tierney in "Belle Starr" (1941), Isabel Jewell in "Badman's Territory" (1946), Elizabeth Montgomery in "Belle Starr" (1980), and Pamela Reed in "The Long Riders" (1980).If most of her films did not do justice to her real life, "Montana Belle" is the worst offender, with the only bare facts of her name, her marriage to Sam Starr, and his death prior to hers. Otherwise this is merely a traditional 40s oat burner, more about the Dalton Gang than about Belle Starr.Of course it's not a total waste. No film with beautiful Jane Russell can be a total loss, and Jane gets a chance to do two musical numbers. Jane Russell (1921-2011) made her screen debut in "Outlaw" (1941) and went on to make nearly two dozen films, including "Paleface" (1948) with Bob Hope, "Double Dynamite" (1951) with Sinatra and Groucho, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953) with Marilyn Monroe, and "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" (1956). She's OK is this one, and her voice is pretty good, although her dancing leaves a lot to be desired.The film features Scott Brady as Bob Dalton, Forrest Tucker and Jack Lambert as members of his gang, Andy Devine as a sleazy traitor, and George Brent as a businessman who falls in love with Jane.Scott Brady (1924-85) specialized in playing tough guys in more than 100 films and TV shows. I liked him best as "The Dancin Kid" in "Johnny Guitar"Forrest Tucker (1919-86) is best known from TV's "F Troop" (1965-7) but he was a prolific film actor in the 40s and 50s, frequently appearing in westerns ("The Westerner", "Gunfighters", "The Nevadan") and war films ("Submarine Raider", "Sands of Iwo Jima", "Fighting Coast Guard").Andy Devine (1905-77) made over 400 films, include several with John Wayne ("Stagecoach", "Liberty Valance"), but perhaps is best remembered as Guy Madison's sidekick in TVs "The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickock" (1951 - 1958).Handsome George Brent (1899-1979) is best known as the frequent co-star with Bette Davis in 13 films although he was also very close with Garbo. His memorable films include "Dark Victory" (1939), and "The Spiral Staircase" (1945).Jack Lambert (1920-2002) plays a half breed named Ringo. Lambert is one of those actors whose face you've seen dozens of times but whose name you never knew. He appeared in over 50 films (e.g., "Dick Tracy's Dilemma", "Vera Cruz") prior to turning his attention to TV where he usually played a cowboy appearing in episodes of "Gunsmoke", "Daniel Boone", "Bonanza" etc.Director Allan Dwan (1885-1981) made more than 400 films, most of them in the silent era. He's best known for "Heidi" (1937), "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms" (1938), and "Sands of Iwo Jima" (1949). He did several film noir including "Slightly Scarlet" (1956) and "Surrender" (1950), but was more versed in the western - "Cattle Queen of Montana" (1954), "The Restless Breed" (1957), "Silver Lode" (1954), etc.The NY Times called it "the most overstated Western of the year" and said that Russell was "beginning to look saddlesore."The film was actually made in 1948 but not released until 1952. The top grossing films in 1952 were "The Greatest Show on Earth", "The Bad and the Beautiful", "The Snows of Kilimanjaro", "Ivanhoe", and "Singing in the Rain". "The Greatest Show on Earth" won for Best Picture and other Oscar winners were "High Noon" (Actor), "The Quiet Man" (Director), "Come Back Little Sheeba" (Actress), and "Viva Zapata" (Supporting Actor). Other memorable films that year were "Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd", Tracy and Hepburn as "Pet and Mike", Fritz Lang's "Rancho Nororious", "The Red Planet Mars", "Scaramouche", and Marian Cooper's "This is Cinerama".Bottom line - not much here to appreciate but fans of Jane Russell will enjoy it nonetheless.