Jesse James is robbing banks and trains all over the west. When he seems to be repeatedly hitting one town in particular Roy Rogers is sent to investigate at the same time that a hot shot railroad cop is dispatched to get to the bottom of it all. Really good western adventure film hits all the right notes. The singing and musical interludes are kept to a minimum and seem to be logically placed. I liked that the film allowed for several plot lines to be developing together with the Rogers, the railroad cop, villain and Jesse James threads all moving about on their own, yet clearly all moving toward a singular outcome. One of the better Roy Rogers westerns I've seen because its not just the same old straight forward plot. If there is any flaw its that Rogers looks a bit too slight and youthful to a rough and tumble western cop, especially compared to some of the others in the mix. Worth a look.
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Roy Rogers portrayed a number of historical figures in a few of his late Thirties Westerns. Among the titles were "Young Buffalo Bill", "Young Bill Hickok", and "Jesse James at Bay" in which he had a dual role as Jesse James and an impersonator who committed crimes in Jesse's name. In this film, Roy plays a character going by his own name, a peace officer hired by the Bankers Association to track down the James Gang. Only problem is, Roy suspects someone else behind the robbery of a local bank, and is determined to bring the outlaws to justice.
The story tentatively follows a sketchy outline of the real life James and Younger gangs, but not by much. In an effort to track down Jesse (Don Barry) and Frank (Harry Worth), railroad detective Worthington (Harry Woods) inadvertently burns down the home of a Doctor Samuels who's wife is injured. In real life, Pinkerton agents raided the James family farm, using an incendiary device that killed Jesse's younger half-brother and blew off his mother's arm.
Roy's perennial sidekick Gabby Hayes is on hand here, unknown to each other at the start of the picture, but teaming up to track down the bank robbers. Gabby has a personal score to settle, as he's just deposited over forty thousand dollars in the Wyatt Bank after selling the rights to his gold strike back in California. Pauline Moore is Gabby's daughter Mary Whittaker, providing the romantic interest for Roy.
You know, I thought I recognized that young boy Buster Samuels; it turns out that was Scotty Beckett who I remembered from his Our Gang Days, teaming up with Spanky McFarland in the mid-Thirties for a handful of shorts. He was the one with the over-sized cap and turtleneck sweater, and might have been the best looking kid in the bunch.
There's not much in the way of songs here as was typical for a Roy Rogers vehicle. Something I haven't seen before in nearly fifty of Roy's flicks - he sits down to play an organ while serenading Miss Whittaker with a rendition of 'Echo Mountain'. I couldn't tell you if he was actually playing it or not, but if so, you can chalk up another talent to the King of the Cowboys. -
bkoganbing28 August 2007Days of Jesse James finds Roy Rogers as a peace officer on the trail of the selfsame outlaw who's getting accused of a lot of things due to his notoriety.
In fact that's what's happened here. A banker and his son decide to ripoff their own bank and their depositors and pin the crime on the notorious Jesse James. Roy's also in competition with railroad detective Harry Woods who is after the James gang.
Woods is rarely on the side of the law in westerns and he's barely on the side of it here. With his character and with Jesse who is played by another of Herbert J. Yates's cowboy stars at Republic, Don Barry, the film this most resembles is 20th Century Fox's epic western Jesse James which came out the same year.
Roy's limited to only one song here and there's more emphasis on plot than you'll find it most B westerns. Actually the film bares more of a resemblance to a Randolph Scott product than a Roy Rogers western and that's to its credit.
Still the legion of fans for The King of the Cowboys will love it. -
Inspired no doubt by the success of Fox's Technicolor saga, JESSE JAMES (1939), Republic Pictures cranked out DAYS OF JESSE JAMES (1939) which turned the Jesse story into a vehicle for Roy Rogers at a time when the actor was specializing in historical westerns with a minimum of songs (BILLY THE KID RETURNS, YOUNG BUFFALO BILL, YOUNG BILL HICKOK, etc.). As a result, poor Jesse gets short shrift here, functioning as a red herring in a standard B-western tale of a corrupt banker robbing his own bank and blaming it on the James gang.
