Jesse James

Jesse James (1939): A Quick Guide

1. The Basic Premise:
The film is a highly fictionalized, romanticized biography of the famous American outlaw Jesse James. It portrays him not as a cold-blooded criminal, but as a sympathetic hero and victim of circumstance who is driven to a life of crime to fight back against a corrupt system.

2. The Central Conflict: Man vs. Corporation

  • The Villain: The real antagonist of the film is not the law, but the St. Louis Midland Railroad. They are shown as a ruthless, greedy corporation using strong-arm tactics to forcibly take land from Missouri farmers for a fraction of its worth.

  • The Inciting Incident: When the James family refuses to sell their farm, a railroad agent murders Jesse and Frank's mother. This act of brutality is what pushes the brothers into becoming outlaws.

  • The "Robin Hood" Myth: Jesse and Frank turn to robbing the railroad's trains and banks. The film frames these acts as justified revenge and a rebellion against oppression, making them local heroes.

3. Key Characters & Cast:

  • Jesse James (Tyrone Power): Played by one of the biggest movie stars of the era. He is charismatic, handsome, and passionate—a classic romantic hero.

  • Frank James (Henry Fonda): Jesse's older, more cautious, and moral brother. He serves as the conscience of the duo.

  • Bob Ford (John Carradine): A weak, sniveling member of the James gang who famously betrays Jesse for a reward.

4. Style & Significance:

  • Technicolor: This was a major, big-budget production. It was one of the first Westerns filmed in vibrant color, which made its outdoor scenes and action sequences feel exciting and modern for 1939.

  • Hollywood Myth-Making: This film is largely responsible for creating the popular legend of Jesse James as a noble outlaw. It prioritizes a good story over historical fact.

  • Product of Its Time: The film was made in 1939, as the U.S. was emerging from the Great Depression. Audiences were distrustful of big banks and corporations. The story of a little guy fighting back against a greedy railroad resonated powerfully.

5. The Ending:
The film builds to its famous, tragic conclusion: the betrayal and assassination of Jesse James by Bob Ford, who shoots him in the back while he unarms himself to adjust a picture on the wall. This secures Jesse's status as a martyred hero, struck down by cowardly treachery.

Key Themes to Mention in Class Discussion:

  • Myth vs. History: The film is a prime example of how Hollywood rewrites history to create a more compelling narrative.

  • The "Noble Outlaw": It establishes the trope of the sympathetic criminal who breaks the law for a good reason.

  • Corporate Greed: The film is a critique of unchecked capitalism and its impact on the common person.

  • Tragic Hero: Jesse is portrayed as a good man doomed by a corrupt world, making his story a tragedy.

Of course. The 1939 film "Jesse James" is a significant and fascinating piece of Hollywood history. It's a highly romanticized and fictionalized account of the life of the famous outlaw, played by one of the era's biggest stars.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the film:

Overview

  • Title: Jesse James

  • Year: 1939

  • Studio: 20th Century Fox

  • Director: Henry King

  • Genre: Western, Biographical, Adventure

The Story (Spoiler Alert)

The film portrays Jesse James (Tyrone Power) and his older brother Frank (Henry Fonda) as well-intentioned Missouri farmers driven into a life of outlawry by a ruthless railroad company.

  1. The Inciting Incident: The St. Louis Midland Railroad, represented by the villainous agent Barshee (Brian Donlevy), is ruthlessly seizing land from farmers for a pittance to lay its tracks. When the James family refuses to sell, Barshee murders their mother (Jane Darwell) by throwing a bomb into their home.

  2. Becoming Outlaws: Driven by revenge, Jesse and Frank kill Barshee. This act forces them to become fugitives. They soon turn to robbing the railroad's trains and banks, which makes them local heroes to the people of Missouri who see them as fighting back against the corrupt corporation.

