The Parson and the Outlaw (1957)

Very Cool!!!

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Fans of the historical Billy the Kid who want to believe he didn't die at the hands of Sheriff Pat Garret might find this movie interesting but for anyone else it's a bit of a chore to sit through. The acting, especially that of Anthony Dexter in the role of Billy, is invariably stilted and wooden, and calls to mind what early talking movies were like when characters were just learning to speak naturally on screen. Part of this might have been the fault of the director, because even the usually reliable Marie Windsor is given to over the top excess as the colorful Mexican senorita Tonya. Her 'bite of the apple' scene is almost laughably ridiculous, an embarrassing moment diffused only by her gorgeous gams providing an immediate distraction.The story attempts to convince the viewer that Billy the Kid, with the help of his friend Pat Garrett, faked his own death in order to hang up his guns and lead a peaceful life. As fate takes it's course however, Billy is eventually forced to take up his firearms once again to defend the town of Four Corners against evil town boss Morgan (Robert Lowery) from intimidating it's citizens against voting his criminal bunch out of power.The story introduces the name of another Western historical character by the name of Jack Slade (Sonny Tufts), who makes it his mission to eliminate anyone in his vicinity who might claim the title of fastest gun in the territory. Disappointed to hear that Billy the Kid is dead, he makes short work of fellow outlaw Ace Jardine, portrayed here by B Western movie veteran Bob Steele. I've seen Steele in any number of old time Westerns but was a bit shocked to see how small he actually was in relation to his counterparts on screen like Tufts and Dexter. As a leading man in some of his own pictures he obviously was made to stand out.Adding some discomfort to the already tortured screenplay are a number of overt religious references made by pastor Jericho Jones (Buddy Rogers); funny but he was never called 'parson' as the title of the picture implies. In another over the top moment, outlaw Slade's gunning of the Reverend Jones ends with his outstretched arms draped over a hitching post in the manner of the crucifixion. It was the Reverend's entreaties to Billy that prepared him to take up his guns once more, with the final shoot out heralding the real Billy the Kid.

This is a workmanlike Western that imagines what might have happened if the famous outlaw Billy the Kid faked his (most likely) real death, with the aid of Sheriff Pat Garret, and tried to live a normal life. Naturally, there wouldn't be much of a story if things indeed turned out normally, so these are the "new" adventures of Billy the Kid. Does he really hang up his guns? What do you think?This is a completely uneven film. The score switches from banjo music, to what sounds like zither music (as in "The Third Man," though not nearly as good), to organ music appropriate for a funeral, to a purely 1950's ballad sung in a church. There is stock footage throughout that is incredibly jarring because it is of such low quality (if they show that house burning one more time....), and some of the shots look like they were done with a low-quality hand-camera. But the majority of the film is in brilliant color and a feast for the eyes.Several of the actors remind me of other, more well-known personalities. Sonny Tufts, first an ally then an enemy of Billy, kept me thinking of James Arness of "Gunsmoke" fame, while the man playing the heavy, Robert Lowery, looks for all the world like George Clooney. Marie Windsor steals every scene in which she appears, and makes eating an apple look orgasmic. Anthony Dexter, as Billy, wasn't much of an actor, looking self-conscious throughout (the opening scene is particularly grating), but, especially in his attire, kept reminding me of Roy Rogers (in his acting, he doesn't sing). The "Indians" are portrayed in that classic Western way as simple enemies that must have been wearing thin even by 1957.Don't expect too much, this is by-the-numbers with overly obvious symbolism that some may find grating (such as when the "Parson" of the title, who isn't even that big a character, is annoyingly put into a certain Christ-like position). I would watch the very similar and vastly better "Chisum" over this film. But still, this is a solid Western with interesting elements that you may well enjoy.

Anthony Dexter plays a back-from-the-grave Billy the Kid in this odd western about a greedy landowner (slick Robert Lowery) and his right hand man (Sunny Tufts, bravely trying to disguise his New England accent) trying to maintain control over their fiefdom by denying the locals the chance to be annexed by Texas. Billy has had good buddy Pat Garrett pretend to kill him, and has hung up his guns to retire to his old homestead, which--you guessed it--is stuck plum in the middle of this land war. The meek local folks are represented by crusading newspaperman Matt McCloud (Ed Wood regular Kenne Duncan), his beautiful daughter (Madalyn Trahey, who clearly belongs in the 'where are they now?' category), and preacherman Jericho Jones (the appropriately cast Buddy Rogers, who also produced the film). When McCloud is murdered, the townsfolk need a hero to save them...and guess who's available. The Parson and the Outlaw was shot in rich colors which look great, especially when contrasted with the stock footage of wild animals, wagon trains, and fires shoehorned into the feature, and the film also features a very strange soundtrack by Joe Sodja, a Cleveland born banjo player whose score seems to be played on either a zither or a slack key guitar. It's odd to say the least.

***Spoilers***I watched this with another late 50s low budget western, "Gunmen from Laredo". Compared to that film, "Parson" is a classic!Overall the acting is not so good, neither is the direction, it's historically incorrect, etc....but.....There is some excellent dialogue delivered by Anthony Dexter (in a somewhat odd cowboy outfit - why are his jeans pulled up so high!!) in one scene - ending with him saying the word "damn" - somehow it got past the censors. Also, there is some in-your-face Christ on the cross symbolism when the preacher gets killed. I was surprised a low budget film like this even attempted it. And finally, Marie Windsor as a Mexican(!) changing loyalties faster than a Mexican jumping bean jumps.If you absolutely love Westerns or you're a film buff, you might get at least something out of this flick.