My Outlaw Brother (1951) User Reviews (20)

"You, you've got one slight advantage on me, you don't mind being killed."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 7 May 2006]

I've never given thought to Mickey Rooney in a Western, so seeing him turn up here was an unexpected surprise. Though it makes sense to cast him as a greenhorn sugarfoot heading for Border City, Texas, it's a bit more of a stretch that his long lost brother is portrayed by Robert Stack. Not as bad as Schwarzenneger and DeVito as twins, but still enough to be a head scratcher. That aside, the story is a fairly interesting one, where even Rooney's comedy relief is well timed.

Mickey portrays Denny O'Moore of New York City, his brother Patrick has been gone for eight years. Though Denny has written him repeatedly over the years to a known address, he's never been answered, so takes it as his mission to find his sibling. Fortunately he hooks up with a Texas Ranger named Joe Walter (Robert Preston), or his goose would have been cooked many times over. For his part, Walter is on the trail of a Mexican Indian bandit named El Tigre who's been making life miserable for residents of the border town between Texas and Mexico.

Denny and the Ranger get into repeated scrapes, both individually and together before it's all over. At one point they're befriended by a Mexican blacksmith named Ortiz, who has his own grudge against El Tigre; his son was killed by the outlaw's band. A pretty senorita is thrown into the mix as well, Carmel (Wanda Hendrix) is Patrick's intended, however she doesn't love him, and is smitten with the diminutive Denny. Since all of Denny's prior love interests have been over six feet tall and almost two hundred pounds, this match up has possibilities.

As befits his size, Rooney has his share of comedic moments attempting to mount a horse, and generally up to challenging hombres up to twice his size. If it were anyone but him, the script probably would have called for a bullet in response, but at least he inspires confidence in the face of danger. Either that, or he doesn't know any better.

The good brother/bad brother theme is a recurring one in 'B' Westerns, going all the way back to the beginning of the genre. The twist here is that Patrick repeatedly tried to get little brother out of harm's way in trying to avoid capture. The other was his alternate identity as the villain El Tigre, summarily dismissed by Denny who would rather believe his brother died a long time ago.

West with Mickey

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 9 December 2007]

Mickey Rooney (as J. Dennis "Denny" O'Moore) is out west, looking to find his brother Robert Stack (as Patrick O'Moore), whom he hasn't seen in eight years. Mr. Rooney meets up with Robert Preston (as Joe Walter), who is looking for the notorious outlaw known as "El Tigre". No prize for guessing how "El Tigre" is related to Rooney. Wanda Hendrix adds femininity to "My Outlaw Brother".

Tip your cowboy hat to Mickey Rooney, who is the film's greatest asset; and, he gets the larger women. Mr. Stack is penetrating as Rooney's unlikely brother. Mr. Preston makes a good partner; wisely, he is low key in the presence of Rooney. Just an interesting cast in a slight film.

**** My Outlaw Brother (8/22/51) Elliott Nugent ~ Mickey Rooney, Wanda Hendrix, Robert Preston, Robert Stack

MY OUTLAW BROTHER (Elliott Nugent, 1951) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 23 April 2008]

This ‘B’ Western is the working definition of an “oater”: designed as a vehicle for the diminutive but energetic Mickey Rooney, his character is somewhat overbearing – that of a New Yorker who goes to Mexico in search of his elder brother, nicknamed “The Pride Of Tenth Avenue” (played by Robert Stack), only to find him to be not as upstanding and hard-working as he had been led to believe. In fact, Stack’s the right-hand man of a notorious bandit – dubbed “El Tigre”; when confronted by Rooney, Stack confesses to being indebted to the Mexican…but when ultimately revealed, the latter’s true identity greatly dismays Rooney (a clue: Stack and the bandit never appear together in the same scene!). Anyway, the film is unassuming and pretty forgettable but, at the same time, watchable enough; on the plus side is an appropriately foreign look (the production company took the trouble of shooting on location, albeit in a studio – the hacienda setting, incidentally, would soon become a staple of Mexican horror efforts!), as well as the imposing and reliable presence of Robert Preston as the Ranger out to capture “El Tigre”. The feminine angle is represented by petite Wanda Hendrix, coveted by Stack but who finally ends up with Rooney – content, for once, to be able to get a girl his own size instead of the usual “6-foot whales” from back home!

