Man From Texas (1948)

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1. Anonymous says:

   February 23, 2012 at 12:04 am

   
   The Dramatic Life of an Outlaw, July 6, 2010

   By 

   Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) –

   This review is from: Man from Texas [VHS] (VHS Tape)

   Man From Texas, 1948 film

   The story begins with a steam locomotive running in the country. Masked men ride. “El Paso Kid on Rampage” says the newspaper. There is a shoot-out in town, and a higher reward is offered. A wife worries about her husband. His work requires him to travel far away. The local people don’t know what Toby does. His wife Zee sent their children away, she leaves too. Toby decides to reform, so she stays. Their wedding is interrupted by the appearance of strangers in town. They escape by jumping across a chasm. Toby has a new way to get money from a bank. There is some comedy here! The Heath store sells fodder for horses. His old friends drop by to see him. Will he do one more job? The stagecoach is drawn by six horses. The search reveals no loot! Toby sends Billy away.

   Toby stops at a small house for victuals. The lonely widow Weeks tells her story. Her late husband mortgaged the farm, and now she may lose it and become homeless. Toby explains what she must do when the banker arrives to foreclose. But Widow Weeks pays off her loan! The banker Sam was robbed for the money afterwards! The Kid repays his loan to the surprise of the banker. Then there is a complication. Can someone warn the Sheriff? An explosion warns everyone. The Kid and his gang return to their past endeavors. Can they get away this time? The posse closes in on Toby. He is reported killed. “Never get your picture taken.” The Marshal calls on Mr. Heath to join the posse and find the El Paso Kid. The pass allows Toby to ride at night. Would someone betray him?

   Toby is captured by the Marshal. Someone talked for the reward money. The Kid gets ten years. But the train is stopped by a robbery. Will the Kid act in a heroic manner? [Believable?] The Governor reduces his sentence. Toby and Zee are married in church. Will they live happily ever after?

   This story echoes the life of Jesse James but with a happy ending. This was adapted from a stage play. The story is of average quality. It tells what entertained audiences in the 1940s. Did Westerns decline in popularity after WW II? This is one example of moral relativism, where the outlaws who prey on ordinary people are portrayed favorably. No mention of the problems caused by the bank losses and bankruptcies. The loss of money had a bad effect on the local economy, similar to the closure of local manufacturing and its loss of jobs.

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