The Durango Kid (film)

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The Durango Kid
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Directed byLambert Hillyer
Screenplay byPaul Franklin
Produced byJack Fier
StarringCharles Starrett
Luana Walters
Kenneth MacDonald
CinematographyJohn Stumar
Edited byRichard Fantl
Music byBob Nolan
Tim Spencer
Distributed byColumbia Pictures Corporation
Release date
  • August 15, 1940 (1940-08-15)
Running time
61 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Durango Kid is a 1940 American Western directed by Lambert Hillyer, starring Charles Starrett, Luana Walters and Kenneth McDonald.[1] This is the first of 65[2] Durango Kid movies Starrett made at Columbia Pictures.[3]

Plot[edit]

Bill Lowry returns home to his family ranch, to find that ruthless businessman Mace Ballard is trying to force the townspeople into selling their land. Opposing Ballard is Lowry's father, who leaves for the marshal's office to press charges. On his way there, an armed sniper -- Ballard -- kills him. This prompts Bill to masquerade as The Durango Kid, fabled vigilante who fights for justice. While Durango harasses Ballard and terrorizes Ballard's gunmen, Bill becomes the marshal's special deputy, investigating Ballard's activities legally. Ballard is charged with murder but escapes, firing at the law. He is killed in the ensuing gunplay.

Cast[edit]

Notes[edit]

The Durango Kid was just another of Columbia's B-western features in its popular Charles Starrett series, with no special distinction except for its standard hero-vs.-villain plotline. In 1945 the studio produced a sequel, The Return of the Durango Kid, which caught on with moviegoers and became a series. Starrett went on to portray The Durango Kid full-time until his retirement in 1952.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Five Players Join 'Durango Kid' Cast". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. June 18, 1940. p. 7. Retrieved June 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ "Charles Starrett - IMDb". Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Boggs, Johnny D. (2013). Billy the Kid on Film, 1911-2012. McFarland. p. 74. ISBN 9781476603353.
  4. ^ Variety, "Starrett Rides Away from Col and Durango", April 9, 1952, p. 29.

External links[edit]