I Shot Jesse James

"THE THRILLING AND COLORFUL LAST DAYS OF AMERICA'S MOST FABULOUS OUTLAW...POWERFULLY WRITTEN IN GUNSMOKE!"

1949 1h 21m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 65

WesternDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Bob Ford murders his best friend Jesse James in order to obtain a pardon that will free him to marry his girlfriend Cynthy. The guilt-stricken Ford soon finds himself greeted with derision and open mockery throughout town. He travels to Colorado to try his hand at prospecting in hopes that marriage with Cynthy is still in the cards.

“THE THRILLING AND COLORFUL LAST DAYS OF AMERICA'S MOST FABULOUS OUTLAW...POWERFULLY WRITTEN IN GUNSMOKE!”

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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

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Samuel Fuller
Writers: Samuel Fuller, Homer Croy
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

81 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

77 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Ernest Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Albert Glasser. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Landres shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Preston Foster and Barbara Britton and John Ireland carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "THE THRILLING AND COLORFUL LAST DAYS OF AMERICA'S MOST FABULOUS OUTLAW...POWERFULLY WRITTEN IN GUNSMOKE!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0041497 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Samuel Fuller directs. Ernest Miller behind the camera. Albert Glasser scores. Paul Landres cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
277 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Samuel Fuller, shot by Ernest Miller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Albert Glasser. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Paul Landres shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Preston Foster and Barbara Britton and John Ireland carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "THE THRILLING AND COLORFUL LAST DAYS OF AMERICA'S MOST FABULOUS OUTLAW...POWERFULLY WRITTEN IN GUNSMOKE!".
8IMDB entry: tt0041497 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "saloon", "killing", "outlaw", "jesse james".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ernest Miller
Original score: Albert Glasser
Editing: Paul Landres
Costume design: Alfred Berke
Makeup / hair: Peggy Gray
Runtime: 81 min · 1h 21m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: I Shot Jesse James (1949)

Also by

Samuel Fuller

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-07-25
★ 7/10
This Bob Has No Hope. Sam Fuller's first film direction is a version of what happened to Robert Ford (John Ireland), the man who famously killed his friend - Jesse James (Reed Hadley). Taking up the basic elements of the real life story, Fuller keeps the narrative tight whilst ensuring the complexities of the main characters come to the fore. All the quirks and peccadilloes of the human condition are explored (the detail of Ford's torments and troubles superbly told), which is something of a rarity for a late 1940s "B" standard Western. The use of close-ups are to purposely highlight the psychological discord on show, marking this out as a good pointer to the later work of its maverick director. Ernest Hiller photographs the exteriors out of Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth and support to Ireland comes from Preston Foster, Barbara Britton and J. Edward Bromberg. 7/10

Production companies