Hell's Crossroads (1957) User Reviews

Underrated Dramatic Western; Stephen McNally, a Fine Cast and More

[silverscreen888 · 7/10 · 12 October 2005]

This by my standards is a very good B/W 1957 western, with several action scenes, strong dramatic confrontations, very good characters and unusually-fine acting and directing. However, I believe it to be very important because it stands between the older filmmakers' depictions of real western badmen and lawmen and the later, freer and less-historical treatments (made as partly-fictionalized biographies). Also, its theme, the attempt by a man to seek redemption from earlier crimes, became a staple item in films and not only in westerns, largely on the basis I assert of two films--"Bend of the River", and "Hell's Crossroads". This western was written from John K. Butler's story with Butler and Barry Shippman providing the taut screenplay. Franklin Adreon directed with unusual skill with cinematography supplied by John L. Russell Jr., art direction by Frank Arrigo and set decorations by Mowbray Berkely and John McCarthy Jr. Alexis Davidoff was costume supervisor, and did a creditable job. The story concerns two peripheral members of the Jesse and Frank James and Younger brothers gang. As Vic Rodell, handsome Stephen McNally wants to go straight; Robert Vaughn as Bob Ford has ridden only once with the James' gang. Returning home at risk, they find Peggie Castle who is the elder Ford's daughter eager to see Vic, and her brother. But they are wanted. The elder Ford, played very strongly by Harry Shannon, once intervened to make sure Rodell did not marry Paula. Now she wants him again, and he refuses to consent. They agree to wed anyway, since Vic has a plan. Mssouri's legislature is getting ready to pass an Amnesty Act; he may have to serve a year or two, but she agrees to wait for him. While he was gone with Quantrill's raiders and James, having killed no one since the Civil War, she had married her father's choice, a dull bank clerk shot in a bank raid--by the gang. But what she resents is the time they've lost together; and she knows he is a good man. On the trail of the James gang comes a Pinkerton Man, ably played by Barton Maclane and the County Sheriff, Grant Withers. They nearly catch Vic and do capture Bob Ford. This means that before he can try to meet Paula in the capital, and try to make a deal with the Governor (played with verve by Frank Wilcox) he has to try to kill no one but still rescue Bob from a lynch mob, one permitted to act by the corrupt town marshal Morris Ankrum and led by bitter townsfolk anxious to hang a former rebel without a trial. He is begged by Paula's father to help, and he does--by recruiting the James gang. Then he heads for St, Joseph, and is trapped in a hotel room by the wily Pinkerton man; he overcomes him, by knocking him out, and escapes. Soon Paula talks to the Governor--and learns the Legislature has narrowly defeated the amnesty measure. He offers her a deal for Bob and Vic--if either brings in Jesse or Frank dead or alive, he can earn a pardon. She tells him Vic is a boyhood friend of Jesse's, that he will not do it. Vic confirms this later, and leaves her, planning to hide out for a year until the Legislature reconsiders the bill. Then Bob comes to the Governor and takes to the deal, warning him he will have to kill the dangerous Jesse to do the job; the Governor agrees. On his way to hiding, Vic says goodbye to Jesse, played strongly by Henry Brandon and angering his volatile brother Frank, portrayed by fine actor Douglas Kennedy. Vic disappears; and Bob Ford has to wait while the gang plans and executes a raid on Northfield, Minnesota, which stirs up hatreds and proves bad for the gang also. Jesse has been calling himself Mr. Howard; Bob goes to his house and kills him as he decorates a Christmas tree for his children's holiday with his wife (Jean Howell) in the next room--shooting him in the back. This brings Vic out. Paula swears she had no idea this was to happen; he accuses her of having killed him--because the James gang will now be after both Bob and him. They soon capture Vic. This sets up an exciting climax; Vic escapes and hides behind some rocks. The James gang surrounds him, firing to kill. Paula has gone to her father who is won over, and they come in a wagon to save Vic; but cowardly Bob hesitates, until he reconsiders and joins them. A very satisfying climax to the film follows. For an unpretentious feature with stock music, B/W scenery and a small budget, this is a well-scripted, moving and well-acted film. This is I assert one of Stephen McNally's best parts; he is dangerous, award level, darkly-attractive, and his acting along with Shannon's dominates every scene he is in. Young Robert Vaughn as Bob Ford is attractive but not particularly powerful; as Paula, Peggie Castle is lovely and intelligent. A very underrated western, a clever and seminal fictionalization of historical western characters.

