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Billy the Kid Week 2010: Review of Howard Hughes’ The Outlaw (1943)

Posted in Billy the Kid, movies, nostalgia, pop culture, reviews with tags , , , , on August 9, 2010 by Paxton

Billy the Kid Week

Welcome to the beginning of Billy the Kid week where I will watch and review a bunch of movies featuring the historical character Billy the Kid. This started with the 20th birthday of Young Guns II on Aug 1.  It will continue throughout this week and will include a review of Young Guns which turns 22 years old on Thursday, Aug 12.

The first movie I’ll review for Billy the Kid Week will be Howard Hughes’ infamous The Outlaw from 1943.

The Outlaw

This movie introduced audiences to the gorgeous Jane Russell.  The movie became highly controversial and extremely famous for the battle Hughes had in trying to release it.  At the time, movie makers followed what was called the Hays Code which was a set of strict guidelines that movie makers had to follow when portraying women, their clothing and sex.  In making this movie, Hughes completely ignored this code.  Howard Hughes produced this movie (even co-directing it with Howard Hawks) and used it to push the boundaries of what a movie could show…sex-wise.  Hughes picked Russell because of her looks and even designed a brand new bra to contain Russell’s breasts (however she refused to wear it).

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Young Guns II turns 20 years old today plus Billy the Kid Week

Posted in Billy the Kid, movies, nostalgia, sequels with tags , , , , , on August 1, 2010 by Paxton

Young Guns II movie ad

As you know, we love movie anniversaries here on the Cavalcade. Together, you and I have seen huge franchises reach their 25 and 30 year anniversaries (Back to the Future, The Empire Strikes Back), which, I don’t know about you, makes me feel old as hell.  Anyway, today’s movie could still be considered a “young” one (compared to these other franchises, oh, and PUN!).  It was released in the first year of a new decade, 1990, but is hands down one of my favorite movies from when I was growing up.

Young Guns II was released on August 1, 1990, 20 years ago today.  I was 16 years old when this movie was released.

The original Young Guns was one of my favorite movies of all time. So, needless to say, in 1989, while watching MTV Movie News, when I first saw a report about the filming of Young Guns II: Hell Bent for Leather (original subtitle while it was filming), I nearly lost my damn mind. I had no idea they were going to make a sequel (oh, the days before the internet).

Young Guns II soundtrack

So, I saw this movie the day it came out and I loved it nearly as much as the original. In my mind, it had a few flaws but it was a solid sequel. Both of these movies touched off a love in me for the Old West.  I was soon reading everything I could get my hands on about Billy the Kid and other famous gunfighters like
Wild Bill Hickock, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and the Sundance Kid.  I even started reading Louie L’Amour novels (which are boring as all hell).  It was the Young Guns movies that got me to watch Eastwood’s spaghetti westerns (The Good, Bad and the Ugly) and newer “modern” westerns like The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Unforgiven, The Quick and the Dead and Tombstone.  I actually had a picture of Clint dressed as Josey Wales hanging above the bed in my college dorm for 4 years.  I still have a love for westerns (as well as Billy the Kid).
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