The Outlaw (1943)
Western
Starring Jane Russell, Jack Buetel, Thomas Mitchell, Walter Huston.
Directed by Howard Hughes
Western legends Pat Garrett, Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid are played against each other over the law and the attentions of vivacious country vixen Rio McDonald.
Newly appointed sheriff Pat Garrett is pleased when his old friend Doc Holliday arrives in Lincoln, New Mexico on the stagecoach. Doc is trailing his stolen horse, and it is soon discovered to be in the possession of Billy the Kid. In a surprising turnaround, Billy and Doc become friends. This causes the friendship between Doc and Pat to cool. The odd relationship between Doc and Billy grows even stranger when Doc hides Billy at his girl, Rio's, place after Billy is shot. In turn Rio (Jane Russell) falls for Billy, although he treats her very badly. The interaction between these four is played out against an Indian attack before a final showdown...
Not too many movies create myths.
Russell burst into vibrant tabloid life when, at 19 years of age, she was cast by Howard Hughes as the smoldering object of desire in his new western "The Outlaw." Scintillating details - such as Hughes having designed a special bra for the amply endowed Ms. Russell to wear - kept the movie in the papers. Jane Russell got the role after a nationwide search by Howard Hughes for a busty actress.
Jack Buetel also made his official screen debut in The Outlaw (1943). However, this film seriously hampered his career. As a result of his contractual arrangement with producer Howard Hughes, he did not appear in another film for seven years. Though a regular on TV's Judge Roy Bean (1955) and quite a few other roles, he retired from films in 1961 at age 46.
Howard Hughes employed his engineering skills to design a new cantilevered underwire bra to emphasize her figure. Hughes added curved structural steel rods that were sewn into the brassiere under each breast cup and connected to the bra's shoulder straps. This arrangement allowed the breasts to be pushed upward and the bra shoulder straps to be moved away from the neck, exposing more of her bosom. Contrary to many media reports afterward, Jane Russell did not wear the bra during filming; she said in her 1988 autobiography that the bra was so uncomfortable that she secretly discarded it. She wrote that the "ridiculous" contraption hurt so much that she wore it for only a few minutes, and instead wore her own bra. To prevent Hughes from noticing, Russell padded the cups with tissue and tightened the shoulder straps before returning to the set. She later said "I never wore it in The Outlaw, and he never knew. He wasn't going to take my clothes off to check if I had it on. I just told him I did." The famed bra ended up in a Hollywood museum-a false witness to the push-up myth.
This was the first American film that defied the "Production Code" of the Hays Office, which dictated what could and could not be shown on screen.
Although the film was finished and copyrighted in February 1941, it was not shown theatrically for another two years, mostly because of censorship problems that required cuts and revisions. By May 1941, the Production Code Authority (PCA: the industry censors) agreed to approve the film, but Howard Hughes found that many state censor boards wanted a lot more cuts than he was willing to make, so he shelved the film until 2/5/1943, when it was finally premiered theatrically in San Francisco at the Geary Theater in the 115-minute version that we essentially see today, and did well in there, grossing $10,000 in its first week. It caused quite a sensation, especially since Jane Russell and Jack Buetel performed a 20-minute scene that was cut from the film after each showing. More hassles about its possible release in New York caused Hughes to shelve the picture once again.
When re-released in San Francisco on 4/23/1946, the theater owner was arrested for showing a film "offensive to decency." The MPAA maintained that Howard Hughes switched prints and did not show the version that was approved. Hughes resigned from the MPAA and filed a $1-million lawsuit demanding triple damages. He lost the suit and all the appeals. Despite the legal battles and many bans, United Artists continued to roadshow the film in 1946 and 1947 and it set records almost everywhere it was shown. Originally banned in New York, it was finally shown on 9/11/1947 after the ban was lifted.
In his book "Hollywood," Garson Kanin wrote that one day in New York, he and George S. Kaufman were walking down Broadway and counted five billboards with an alluring picture of Jane Russell advertising this film, prompting Kaufman to remark: "They ought to call it 'A Sale of Two Titties.'"
The cast includes three Oscar winners: Walter Huston, Thomas Mitchell and Ben Johnson.
Regardless of Howard Hughes' intentions, the controversy and lawsuit over The Outlaw (1943), forced Hollywood to address its hypocritical attitude about sex. At a time when married couples on screen slept in separate twin beds, Hughes was able to show an alluring young woman climbing into bed with a man, bold steps that subsequent filmmakers have gladly followed off into the sunset.
Despite the complaints and the bans, The Outlaw (1943) broke box office records everywhere it was shown. In Jun 1968, it was reported that The Outlaw (1943) had made over $20 million at the box office.
Once you make an effort to penetrate the rough exterior and get the feel of it, this film is an unforgettable achievement by all involved.
Noteable is the complexity of the interaction between the four principal characters. They are forever brooding over the most murderous resentments, then turning around and forming alliances, often amorous. This continual shifting of balance is what drives The Haunting (1963), and is what gives this film its peculiar interest. Most westerns from that era have good guys versus bad guys - very boring; here we actually get something to think about. The characters are clearly defined individuals, and they behave with consistency.
Critics who knock the movie draw particular attention to the wooden acting of Jane Russell, but it seems just right for her part - smouldering with resentment and desire, but all of it suppressed by her need to fulfil her social role. So ignore the sniping you may have read elsewhere, and give The Outlaw a chance to capture you!
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