Good Cast Helps Make It Work

[Snow Leopard · 13 March 2006]

A good cast helps make this crime/western feature work, and makes up for story that is usually predictable and is sometimes too implausible not to become noticeable. Mickey Rooney and Robert Preston are particularly well cast in their roles, and a relatively young Robert Stack also gets the most out of his character.

Rooney plays a young New Yorker who heads to the southwest to find his brother, only to find out that his former idol has changed significantly. Rooney believably plays up the part of the tough little guy who won't be pushed around just because he's smaller than everyone else, and it adds something to many scenes. Preston fits well into the role of the straight-shooting ranger, and Stack is effective as the brother.

Most of the rest of it is just adequate, although the three leads do a good job of carrying the action. José Torvay helps out in a couple of scenes, and while the sets are quite plain, they do at least set a generally believable atmosphere.

Outlaw Brother-One of the Worst Ever; Should have Been Outlawed 0*

[edwagreen · 1/10 · 2 January 2011]

When Anthony Quinn was the surprise best supporting actor Oscar winner in 1956 for "Lust for Life," nominee Mickey Rooney turned to fellow nominee Robert Stack and said to him: "We were robbed!" Rooney should have mention the audiences that went to see this movie five years earlier. It was a colossal bomb of great magnitude.

The picture might have partially succeeded had they allowed it to become a totally comedy. There are parts where Rooney appears ready to break out in a comedy routine. That would have fared so much better.

The writing is awful and Robert Stack is stiff and totally miscast as the gangster brother in Mexico, who gets a surprise visit from brother Rooney. Most of the movie is where Stack is trying to fend off Rooney and Robert Preston, as a deputy,is constantly getting Rooney out of various scrapes. The whole thing is tedious at best and just does not work.

Can you imagine how lousy this film is when Rooney actually gets Stack's girl at the end? The ending itself, like the rest of the film, is ridiculous. What was Stack trying to pull? Was he a male Mr. Christopher from "The House on 92nd Street?"

A terrible film of major proportions.

Rock-bottom Rooney vehicle--poor all around

[fredcdobbs5 · 3/10 · 7 March 2014]

Rooney produced this cheap Mexico-shot western as a vehicle for himself at a time when his career was on a downturn, and he made a poor choice. Just about everything about this film is second-rate at best--the writing is awful, the photography is fuzzy and washed-out, the sound is tinny and the action scenes are badly done. Rooney plays a brassy New Yorker searching for his brother in Mexico who gets mixed up with bandits, Texas Rangers and a pretty Mexican senorita. Robert Stack plays his brother, Robert Preston is the Ranger and Wanda Hendrix is the girl. Preston--as always-does a good job, trying to breathe some life into a poorly written part. Stack is badly miscast and Hendrix is just window dressing, albeit with a terrible Mexican "accent". Director Elliot Nugent, although known primarily as a writer and playwright, had done good work in the past but had suffered what was at the time called "a nervous breakdown" and couldn't find work. He should have passed on this one. This looks like not much more than a home movie. The direction is choppy and confused, supporting performances are uniformly poor, action scenes are poorly staged (one bandit gets "shot" and falls off his horse, even though no one was shooting at him) and the overall effect is to make you wonder how much of this picture Nugent actually directed, or if Rooney or an even less talented director took over.

Just about the only "pluses" to this picture are Robert Preston and the fact that Rooney didn't try to make his character an actual cowboy, which would have been painfully embarrassing. Otherwise, this cheap, chintzy, inept western has nothing going for it.

Hardly hardy on horseback.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 31 January 2023]

In watching many of Mickey Rooney's later films after his heyday, he's almost unbearable to watch, bellowing his lines in efforts to steal the scenes, and only believable when he is seemingly directed to tone it down. Fortunately in the case of this Western B film, three times it down a bit after some bellowing early on and a few moments afterwards, searching for outlaw brother Robert Stack with the help of sheriff Robert Preston. Along comes Mexican senorita Wanda Hendrix, one of Rooney's oddest leading ladies as far as lack of fire between them is concerned.