"In our business, a man should never stop and think."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 7 October 2007]

With the Brad Pitt/Casey Affleck film (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) still in limited release at present, this picture managed to temporarily satisfy my curiosity about the death of Jesse James and see it from a 1950's perspective. Since the title of the picture doesn't hint at the story line, I was surprised to hear the names James and Ford used early in the picture. Putting two and two together came pretty easily at that point, and even better, the story managed to rise above the level of a lot of the Western genre output of the period.

Oddly, the lead character in the film is neither James OR Ford, but an unknown member of the James Gang going by Victor Rodell (Stephen McNally). Rodell resumes a romantic involvement with Bob Ford's (Robert Vaughn) sister following a botched bank hold-up in Muncie, and the story continues to follow events that lead to the governor of Missouri offering clemency to Ford if he agrees to turn in Jesse. The climactic scene is similar to the finale of 1939's "Jesse James", with a Christmas tree scenario replacing that of Jesse hanging a picture on the wall.

There's an interesting scene near the end of the movie when Frank James (Douglas Kennedy) and Cole Younger (Myron Healey) come gunning for Rodell. Bob Ford's father (Harry Shannon), expecting his son to help Rodell escape, frustratedly remarks when it looks like Bob won't interfere - "Why you coward, you dirty little coward". Fifty years later, the coward tag comes full circle to describe the man who killed the most famous and notorious Western outlaw.

In addition to the players already mentioned, it was cool to see Barton MacLane on hand as a Pinkerton agent, and Peggie Castle in the role of Paula Collins, the sister of Bob Ford. A couple of years later, Castle appeared as a regular on the classic TV Western series "Lawman", as saloon owner Lily Merrill.

It's always a treat to come across a movie I'd never heard of before, and even better when it exceeds expectations. Though I presume a lot of the film to be fictional, it's still an engrossing story and worthy of a recommendation.

Hell's Crossroads

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 2 December 2023]

Frank Adreon has taken more than a little care to inject some character into the folks in this exciting little B-western. "Vic" (Stephen McNally) is on fine form as the prisoner offered parole on the condition that he captures - alive - the infamous train robber Jesse James (Henry Brandon) with whom he used to ride. Historians of the James gang and their activities may well dislike this now, as it begins to deviate rather from fact. "Vic" reunites with an old flame "Paula" (Peggy Castle), she is the sister of the Ford members of the gang - Bob (Robert Vaughn) and Clay (Harry Shannon) and whilst there are some elements true to the facts, including the slaying of James, the rest of the film is just an hybrid of stories used to created a "loosely based on" kind of adventure - and it is perfectly acceptable at that. It's got plenty of shoot-outs, fast-paced riding - even an attempted lynching, and Vaughn, Pinkerton man "O'Connell" (Barton MacLane) and Shannon work well with some decent photography to keep the pot boiling along nicely.

Jesse James Rides Yet Again!

[bsmith5552 · 6/10 · 3 January 2021]

"Hell's Crossroads" is another take, though historically inaccurate (very) of the demise of Jesse James. Giving the film it's due, Republic Pictures in it's waning days, still managed to line up a cast of western regulars.

Viv Rodell (Stephen McNally) is Vic Rodell a fictional character who has ridden with the Jesse James gang. He and his friend Bob Ford (Robert Vaughn) return to the Ford ranch when the gang breaks up after their latest robbery in which Rodell was wounded. It seems thar Rodell and Ford's sister Paula Collins (Peggy Castle have a past and that Clay Ford (Harry Shannon) her father is dead set against their relationship.

Bob Ford and Rodell plan to ride out when Rodell's wound heals. Ford goes off to obtain fresh mounts while Rodell recovers from his wound. One day as Ford is returning, Pinkerton Agent Clyde O'Connell (Barton Mac Lane) and Sheriff Oliver (Grant Withers) visit the Ford ranch. They spot Bob in the distance and go after him after Rodell has warned his friend. Eventually, Ford is captured.