  3. The Rise and Fall: Jesse's fame grows, and he marries his childhood sweetheart, Zee (Nancy Kelly). The railroad, desperate to stop him, places a massive bounty on his head. The Governor of Missouri hires the Pinkerton Detective Agency, but their brutal tactics (including a raid that accidentally kills Jesse's baby) only solidify public sympathy for the James brothers.

  4. The Betrayal: The railroad finally hatches a successful plan. They recruit the weakest member of the James gang, Bob Ford (John Carradine). They promise Ford a full pardon and the large reward money in exchange for killing Jesse. The film culminates in the infamous scene where the cowardly Ford shoots an unarmed Jesse in the back while he is adjusting a picture on the wall.

Key Cast

  • Tyrone Power as Jesse James: The charismatic megastar plays Jesse as a dashing, Robin Hood-like figure, more a victim of circumstance than a cold-blooded criminal.

  • Henry Fonda as Frank James: Fonda provides a grounded, more cautious, and moral counterbalance to Jesse's impulsiveness. This role helped solidify Fonda's "everyman" persona.

  • Nancy Kelly as Zee James: Jesse's loyal and loving wife, who represents the domestic life he can never fully have.

  • Randolph Scott as Will Wright: A fictional Union Army major turned marshal who is sympathetic to the James brothers but bound by duty to pursue them.

  • John Carradine as Bob Ford: He plays the role of the traitor with perfect sniveling cowardice, making his betrayal all the more villainous.

  • Brian Donlevy as Barshee: The primary villain, embodying the greed and cruelty of the railroad.

Historical Accuracy

The film is not historically accurate. It takes massive liberties with the facts:

  • Motivation: The real Jesse James was a Confederate guerrilla ("bushwhacker") during the Civil War. His criminal career was an extension of that warfare, driven more by politics, revenge, and outright criminality than by noble opposition to the railroads.

  • The Mother's Death: The real Zerelda Samuel (Jesse's mother) was not killed by a railroad bomb. She lost an arm in a Pinkerton raid but lived long after Jesse was killed.

  • Robin Hood Myth: There is little evidence the James-Younger gang ever gave money to the poor. They kept it for themselves.

  • Portrayal of Bob Ford: While Ford was indeed the man who killed Jesse, the film's specific dramatization is heavily simplified for dramatic effect.

Significance and Legacy

  • Technicolor Spectacle: It was one of the first major Westerns filmed in vibrant Technicolor. The outdoor sequences, shot in the Ozarks of Missouri, were spectacular for the time and remain visually impressive.

  • The "Oater": It helped codify the classic Hollywood "B" Western formula, transforming a historical outlaw into a clean-cut, heroic matinee idol.

  • Launching a Sequel: The film was a massive box-office hit. Its success led to an immediate sequel the same year, "The Return of Frank James" (1940), again directed by Henry King, with Henry Fonda reprising his role as the titular brother seeking revenge on Bob Ford.

  • Cultural Impact: This film is largely responsible for popularizing the romanticized, heroic myth of Jesse James that persisted in popular culture for decades, influencing countless later films and TV shows.

Is It Worth Watching Today?

Yes, absolutely, but with the right expectations.

  • View it as a classic Hollywood myth, not a history lesson.

  • Appreciate it for its stunning Technicolor cinematography, its energetic action sequences (including a famous, and incredibly dangerous, stunt where a horse rides off a cliff into a river), and the star power of Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda.

  • It's a prime example of the Golden Age of Hollywood's ability to craft compelling, exciting, and emotionally charged stories from the raw material of American history, regardless of the facts.

In short, "Jesse James" (1939) is a landmark, entertaining, and beautifully shot Western that played a pivotal role in shaping the legend of its infamous subject.

1. Historical Context: The Film as a Product of the Great Depression (1939)

This is the most critical lens for understanding why the film was made the way it was. The movie says as much about 1939 America as it does about 1869 America.

  • The "Little Guy" vs. Big Corporations: America in 1939 was just emerging from the Great Depression. The public was deeply distrustful of large institutions, especially banks and railroads, which were blamed for the economic collapse. The film taps directly into this sentiment. Casting the railroad as the unequivocal villain and Jesse as the wronged farmer fighting back resonated powerfully with a struggling audience.