The most interesting thing about this are some unique art deco sets, pretty glamorous for a programmer, let alone a cheapy western. I didn't believe Stack and Rooney as brothers for a second, and if it wasn't for Stack and Preston, I would give this a lower rating. There are a lot of stereotypical cliches in this with the hard accented Mexican characters speaking like cartoon characters, and making it unbelievable that Rooney could survive even a day out on his own in the middle of nowhere. Stack is rugged and handsome, and Preston commanding and authoritative. Compared to them, Rooney acts like he's in a completely different movie, snarling when he should be showing a bit of subtle fear and underplaying when he should be doing a bit more promoting. Hendrix tries too hard to be cute and that just makes her more intolerable. Outside of the few good points I mention, a public domain disaster that's easy to pass on by unless you have to see everything that Rooney's ever done. Frankly I found it very dull.

A nice change of pace.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 18 September 2014]

When this film debuted in 1951, Mickey Rooney was not nearly as popular an actor in Hollywood as he'd been a decade earlier. And, so many of his previous films were nothing like "My Outlaw Brother" but were more slices of an idealized American life--minor love stories involving his Andy Hardy character or superficial musicals. Here, however, he is inexplicably in an independent B-western--a HUGE change of pace from the usual fancy MGM pieces he appeared in at the time. Now this is not a bad thing--as it did offer a nice change of pace and a chance to see him in a more gritty sort of film.

The movie begins with an Easterner (Rooney) showing up out West...unprepared and totally out of place. Despite this, he manages to find a friend in a local Texas Ranger (Robert Preston) who looks out for him. However, the Ranger is surprised to learn that his new friend, though quite likable, might just be the brother of a local outlaw who is wanted on both sides of the border. So, when this greenhorn travels into Mexico to find his brother, the Ranger tags along. What's next? See the film.

For a B-western, this is better than normal. Some better than average acting, a decent script and nice production values make this quite satisfying and worth your time--even with the odd ending where Rooney's character seems amazingly ambivalent with the way things ended up by the conclusion.

Really poor Western trash.

[DigitalRevenantX7 · 2/10 · 12 July 2017]

Denny O'Moore arrives in the Texas / Mexico border town of Border City, where he wants to surprise his brother Patrick, who has been away for the past eight years claiming to be running a silver mine. But he quickly discovers that Patrick has actually been the right hand man of the notorious bandit "El Tigre", who has been waging a campaign of violence & robbery in Border City & their stronghold of the Mexican town of San Clemente. He agrees to join Texas Ranger Joe Walter in order to travel to San Clemente to apprehend El Tigre & to try to convince Patrick to return home without disgrace. But what they don't know is that Patrick's involvement with the gang runs deeper than what they initially suspected.

My Outlaw Brother is a rather poor Western made in the early 1950s, a time when the genre was getting a slight boost after war films were starting to wane following the end of the war a half decade before. At the time of the film, colour was beginning to become more common, although for budget reasons most B-grade films were still shot in black & white.

Director Elliott Nugent clearly has no flair for Westerns & treats this like a mobster flick with a little comedy element thrown in. The dreadfully daft comic relief of the main star Mickey Rooney (who still looks like a teenager despite his age) really grates on the nerves, although he does prove to be the best actor in this cast. Robert Preston makes a bland hero while Robert Stack is purely one-dimensional as the heavy in charge of the thugs, who disguises himself in an atrocious wig & dark face paint & speaks like a cheap two-bit gangster. The film is filled with some really pathetic shootouts, daftly-thought-out romances & a ridiculously easy to figure out end twist which has Robert Stack revealed as the Mexican thug El Tigre after being outsmarted by Preston. A disgrace to the Western genre & a poor waste of celluloid.

Watchable Mexican Western

[FightingWesterner · 7/10 · 5 June 2010]

Clumsey easterner Mickey Rooney travels to Mexico to make a surprise visit to older brother Robert Stack, only to discover he's a smooth-talking, black-hearted under boss to a bandit that's terrorizing the locals and robbing banks north of the border. Trouble arises when he inadvertently brings along Texas Ranger Robert Preston.

