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I Shot Jesse James (1949)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
26 February 1949 (USA) moreTagline:
THE THRILLING AND COLORFUL LAST DAYS OF AMERICA'S MOST FABULOUS OUTLAW...POWERFULLY WRITTEN IN GUNSMOKE! (original print ad - all caps) morePlot:
Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend but is plagued by guilt and self-disgust. full summary | add synopsisUser Comments:
Samuel Fuller's directorial debut is a B-western... moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Preston Foster | ... | John Kelley | |
| Barbara Britton | ... | Cynthy Waters | |
| John Ireland | ... | Bob Ford | |
| Reed Hadley | ... | Jesse James | |
| J. Edward Bromberg | ... | Harry Kane | |
| Victor Kilian | ... | Soapy | |
| Tom Tyler | ... | Frank James | |
| Tommy Noonan | ... | Charles Ford (as Tom Noonan) | |
| Eddie Dunn | ... | Joe, Silver King Bartender | |
| Margia Dean | ... | Saloon Singer | |
| Byron Foulger | ... | Silver King Room Clerk | |
| Jeni Le Gon | ... | Veronica, Cynthy's Maid | |
| Barbara Woodell | ... | Mrs. Zee James (as Barbara Wooddell) | |
| Phillip Pine | ... | Man in Saloon (as Phil Pine) | |
| Robin Short | ... | Troubadour |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
81 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColour:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Director Samuel Fuller said that he wanted to make this picture because, unlike many filmmakers in Hollywood, he did not see Jesse James as a "folk hero" or someone to be admired. Fuller saw him as a cold-blooded psychopath who shot down women, children, the elderly, the helpless (his gang once stopped a Union hospital train and executed every wounded federal soldier on it) and, in Fuller's words, Bob Ford "did something that should have been done quite a bit earlier in the life of Jesse Woodson James". moreGoofs:
Continuity: During the final shootout the background lighting on the closeups and master shots of John Ireland do not match. moreQuotes:
Harry Kane: Gold is nothing but that last corruption of degenerate man. But to be a little corrupt for the sake of art, that I wouldn't mind. moreSoundtrack:
The Jesse James Song moreFAQ
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| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |


There's nothing in I SHOT JESSE JAMES to raise it above the level of a B-western. JOHN IRELAND has given some good performances in certain roles but he approaches this one in an almost zombie-like mode, especially during the first half of the movie where he ponders thinking about killing Jesse James (REED HADLEY). The film is a fictionalized version of the events surrounding the killing of Jesse James by the coward Bob Ford.
BARBARA BRITTON is attractive as the worried miss who is afraid to tell Bob Ford (Ireland) that she no longer loves him after the James killing. PRESTON FOSTER is the rugged man she tales a shine to after realizing that Bob Ford is jealous of their relationship.
There are obvious signs that the film was made quickly and on the cheap, making good use of small sets and big close-ups of the actors. None of the acting is inspired, so there's little that can be said about the performances in stock roles.
It's a strictly by-the-numbers sort of script that tells what ought to be a taut tale in a slow and cumbersome way with occasional bursts of dramatic music on the soundtrack to make up for the lack of compelling drama in the script.
Nothing distinctive about this one.