Roy Rogers stars as Roy Rogers, a freelance peace officer hired by the Bankers' Association to track down the stolen money, a mission which compels him to go undercover and masquerade as an ex-con to join the James gang. Complicating matters is the presence of a corrupt railroad detective (Harry Woods) seeking to use Rogers' efforts to get the reward money for himself. Gabby Hayes plays Gabby Whitaker, a former California miner whose savings were stolen from the bank and who tags along with Roy. Gabby's granddaughter Mary, played by Pauline Moore, provides the female love interest. Donald Barry plays Jesse James and Glenn Strange (a future Frankenstein monster over at Universal Pictures) shows up briefly as Cole Younger.
The film follows the lead of the Fox hit (which starred Tyrone Power in the role) in whitewashing the reputation of the famed outlaw. Jesse is let off the hook pretty easily and is played by Barry as a fairly conscientious fellow although he does try to rob a bank at one point. In general, the film takes a pretty casual view of the rule of law. Roy commits crime in the course of the film--all in the aim of solving the bank robbery, of course--but suffers no consequence. Even the Missouri sheriff (Fred Burns) working with Roy gets into the act, at one point entering a man's home looking for "outlaws" Roy and Gabby. When the homeowner asks to see a warrant, the sheriff thrusts his pistol at him and declares, "This is all the search warrant I need."
Despite the potential for suspense and conflict, there is far less action here than usual for a Rogers western of this period and far too much talk. Barry does a good, quick turn as Jesse, a role he would play again 15 years later in an even lower budgeted western, JESSE JAMES' WOMEN (1954), which he also directed. (As Don "Red" Barry, the actor achieved some success as a Republic Pictures B-western star in the early-to-mid 1940s.) The character of Jesse fared slightly better in a subsequent Rogers western, JESSE JAMES AT BAY (1941), in which Rogers himself played both a noble Jesse and a less-than-noble look-alike who commits crimes in Jesse's name. -
wes-connors3 September 2007Roy Rogers (as Roy Rogers) is out to get Red Barry (as Jesse James), whom he believes has robbed a bank - now, who'd believe Jesse James has robbed a bank? George "Gabby" Hayes (as Gabby) is along for the ride as Mr. Rogers' loyal sidekick. To set things right, Rogers becomes a temporary member of the "James Gang".
The film raises interesting questions about heroes and villains, but none of it is particularly unique. Rogers saving Scotty Beckett (as Buster) from a burning building, and a fast-moving posse, are the excitement highlights. Among the songs, Rogers' "Echo Mountain" is terrific; it's played a couple of times, and would have made a good title song (for a different film). With all that, "Days of Jesse James" is a fairly routine Rogers western.
**** Days of Jesse James (12/20/39) Joseph Kane ~ Roy Rogers, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Don 'Red' Barry -
planktonrules6 September 2011Let's set the record straight. Jesse James was a slime-ball. He, his brother and their gang were thieves and murderers--there's simply no doubt about it. However, inexplicably, these folks (particularly Jesse) have been portrayed a bazillion times in movies as nice guys. Well, I have news for the filmmakers--nice folks don't murder people and steal! So, when I see films like "Days of Jesse James", the history teacher in me (yes, I taught US History) cringes. That reason alone is why I wouldn't recommend the film. However, there is one other reason--it's a pretty dull movie as well.
Jesse James is played by Red Barry of the Red Ryder series fame and while he's not as important a character in the story, Cole Youngeris played by Glenn Strange who later played Frankenstein in several Universal films (such as "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein"). This is pretty interesting, though Strange did appear in lots of westerns.
The film begins with Gabby and his daughter heading to the city to put his fortune in the bank and settle down to a life of retirement. However, soon after, the bank is robbed and his money is stolen. At the same time, Roy Rogers (once again playing himself, of sorts) arrives in town to investigate some robberies attributed to James. Rogers thinks James isn't that bad a guy and isn't sure whether many of the crimes were really perpetrated by James or his friends. And, to find this out, he and Gabby infiltrate the gang.