Despite the movie being a fairly straight-faced affair, Rooney plays like it's a comedy most of the time. Meanwhile, Stack is dead serious and seriously mean, prompting one of the characters to suggest that he's possessed by evil spirits! The combination of the two actor's performances make the film seem pretty odd.

On the whole though, this is an entertaining adventure, with some good suspense scenes, as well as nice, picturesque Mexican scenery and decent production values.

Also, there's a neat psychological twist in the final scene. Maybe Stack is possessed after all.

Bad Stack.

[januszlvii · 5/10 · 10 November 2023]

My Outlaw Brother is one of the strangest westerns ever made. You can start with Robert Stack ( Patrick) .as the title character My Outlaw Brother. Certain actors can play both heroes and villains well ( Gregory Peck for example), Stack is not one of them and his weakness at it shows, and he ends up as the worst in the film. Then there is the matter of Mickey Rooney ( Danny ( Patrick's younger brother)). Rooney does not belong in a western but at least he does not pretend he does ( cannot ride a horse etc), nor does he turn into Audie Murphy or Alan Ladd two other short in size actors who excelled in westerns. Maybe the one who comes out best is Wanda Hendrix ( Carmelita) who worked with both Ladd and Murphy ( who she was married to). Why? She like Murphy, Ladd and Rooney was petite. Spoilers ahead:The best part of the film was actually the ending, when Rooney woke up to the fact Patrick was a bad guy and tried to kill him, but was saved by Texas Ranger Robert Preston who is the hero ( nice it was NOT Rooney or Hendrix doing the act). Rooney also knew he did not belong in Mexico ( where the movie was filmed or Texas, instead he decided to return to New York from being out west and bring Carmelita ( who is Mexican) with him. This kind of ending with the Easterner main star going back East after being out west was a nice touch. Why? It is rarely done. I would like to give My Outlaw Brother a good review 7/10 stars but Stack is so bad he drops it an additional 2 stars so 5/10 stars.

I enjoyed this flick.

[headhunter46 · 7/10 · 16 October 2010]

This was a pleasant surprise for me. I bought a set of DVD's at K-mart and this was one of the movies on the twin disc set. The picture quality was acceptable considering the age. The acting was quite good. Mickey managed to offer a few laughs as the clumsy easterner trying to fit in with the wild west. Robert Stack was a very convincing bad guy and Robert Preston was the straight shooting Texas Ranger. It had a good plot and moved along quite well for a movie from the 1950's. But it is the type of movie I grew up with so it seems normal to me. Younger people used to the full throttle action of today's movies might find it a bit slow, but they seldom even consider a movie like this. In all it was great fun for me.

One oddity was when Robert Preston as ranger Walters was at the map of Texas, he indicated the town of San Clemente about 50 miles south of present day San Vincente, Mx. I was unable to find a San Clemente, Mexico on any maps so it was just a part of the story line not a real location. There is a San Clemente, California but that is much farther away than 50 miles. Don't let that ruin the movie for you, it was a good one and it had a bit of a surprise at the end.

Pop some corn, pour a soda, and sit back to enjoy an old fashioned western from the 50's before there were special effects, back when actors had to act to earn a living.

The Mick Goes West

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 30 December 2010]

This B western filmed for Eagle-Lion Studios was able to grab both Mickey Rooney and Robert Preston probably on the cheap as both of these players had been cut by their studios and looking for work. Add to this Robert Stack and Wanda Hendrix and you've got the principals for My Outlaw Brother.

Rooney is the brother and Stack is the outlaw. Mickey arrives from the east, a tenderfoot looking to visit his brother who sends money back east regularly and is a mine owner in northern Mexico. He's operating in the same area where the notorious El Tigre and his band of outlaws from both Mexico and the USA reek havoc on both sides of the border and have a mountain stronghold that no one can get in or out of.

Texas Ranger Robert Preston likes Rooney but also sees him as a way of getting into the stronghold and capturing El Tigre. What Rooney doesn't know and Preston does is that Stack's not operating a mine, but reputed to be working for El Tigre. Stack is also courting the lovely Wanda Hendrix, but she has other ideas especially when Rooney shows up.