Paula, meanwhile has been pleading with Rodell to offer himself up for amnesty to the Governor. Finally he agrees. With Ford in jail, word gets back to Jesse (Henry Brandon) that Ford is in peril. He rounds up his brother Frank (Douglas Kennedy), and Cole Younger (Myron Healey) and rides to free Ford. Rodell joins them. Townsman Wheeler (Morris Ankrum) has been firing yup the town to lynch Ford. The James gang frees Ford and head for the hills.

Ford has also gone to the Governor to seek amnesty. He promises to bring Jesse in dead or alive. In the only historically (almost) part of the film, Ford shoots Jesse in the back while he is decorating his Christmas tree. The surviving James gang members come after Ford and Rodell, a gunfight ensues and............................................................................................

Robert Vaughn on the cusp of a rising career makes a perfect cowardly Bob Ford. A bearded Henry Brandon is a creditable Jesse. It was nice to see Barton MacLane and Grant Withers both on the downside of their long careers in major supporting roles. McNally, who rarely got to play the lead does OK too.

Bob Ford and Jesse James

[weezeralfalfa · 6/10 · 8 April 2018]

I don't like the uninformative title. The title of the Brazilian version : "The Death of Jesse James" is much better. Or perhaps my review title, for example. For an excellent summary of the many deviations from historical records, see reviewer aimless-46. For a good review of the important details of the screenplay, see reviewer silverscreen 688. Thus, I don't need to repeat these in full here. ......Strangely, neither the actor(Robert Vaughn) portraying Bob Ford, nor the actor(Henry Brandon) portraying Jesse James. are at the top of the list. Instead, Stephen McNally, as Vic, is first billed. Vic is a sometimes member of the James Gang, and a friend of Bob Ford, as well as Bob's sister, Paula(blond Peggie Castle). The up and down relationship between Vic and Paula, and Paula's father constitutes the second theme of the plot, which appears periodically through the film. Paula's father, Clay(ably played by Harry Shannon), disapproved of Vic as a husband some years ago. So, Paula married another, with a respectable job. But, he was killed in a bank holdup by the James Gang. Now, Paula and Vic want to renew their relationship, but Clay is still opposed, until late in the film, when he asks Vic to help rescue Bob from a lynch mob. Vic wants to go straight, but doesn't know how to go about it. He's involved in a complex shootout out of town, that includes Bob on his side, Frank James(Douglas Kennedy) and Cole Younger against them, trying to extract revenge for killing Jesse, and Sheriff Oliver plus Pinkerton agent Clyde O'Connell, wanting to arrest or kill both pairs. Vic is shot in the back and barely survives, while Bob doesn't survive. In contrast, the real Bob Ford lived another decade before being gunned down. He and brother Charlie used to charge admission for reenactments of the James shooting.......Vic seems to be a modified version of brother Charlie, who is transformed into a friend, so that he can court sister Paula. The character of Vic seems to be typical of the characters McNally played: often villains or minor heroes. Here, we might think of him as being a mix of both.......More credible versions of Ford's shooting of Jesse are enacted in the 1939 "Jesse James" and the 2007 "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" The latter film is twice as long as the present film. Although acclaimed by many reviewers as the most authentic version, I tend to agree with the minority, who found it mostly tedious and too long. Thus, I won't be surprised if you find the present version and the 1939 version more entertaining. See it at YouTube

Dreadful Movie and Bad History

[aimless-46 · 2/10 · 10 October 2007]

"That dirty little coward that shot Mr. Howard", the coward was Bob Ford and Mr. Howard was Jesse James. Ford murdered James, who was unarmed and straightening a picture when Ford shot him in the back. Ford had been promised amnesty (for another murder-he had never been involved with Jesse or the illegal activities of the James gang) and a $10,000 reward.

In "Hell's Crossroads" (1957), they recreate the event, although this time Jesse James is hanging decorations on his Christmas tree. I mention this because it is about the only time the movie approaches historical accuracy despite claiming to chronicle the exploits or Bob Ford (Robert Vaughn) and a friend named Vic Rodell (Stephen McNally).

What actually happened was that in 1882 Jesse James, living peacefully under the Mr. Howard name, recruited Bob Ford and his brother Charlie for one last robbery. Bob had never been involved with the James gang (which was long disbanded by that point) and the three men were living in the same house while planning the robbery.