The plot is pretty predictable--even for a Roy Rogers film. It lacks any sort of twist and the film is certainly not among his best. Oddly, Rogers also made a film that involved Billy the Kid--and it wasn't so inaccurate and was quite entertaining. This one, however, just seems pretty ordinary--at best. Even the songs are pretty flat. -
StrictlyConfidential25 December 2021"Days Of Jesse James" was originally released back in 1939.
Anyway - As the story goes - A Missouri bank is robbed and the James Gang is thought to be the culprits. Rogers is sent in by the Banker's Association to investigate the crime and bring those responsible to justice. After uncovering some clues and following some leads, Rogers discovers that the crime isn't what it appears to be. -
A train ride in Missouri finds that Jesse James is more popular than President Grant for baby names. Kind of convenient for the real deal, Jesse James (Don 'Red' Barry) and his brother Frank (Harry Worth) to show up and rob the train. Gabby Hayes takes some bad advice from his granddaughter (Pauline Moore) to put the money in a bank run by crooked banker (Arthur Loft). Things heat up fast as Roy Rogers is assigned as detective and meets up with the all-time greatest villain Harry Woods. Some great scenes in this one especially when Trigger on command throws Rogers from his horse and every scene with the gorgeous and talented Pauline Moore was a sight to behold. Also great performances from Wade Boteler, Ethel Wales, Glenn Strange, Olin Howland and childhood star Scotty Beckett.
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dwpollar21 August 20021st watched 8/21/2002 - 5 out of 10(Dir-Joseph Kane): Typical good-ole guy routine from Roy Rogers where he figures out everything to solve the mystery of who robbed a bank in the good ole west. Pretty much what I expected, although there are some twists and turns in this one and the methods Rogers and his sidekick use to find out whodunit is fairly ingenious, but does this make it a good movie. Well, not really, it just makes it ok to watch. I think these films have their place and I'm glad to see them restored onto DVD but the plot is much too simple and the villains a little to nice for us veteran-film viewing folk. Bye for now pardners!!
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Michael_Elliott10 May 2012Days of Jesse James (1939)
*** (out of 4)
A bank is robbed and Jesse James and his gang are accused of pulling off the heist. Special agent Roy Rogers thinks that James' bad reputation is getting him blamed for crimes that he didn't do so he joins the gang to try and find out what really happened. Of course, the real villain is the bank owner did the crime knowing he wouldn't be a suspect. DAYS OF JESSE JAMES was just one of many "historical" films that Rogers made during this period but if you're expecting some sort of documentary on the real history of James then you're going to be disappointed. All of these films obviously just used these historical names for marquee value so one should just expect entertainment and nothing else. This here is a pretty good one thanks in large part to the terrific cast. As you'd expect, Rogers is very good in the role of the good guy but then again I don't think he could be bad at pretty much playing himself. We have George 'Gabby' Hayes playing his sidekick so obviously you're in for a lot of good comic relief. Pauline Moore, one of my favorite love interests for Rogers, is also very good in her part as she has a lot of nice chemistry with the star. Don Barry does a nice job as well as Jesse James. Fans of Universal horror films will enjoy seeing Glenn Strange in a small role. With a short running time, fast action and a nice story, this here certainly won't be mistaken for a masterpiece or some sort of classic but fans of Rogers and "B" Westerns should at least be entertained by this. -
Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers), George "Gabby" Hayes (Whittaker), Donald Barry (Jesse James), Pauline Moore (Mary Whittaker), Harry Woods (Captain Worthington), Arthur Loft (Banker Wyatt), Wade Boteler (Dr R. S. Samuels), Ethel Wales (Mrs James/Samuels), Scotty Beckett (Buster Samuels), Glenn Strange (Cole Younger), Olin Howland (sheriff's minder), Michael Worth (Frank James), Jack Rockwell (McDaniels, an outlaw), Fred Burns (sheriff), Eddie Acuff (newspaper seller on train), Monte Blue (Fields), Jack Ingram (Worthington's deputy), Bud Osborne (deputy), Fred "Snowflake" Toones (bank janitor), Carl Sepulveda (Jim Younger), Forrest Dillon (Bob Younger), Hansel Warner, Lynton Brent, Pasquel Perry.