All our American stars perform well, but Mexican cinema star Jose Torvay may give the best performance as the town blacksmith whose son was killed by El Tigre's men and helps Preston and Rooney because he has nothing to live for.

Sad to say the production values were on the cheap and the script had a lot of holes in it. Quite a bit of this was also left on the cutting room floor. Still fans of the stars should like it.

Above average Western

[buxx3882 · 25 January 2001]

The cast brings this routine "Oater" up to watchable standards. Based on the novel by Brand "South of Rio Grande" this is the story of a youngster (Rooney) searching for his brother in the wild west. The plot is predictable and at times the director lets the action sag a bit, however, as with most of Rooney's 'transition' flicks this one is good, just to see how The Mick tries to get away from his Andy Hardy stereotype. Worth a watch.

Elliott Nugent''s surprising film for a pre Eliott Ness role for Stack.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 7/10 · 8 January 2021]

First, Elliott Nugent was not specialized in westerns at all, nor in film noirs or sci-fi...Only? or may I say? mostly comedies and light hearted films. So this one can be seen as a performance from him, and a pretty efficient one. And what a surprise to see Bob Stack in a villain role, "gentle and sympathetic" villain, and also a Mickey Rooney in a unexpected role too; though not as terrific as the one he'll have in THE LAST MILE; Only Preston Foster is here as a classical character for him, the forever, lead character's friend or sidekick. good little film, from Eagle Lion's productions.

Now a good nostalgic movie time

[fullheadofsteam · 6/10 · 8 March 2014]

A south-of-the border oater most appropriate for those who remember the days when Mickey Rooney was one of the absolute biggest box office draws, for those who love Robert Preston and want to see him in an earlier film role, and for anyone who only came to love Robert Stack in The Untouchables and so then became motivated to see his earlier but less familiar film work, this is a fun matinée flick! A serious Preston, Stack not as the Elliot Ness type of good guy, but as a seriously evil and duplicitous villain, and Rooney providing the necessary comedic relief when needed. One surprise element you can see coming, one you cannot -- good fisticuffs, some stupid moves by the good guys, and some nice shoot-outs, all in black and white, what more do you need to go get the popcorn ready?

Mickey Rides The Range

[zardoz-13 · 6/10 · 23 December 2012]

"My Favorite Brunette" director Elliot Nugent's western "My Outlaw Brother" qualifies as a fair to middling oater about a brother's search for his sibling and the Texas Ranger who tags along for the ride. Location lensing at Estudios Tepeyac, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico, enhances both the authenticity and flavor of this otherwise routine horse opera. The capable cast is first-rate. Mickey Rooney plays Denny O'Moore, a feisty New York tenderfoot who has come 3000 miles to see his long, lost brother in Mexico. Finding his brother proves to be quite a challenge for our protagonist. Patrick (a pre-"The Untouchable" Robert Stack) is his brother and he'll do whatever is required to shield his true identity. Denny goes to great lengths to meet his brother. Eventually, about an hour into this 82-minute oater, the brothers meet and chat. Meantime, Denny's compatriot, Texas Ranger Joe Waldner (Robert Preston of "The Music Man"), accompanies him into Mexico in search of Patrick. Our heroes escape from the villain's hideout with the help of a Mexican blacksmith named Ortiz.

One major surprise occurs in the Gene Fowler Jr. screenplay, with additional dialogue by Alfred Lewis Levitt, based on Max Brand's novel "South of the Rio Grande." The derby-clad Mickey Rooney protagonist suffers all the indignities forced upon a tenderfoot. He rides into "My Outlaw Brother" driving a buckboard through Texas to the town of Border City. Denny watches as a gang of bandidos led by a murderous Indian named Le Tigre hold up a bank, shoot a guard, and blast their way out of town. El Tigre is so ruthless that he shoots one of his own who has been wounded during the raid and cannot continue. Denny complains about the gang to the Joe Waldner who owns a pretty smart horse named Sunny. The latest raid is the fifth time that El Tigre has crossed the border. A Mexican official laments the disappearance of three of the best secret agents.

