The Hole in the Wall gang is wreaking havoc, from Mexico to the Canadian border, and someone has to stop them.
Enter George Montgomery, playing Tom Horn, the famous Indian fighter who just brought in Geronimo.
He adopts the alias Steve Garrett, pretends to be an outlaw himself and heads first to Mexico, then to Wyoming in search of Harve Logan (Rod Cameron), a saloon owner suspected of being in cahoots with the gang. And he has a devious plan in mind.
Seems the gang has just robbed a train of $100,000. The only problem, the money is in unsigned bank notes, and it takes a bank official’s signature to cash them. Enter Dakota Lil, a famed forger, played by Marie Windsor.
Horn/Garrett tracks down the lovely Dakota, tells her of his plan to have her sign the notes and, the next thing you know, she’s the new singer in Harve Logan’s saloon.
And, of course, both Logan and Garrett wouldn’t mind spending some time with Lil in their arms when she’s not forging bank notes.
Oh, and it turns out that Logan is more than a conspirator with the Hole in the Wall gang. In fact, Logan is an alias too. He’s really Kid Curry, the mastermind behind the gang.
Marie Windsor, singing in a cantina south of the border to stay out of trouble in Dakota Lil (1950)
George Montgomery as federal agent Tom Horn, going by Steve Garrett when he meets Dakota Lil and likes what he sees in Dakota Lil (1950)
Review:
Don’t rely on it for historical accuracy, but this is a lively little film from Lesley Selander, even if the characters sound like they’re spouting lines from a 1940s crime film now and then.
Cameron, the saintly hero of many a Western, takes a rare stab at being a bad guy this time around. And he might be known for his fast gun, but he has a special affection for choking people to death.
Windsor does a nice job as the title character, who falls for Tom Horn before she learns he’s on the opposite side of the law and doesn’t quite know what to do about that. Among the film’s highlights is her singing a tune called “Ecstasy.”
Rod Cameron as Harve Logan, fresh of one killing and looking forward to another to cover his tracks in Dakota Lil (1950)
John Emery as Vincent, Dakota Lil’s piano player, sometimes protector and wannabe lover in Dakota Lil (1950)
Directed by:
Lesley Selander
Cast:
George Montgomery … Tom Horn / Steve Garrett
Rod Cameron … Harve Logan / Kid Curry
Marie Windsor … Dakota Lil / Lillian Carroll
John Emery … Vincent
Wallace Ford … Carter
Jack Lambert … Dummy
Larry Johns … Sheriff
Marion Martin … Blonde singer
James Flavin … Secret service chief
Walter Sande … Butch Cassidy
Lillian Bronson … Sheriff’s wife
Kenneth MacDonald … Fletch
Clancy Cooper … Bartender
Bill Perrott … Cashier
Alberto Morin … Rurales Captain
J. Farrell McDonald .. Ellis
Runtime: 88 min.
Wallace Ford as Carter, Tom Horn’s federal assistant, grimacing from a wound suffered in a scrape with the Hole in the Wall gang in Dakota Lil (1950)
Larry Johns as the sheriff, welcoming Dakota Lil as she disembarks from a state in his town in Dakota Lil (1950)
Memorable lines …
Dakota Lil: “What’d you do? Rob the U.S. Mint?”
Steve Garrett: “Only one small, worm-eaten leaf of it.”
Dakota Lil: “Better luck next time.”
Kid Curry: “I never did approve of schooling for females.”
Dakota ‘Lil: “Judging from your handwriting, you never approved of schooling for males either.”
Kid Curry: “I got a nice gentle horse for you.”
Dakota Lil: “Not too gentle. It doesn’t take me long to show who’s boss.”
Dakota ‘Lil to Kid Curry, as he shows off the training his fellow outlaws are going through at the Hole in the Wall hideout: “Next to you, Jesse James didn’t amount to a breeze in a gale storm.”
Steve Garrett to Hole in the Wall gang member: “Don’t try any capers. You’ll be a lot more comfortable without a bullet in your eye.”
Jack Lambert as Tommy Creole, a half-witted outlaw taking refuge in the Hole in the Wall in Dakota Lil (1950)
Marion Martin as the blonde singer Dakota Lil replaces in Harve Logan’s place in Dakota Lil (1950)
Marie Windsor as Dakota Lil, being shown around the Hole in the Wall gang’s hideout by Harve Logan, aka Kid Curry (Rod Cameron) in Dakota Lil (1950)
Marie Windsor as Dakota Lil, feeling a handcuff on the wrist of Steve Garrett (George Montgomery) and realizing he’s a lawman in Dakota Lil (1950)
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