Belle Starr (film)
Belle Starr is a 1941 American Western film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Randolph Scott, Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, and Shepperd Strudwick. Written by Lamar Trotti and based on a story by Niven Busch and Cameron Rogers, it was produced by Kenneth Macgowan for 20th Century Fox, and shot in Technicolor.[1]
Belle Starr | |
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Directed by | Irving Cummings |
Produced by | Kenneth Macgowan |
Screenplay by | Lamar Trotti |
Story by | |
Starring | |
Music by | Alfred Newman |
Cinematography | |
Edited by | Frederick Wilson |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film is very loosely based on the life of 19th-century American outlaw Belle Starr. It was the fourth film and the third sound film to portray Starr on the screen, but it was the first major Hollywood production to do so. Its success led to many more such portrayals, although the real Starr was fairly obscure during her lifetime.
Plot
After her family's mansion is burned down by Yankee soldiers for hiding the rebel leader Captain Sam Starr (Randolph Scott), Belle Shirley (Gene Tierney) vows to take revenge. Breaking Starr out of prison, she joins his small guerrilla group for a series of raids on banks and railroads, carpetbaggers and enemy troops. Belle's bravado during the attacks earns her a reputation among the locals as well as the love of Starr himself. The pair get married, but their relationship starts to break down when Sam Starr lets a couple of psychotic rebels into the gang, leaving Belle to wonder if he really cares about the Southern cause.
Cast
- Randolph Scott as Sam Starr
- Gene Tierney as Belle Shirley / Belle Starr
- Dana Andrews as Maj. Thomas Crail
- John Strudwick as Ed Shirley
- Elizabeth Patterson as Sarah
- Chill Wills as Blue Duck
- Louise Beavers as Mammy Lou
- Olin Howland as Jasper Trench
- Paul Burns as Sergeant
- Joseph Sawyer as John Cole
- Joseph Downing as Jim Cole
- Howard C. Hickman as Col. Thornton
- Charles Trowbridge as Col. Bright
- James Flavin as Sergeant
- Charles Middleton as Carpetbagger
References
- "Belle Starr (1941)". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
External links
- Belle Starr at IMDb
- Belle Starr at the TCM Movie Database
- Belle Starr at AllMovie
- Belle Starr at the American Film Institute Catalog