Ever since the advent of motion pictures, Jesse James has been a popular subject. Probably the first film, The James Boys in Missouri, was an 18-minute one-reel silent made in 1908. Produced by Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, it was directed by Broncho Billy Anderson (born Maxwell Henry Aronson), who would go on to become a major Hollywood western star.
Another silent, Jesse James Under the Black Flag, appeared in 1921 and starred Jesse James Jr. as his father. Two things become instantly apparent: Jesse Jr. cannot act, and he is far too old and heavy for the role.
Since then, dozens of films bearing the name of America’s favorite outlaw have been made. While some are entertaining, almost none are historically accurate, and surprisingly few even mention Bob Ford. The prize for sheer absurdity goes to Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966), released on a double bill with Billy the Kid Versus Dracula. Trivia note: John Carradine, who played Dracula, was also the first actor to portray Bob Ford in a talking picture. Bob appears again—evil to the core—in the star-driven Jesse James (1939) with Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda. In its sequel, The Return of Frank James, Frank kills Bob, even though Frank never sought revenge and had retired from outlawry to sell shoes in a Texas department store.
Although Bob rarely appears in Jesse James films, there are exceptions. John Ireland plays him in I Shot Jesse James (1949), in which Bob kills Jesse for the reward and for the hope of marrying a fictional girlfriend. The government withholds the money, and in the film, Bob’s girl calls him a coward and leaves.
More recent films, such as American Outlaws, portray the James brothers as lovable rogues; one reviewer called it “full of humor and heroics.”
A few Jesse James films, however, are genuinely worth seeing. The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid (1972) tells the story of the gang’s last raid with tones that shift from humorous to deadly serious to sad. Robert Duvall’s offbeat portrayal of Jesse as self-absorbed and not overly bright is memorable.
The Long Riders (1980), written and produced by James and Stacy Keach, stars four real-life sets of brothers playing four sets of brothers. It gets much of the history right, though Belle Starr—played by Pamela Reed as a feisty prostitute charging an outlandish fifteen dollars—is wildly romanticized. Bob and Charlie Ford, portrayed by Nicholas and Christopher Guest, respectively, may be too obviously slimy, but the violent collapse at Northfield is largely accurate, including Cole Younger surviving 11 gunshot wounds. Ry Cooder’s soundtrack is an added bonus.
By far the most accurate, best written, and most beautifully shot and acted Jesse James film is The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007). Based on Ron Hansen’s novel, it resumes the story after Northfield and, for the first time, delivers a compelling character study of both Jesse (Brad Pitt has called it his favorite role) and Bob. It is long—but hypnotically so.
New Jesse James movies continue to appear with regularity. Documentaries frequently air on PBS, YouTube overflows with James Gang trivia, and America’s fascination with its favorite bad boy shows no sign of fading.
The Ballad of Jesse James, sung by Ron Soodalter
