Wed 11 Mar 2026
THE OUTLAW. RKO Radio Pictures, 1943. Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston. Directors: Howard Hughes, Howard Hawks (uncredited).
A fanciful retelling of the legend of Billy the Kid, along with Pat Garrett, Doc Holliday, and a girl named Rio, I don’t know the entire story behind the making of the movie, nor the hype, but for 1943 (original release), it must have been a sizzler.
Huston’s grizzled performance as Doc is superb, and while seemingly miscast, the shabby Tom Mitchell (as Garrett) has his moments as well. Beutel’s career went nowhere, but as Billy he is convincingly cunning, As for Jane Russell, I watched her every move.
— Reprinted from Movie.File.2, April 1988.
March 12th, 2026 at 7:24 am
Jane Russell managed to land the two starring roles in this oater.
March 13th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Jane Russell made quite a figure in all of the movies she was in, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of them, and it’s gotten me to wonder how well her acting ability is/was thought of. (She made fewer than a couple of dozen films, with no major awards or nomnations.)
March 15th, 2026 at 12:29 am
Despite his skill as an aviation engineer the bra Hughes created for her did nothing for Russell who together with the costume designer managed to take on the Herculean task with a pair of scarves.
Despite everything save for Russell and the presence pf Huston and Mitchell the film generates very little heat or heavy breathing though every lingering shot of Russell is welcomed.