Unfortunately the producers of "Hells Crossroads" decided the true story was not good enough. So they replaced brother Charlie with friend Vic, threw in a romance between Vic and Bob's sister Paula (Peggy Castle) and made the two men longtime members of the James Gang. The film's climax takes place a few days after Jesse is killed. It features Frank James (Douglas Kennedy) and Cole Younger (Myron Healey) coming after Bob and Vic to avenge the 1882 killing; and Cole Younger is killed in the poorly staged climatic gunfight. In fact Cole was in prison from 1872 until 1901; and died of natural causes in 1916 (outliving everyone associated with the real James gang).

The historical nonsense showcased in "Hell's Crossroads" is nicely matched with the film's poor direction and staggeringly bad acting. By 1957 Warner Brothers was cranking out several weekly westerns for television; most of which are now available on DVD. I challenge anyone to find a single episode of "Cheyenne", "Maverick", "Gunsmoke" or "Have Gun Will Travel" that is quite as lame as this film. Peggy Castle made a career out of appearing in these television westerns. What is sad is that the television casts she worked with were far stronger than the ensemble she must struggle with in this lame movie.

If Stephen McNally is the leading man you can safely assume that they are pulling from the absolute bottom of the casting barrel.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Hell's Crossroads

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 23 March 2023]

When a heist goes wrong, Jesse James and his gang must scatter to elude the authorities. Outlaws Bob Ford (Robert Vaughn) and Vic Rodell ( the excellent Stephen McNally) are nabbed, but the governor offers them amnesty in exchange for their help in bringing Jesse and his brother Frank to justice.

The history, of course, is inaccurate, but I never expected westerns- or any other genre - to be accurate. Western genre is entertainment- and this film is entertaining enough, even though borders on the routine. An interesting story, a thoughtful script and a good of acting makes this b-western watchable.

Will the movies ever identify the real Jesse James?

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 31 December 2021]

The name Jesse James doesn't actually indicate a real person in most westerns. Truth has been replaced by a most fascinating picture, and the legends have gotten so far out there that Jesse James becomes just a psychological name for any western bandit. That goes along with Billy the Kid, anyone with the last name of Younger or even Belle Starr. Their colorful personalities and histories have been altered so much that mirror the legends which comes from the films that have been written about them rather than the criminal records or first experience from those who wrote it down.

This movie about the plot to kill Jesse James actually utilizes some facts that have been noted in historical records, but there's still plenty of diction. It deals with Robert Vaughn's Bob Ford who has been release from prison on the agreement that he assassinated James, joined by Stephen McNally as Vic Rowell. Peggie Castle is the love interests, heavily involved in the plot rather than just standing on the side, and she's very good.

You get a glimpse of Jesse James and his wife trying to live in peace, but of course there's always the urge for one last robbery. Veteran actor Barton MacLane is a Pinkerton agent stands in the way of James being able to live in solitude. It's a good B Western, coming during the final years of Republic Pictures, dealing with character development more than just cliched shootouts and chases. But it's still cheap looking, typical for a Saturday matinee audience, yet a little more well done as far as minor details are concerned.

Superior

[Rifleman44 · 10/10 · 29 March 2006]

This is an excellent western. With the exception of unlimited rifle ammo fire, the movie was made in super black & white and is well shot and directed. I think that it is excellent in authenticity of equipment and props while the story line might be a little off. Certainly could be one to allow the kids to see without worry. MUCH better than most westerns. Mr. Man from Uncle plays the part of a coward who finds his courage and comes to the aid of his allies. The casting was extremely well done with each of the role players being a natural for their part. Look at the background props and see how well they were thought out. If I had a person from overseas come visit, I would show this movie as one which represents a good western movie.

An unusual point of view

[searchanddestroy-1 · 27 February 2023]

This is however not the first western speaking of the killing of Jesse James, remember Sam Fuller's I SHOT JESSE JAMES. And decades later, in 2007, you will have this movie THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. This Republic pictures stuff is not that bad, thanks to Stephen mcNally, but I prefered the Fullers' picture, made eight years earlier. Samuel Fuller was also not Franklyn Adreon, you can't compare those two directors.... So HELL'S CROSSROADS is only a pretty agreeable time waster, not more. Robert Vaughn is also a good surprise, I did not expect to see him in such a film. But after all, why not?