Meantime, the townspeople have fun playing pranks on Denny, one of which is telling him to mount his horse from the wrong side. Joe decides to cross the border and hands his Rangers badge to his captain. The Mexicans try to kill Joe, but they mistake Denny for the Texas Ranger. Denny and Joe ride together to the town of San Clemente. "Maybe I'll ride along with your for a piece," Joe observes. He adds, "You seem to have a habit of meeting up with fellows bigger than you are." Denny says that he not only gets all the big guys, but also all the big girls. He reveals that he hasn't seen his brother in eight years and that he's been sending money home to them every month in New York. According to Denny, brother Patrick operates silver mine. Joe expresses surprise at this revelation. Denny points out that his brother has tried to dissuade him from coming to visit him. Nevertheless, Denny has made up his mind and nothing is going to discourage him. "I haven't been doing anything in New York, so I thought I'd go out and help him with the mine." As they descend onto San Clemente, Denny says with verbal irony, "Wait till you see the expression on Patrick O'Moore's face when he sees us." Nugent and Fowler exploit Rooney's diminutive statue and his role as a tin-horn for comic potential. Not bad.

Slack Misfire

[dougdoepke · 30 April 2018]

Rather lame western. Director Nugent fails to play up whatever suspense may lurk in what amounts to a meandering screenplay. On the whole, the story bounces around without building. Thus we're left with a turgid storyline spread across three or four main characters. Rooney arrives in Mexico accompanied by Preston in order to learn more about his brother Stack who's living below the border. Trouble is the area's beset by outlaws led by mysterious El Tigre, and soon the new arrivals are caught up in outlaw shenanigans. Fortunately, locals Hendrix and Torvay are on hand to help out.

At this point, Rooney was still a headline name but with a diminishing career. I expect that's one reason he shares so much screen time with Preston and Stack who are on their way up the ladder. Then too, the diminutive Hendrix is an apt leading lady since she and Rooney make a good visual pairing. Still, the former Andy Hardy appears unsure how to play his part in a western while Nugent appears no help. In fact, some of Rooney's behavior border on the distractingly comical. Also, that fine personality actor Robert Preston is wasted in a role a hundred lesser actors could have filled. Only Stack manages to register in a more strongly written role. Maybe the movie's best part are the settings which look authentically south of the border. And catch the blacksmith's infernally scary workshop. Too bad the rest of the movie doesn't measure up to those few impactful moments. Fortunately, Rooney would soon move on to more appropriate roles.

Mickey Rooney, Robert Preston, and Robert Stack bring some pleasure in My Outlaw Brother

[tavm · 7/10 · 4 August 2015]

In searching for Mickey Rooney movies on YouTube to watch in chronological order, I stumbled into this western he made independently as his M-G-M contract was winding down. He plays an easterner looking for his brother who's revealed to be the title character. He's played by Robert Stack, years before his famous role as Elliot Ness on the TV show "The Untouchables". Robert Preston, years before his iconic role in the musical "The Music Man, is the Texas ranger helping Rooney along. I'll just now say this was quite an entertaining oater. Some funny stuff from Rooney but it's also quite serious when it needs to be. The leading lady is Wanda Hendrix as a senorita who Stack tries to posses. She'd eventually marry his brother in real life but only for a few years. Anyway, My Outlaw Brother is worth a look for fans of any of the above players.

Movie really rolls along, good acting but ending is a letdown

[Nate-48 · 6/10 · 19 December 2022]

I swear this must have been one of the favorite movies of George Lucas when he was a kid because I see so many similarities in the storyline of Star Wars.

This independent western really moves quickly with great too notch acting from Mickey Rooney and solid turns by Robert Preston and an early Robert Stack.

Some great comedy lines, a lot of great action shots and horse battle sequences.

The ending really builds up with a great action scene but they kind of just rush it and it is a major letdown.

Rooney is so great in everything he does. I Wish he received more credit.

This was one of the last movies directed by Elliot Nugent who directed Bob Hope in Cat and the Canary and pictures with Harold Lloyd and Danny Kaye.