Director: Joseph KANE. Screenplay: Earle Snell. Story: Jack Natteford. Photography: Reggie Lanning. Film editor: Tony Martinelli. Music director: Cy Feuer. Songs: "I'm a Son of a Cowboy", "Saddle Your Dreams", "Echo Mountain" by Peter Tinturin. Production manager: Al Wilson. RCA Sound System. Associate producer: Joseph Kane. Executive producer: Herbert J. Yates.
Copyright 20 December 1939 by Republic Pictures Corp. No recorded New York opening. U.S. release: 20 December 1939. No Australian theatrical release. 7 reels. 63 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: The Bankers' Association details Roy Rogers to track down the James gang. However, on meeting up with Jesse, Roy decides to forget about the James gang entirely. Instead, Rogers decides to recover the loot stolen by an embezzling BANKER!
VIEWERS' GUIDE: Strictly adults only. Children under the age of 18 should not be permitted to watch this film under any circumstances — even under parental supervision.
COMMENT: One of the most obscene films Hollywood ever produced, this is indeed a remarkable entry in the Rogers' saga. The obscenities are deliberate. It's no excuse to say they were forced upon the film wholly by budgetary considerations. It's true, yes, that the movie was made on the cheap. The aim was obviously to save money by dispensing with the climax. But Rogers does nothing to bring the villains to justice. Absolutely nothing. He could at least have arrested the killer and his accomplice, or shot them down or winged them or telegraphed ahead. Instead, he adopts a ruse to recover the stolen money. The money, that's all he's after! He lets the killer and his henchman escape free. Then Rogers makes a big play about returning the money. You see the money belonged to white folks. The man who was killed, who was shot down in a chillingly casual and callous fashion, he was just an honest, hard-working janitor. A black man. In Rogers' philosophy, black men don't count. Shoot him down, is Rogers' implied attitude.
This is the worst, but it's not the only act of gross immorality committed by the Rogers character in "Days of Jesse James". When Rogers catches up with the James Brothers, he and Gabby allow the two outlaws to get the drop on them. So then what do Roy and Gabby do? Why, they just turn tail and walk quietly and submissively away. That's what they do. Hardly the stuff "B" western heroes are made of. But that's what they do. Walk away and never come back. Do they send in the posse? Not them. You see in this movie the train robbers and the bank bandits are the good guys. It's the pursuing posse that's in the wrong. Why, in one scene, the posse accidentally burn down the James house. So the script keeps whipping up this conflict and potential showdown between milksop Rogers and the rough-armed posse who want to stop the James and Younger boys robbing and killing.
Yes, killing! There's actually a scene in the movie where the bandits open fire on the surrounding townsmen during an attempted bank hold- up. So the script works up conflict between lily-livered Rogers and the rough-and-ready Captain Worthington. You see, the Captain is after the outlaws chiefly for the reward. Rogers, on the other hand, is just a natural-born do-gooder who hasn't the heart to arrest killers but just wants to give back the money they stole.
Anyhow, what happens to this great conflict? You guessed it — nothing. Totally nothing. After a lot of hard riding, there's a bit of quick talking in which the sheriff convinces the posse that Rogers gets his vote for Mr. Good Guy. And so the film ends with Rogers singing a reprise of "Echo Mountain" on an appropriate organ.
The fact that all these moral transgressions were the result of simple carelessness induced by the over-riding imperative to save money, doesn't excuse them. Of course, from an entertainment point- of- view, the movie's budgetary constraints are a liability too.
For die-hard Slye fans, the hero acts and sings pleasantly enough. The pace is reasonably fast, the few action spots are efficiently staged, a large number of support players help out; but photography is flat and direction steadfastly routine.