Texas Rangers (1951)

The Texas Rangers have ben reborn in the aftermath of the Civil War to deal with outlaws terrorizing the state and are doing a good job of keeping them in check.

Then Sam Bass (William Bishop) summons John Wesley Hardin, the Sundance Kid, Butch Cassidy, Duke Fisher and Dave Rudabaugh to form the Long Riders Self-Protective Association and the tide quickly turns.

So much so that the governor is threatening to cut off funding for the Texas Rangers if the Sam Bass gang isn’t stopped.

For help, Maj. John B. Jones, commander of the Texas Rangers, turns to two former outlaws now rotting in prison, figuring Johnny Carver (George Montgomery) and Buff Smith (Noah Beery Jr.) have plenty of motivation to help track down the bad men.

There’s the potential for a pardon, of course. But there’s also a chance to get even with the Sundance Kid, whose double-crossing landed them in custody in the first place.

Carver soon discovers his younger brother Donny (Jerome Courtland) is already riding with the Rangers.

But not everyone is happy with the Rangers new means for dealing with Sam Bass, and the critics include Waco Star reporter Helen Fenton (Gale Storm).

Her father was killed in the very bank robbery that led to the capture of Carver and Smith. And though Sundance fired the fatal shot, she also blames them for her father’s death.

George Montgomery as Johnny Carver, contemplating the major’s offer after time behind bars in Texas Rangers (1951)

Neville Brand as Buff Smith, Johnny Carver’s always loyal sidekick in Texas Rangers (1951)

Review:

Historically accurate? Well, Sam Bass did meet his end near Round Rock, Texas, but his gang never included Butch and Sundance. Heck, they were born in 1866 and 1867, respectively, and would have still be toddlers when this film is supposed to take place.

That said, Karlson directors with lots of vim and vigor. In one of the film’s best scenes, Johnny Carver trashes Helen Fenton’s newspaper office while his fellow outlaws watch from outside.

He even “molests” her with a kiss for their amusement. All the while, he’s telling her the details of an upcoming train robbery so the Rangers can spring a trap on Sam Bass and his gang.

Of course, Carver’s trustworthiness comes into question repeatedly, once when he robs a bank in order to infiltrate the gang, and again when Bass changes his plans for robbing a train carrying $1 million at the last minute, making all the information Carver leaked to authorities incorrect.

If the film seems familiar, it might be because several key plot points were lifted for the 1965 Audie Murphy film “Arizona Raiders.”

Gale Storm as Helen Fenton, a newspaper woman eager to strike back at the outlaws after her father’s death in Texas Rangers (1951)

William Bishop as Sam Bass, one of the outlaw leaders in Texas Rangers (1951)

Directed by:
Phil Karlson

Cast:
George Montgomery … Johnny Carver
Gale Storm … Helen Fenton
Jerome Courtland … Donny Bonner
Noah Beery Jr. … Buff Smith
William Bishop … Sam Bass
Douglas Kennedy … Dave Rudabaugh
Ian MacDonald … The Sundance Kid
John Doucette … Butch Cassidy
Jock Mahoney … Duke Fisher
John Dehner … John Wesley Hardin
John Litel … Maj. John B. Jones

Runtime: 74 min.

John Litel as Texas Ranger Maj. John B. Jones, offering Carver a chance to go straight in Texas Rangers (1951)

Jerome Courtland as Danny Bonner, thrilled to be on the trail with older brother Johnny Carver in Texas Rangers (1951)

Memorable lines:

Helen Fenton: “I’m with the newspaper, and my job is interviewing famous people. In your case, I want to get some facts for your obituary.”
Johnny Carver: “Sorry, ma’am, I must have been at recess when they covered that word at school.”
Helen: “It means death notice.”

Card player: “I’ll only call you, Dave, but I have the high hand — three aces.”
Cattle rustler Dave Rudabaugh drives a knife through the man’s hand as he shows his cards: “You got the low hand now, partner.”

Major Jones, explaining the use of fellow convicts, including Johnny Carver, to bring down the Sam Bass gang: “We’re fighting fire with fire, Miss Fenton.”
Helen Fenton: “Major Jones, if the Texas Rangers have reached so low in the bottom of the barrel that there’s nothing left but rotten apples, there’s little hope for McClennan County. We might as well elect Sam Bass sheriff. Good day, sir.”
Buff Smith: “That filly leaves a trail like a prairie fire.”

Sam Bass, upon learning Carver and Smith have turned Rangers: “Boys, this is a deeper creek than we think. And full of quicksand.”

Train guard: “I reckon this is the first game of penny ante ever played on a million-dollar table.”

John Dehner as John Wesley Hardin, about to turn the tables on a lawman in Texas Rangers (1951)

Ian MacDonald as the Sundance Kid, a man who double-crossed Johnny Carver during a bank holdup in Texas Rangers (1951)

Douglas Kennedy as Dave Rudabaugh, an outlaw leader with two of his men in Texas Rangers (1951)

John Doucette as Butch Cassidy, a member of the outlaw gang in Texas Rangers (1951)

Jock Mahoney as Duck Fisher, a member of the outlaw gang in Texas Rangers (1951)

Myron Healey as Texas Ranger Capt. Peak and John Litel as Maj. John B. Jones in Texas Rangers (1951)

Gale Storm as Helen Fenton and Joe Fallon as her nephew Jimmy, rooting for Johnny Carver in Texas Rangers (1951)

George Montgomery as Johnny Carver, a reformed outlaw who infiltrates Sam Bass’s gang in Texas Rangers (1951)