  • The Robin Hood Archetype: During times of economic hardship, stories of figures who steal from the rich and powerful (even if they don't explicitly give to the poor) are incredibly appealing. Jesse James becomes a symbol of resistance against an unjust system, a fantasy of fighting back that Depression-era audiences could cheer for.

  • The New Deal and Government Power: The expansion of federal power under FDR's New Deal was a double-edged sword for many Americans. It provided relief but also increased government intervention in daily life. The film's ambiguous portrayal of government figures (like Randolph Scott's sympathetic marshal) versus the purely evil corporate agents reflects this complex public feeling.

2. Myth-Making and the "Noble Outlaw" Trope

The film is a masterclass in constructing a national myth. It systematically re-frames Jesse's historical reality into a classic tragic-hero narrative.

  • Moral Justification: The film provides a clear, morally defensible reason for Jesse's turn to crime: avenging his mother's murder. This is the cornerstone of the entire myth. It absolves him of original sin and makes his subsequent actions seem like a forced, tragic consequence.

  • Demonizing the Opposition: The railroad agent, Barshee, is a mustache-twirling villain with no redeeming qualities. The Pinkerton agents are portrayed as brutal thugs who attack women and children. This creates a clear moral binary: the James brothers, however violent, are on the "good" side.

  • Sanitizing the Reality: The real Jesse James gang was violent, ruthless, and often killed civilians during their robberies. The film's robberies are clean, exciting adventures. The violence is directed almost exclusively at the "bad guys." The one civilian death (a man on the train) is played as a tragic accident that horrifies Jesse, further humanizing him.

  • The Tragic Betrayal: The ending solidifies Jesse's status as a martyr. He is killed not in a fair fight, but by a cowardly shot in the back from a man he trusted. This final act of treachery from the "weakest rat in the pack" (as Frank calls Bob Ford) forever seals Jesse's legend in a narrative of betrayal, making him a sympathetic figure.

3. Cinematic Techniques and Innovations

  • Technicolor: This was a major production. Discuss how the use of vibrant color was a huge selling point. It wasn't a gritty, realistic Western; it was a romantic, epic spectacle. The lush greens of Missouri and the exciting train robbers in broad daylight were designed to wow audiences.

  • The Stuntwork: The famous scene where a horse (ridden by a stuntman) jumps off a cliff into a river is legendary. It was incredibly dangerous and would never be done today without CGI. This stunt alone was featured heavily in marketing and established the film as a major action picture.

  • Star Power: Tyrone Power vs. Henry Fonda: The casting is brilliant.

    • Tyrone Power was one of the biggest heartthrobs of the era. His job was to be charismatic, handsome, and fiery—the passionate, doomed hero.

    • Henry Fonda was building his persona as the thoughtful, ethical American everyman. His role as Frank provides the conscience of the film. He is constantly cautioning Jesse, representing the path not taken. This dynamic creates a compelling internal conflict within the gang itself.

4. Points for Class Discussion

Here are some direct questions you can raise:

  • Myth vs. History: "The film isn't about who Jesse James was, but about what he represented to Americans in 1939. What did they need him to be?"

  • Corporate Villains: "Why does the film go to such great lengths to make the railroad cartoonishly evil? What does this tell us about the public mood at the time?"

  • The Role of Violence: "How does the film justify the violence of the James gang? Is it successful in making us root for criminals?"

  • The Ending and Martyrdom: "Does Jesse's death feel like a fitting end for a criminal or the tragic death of a hero? How does the direction and acting (John Carradine's portrayal of Bob Ford) manipulate us to feel a certain way?"

  • Legacy: "This film's interpretation dominated the public image of Jesse James for a generation. Why is the 'romantic outlaw' myth so enduring and powerful in American culture? Can you think of other examples (e.g., Bonnie & Clyde, D.B. Cooper)?"