The Outriders is a 1950 Western directed by Roy Rowland. The film stars Joel McCrea, Arlene Dahl, and Barry Sullivan.
Director: Roy Rowland
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast: Joel McCrea, Arlene Dahl, Barry Sullivan, Claude Jarman Jr., James Whitmore, Ramon Novarro, Jeff Corey
US Box Office: $3,850,000 ($73,700,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Technicolor
Genre: Western
Release Date: March 1, 1950
Plot Summary: In 1865 three Confederate soldiers: Will Owen (Joel McCrea), Jesse Wallace (Barry Sullivan), and Clint Priest (James Whitmore), escape from a Union prison in Missouri. They meet up with a group of pro-Confederate mercenaries led by Keeley (Jeff Corey) and are given a new assignment, to infiltrate a wagon convoy led by Don Antonio Chaves (Roman Navarro) that is carrying gold from Santa Fe eastward and guide it into an ambush set up by Keeley. After joining the convoy, Will meets the beautiful young widow Jen Gort (Arlene Dahl) and her younger brother Roy (Claude Jarman Jr.). After falling in love with Jen, Will begins to have second thoughts about betraying the convoy, which puts him into conflict with the sinister Jesse.
Production: In late 1948 MGM producer Richard Goldstone began working on a Civil War-era Western film titled The Outriders. The film revolved around three Confederate soldiers who infiltrate a Union wagon convoy with the intention of betraying it to bandits only for one of the soldiers to have a change of heart. Irving Ravetch wrote the story and screenplay for The Outriders. Although the poster for The Outriders claims the film is based on a “famed magazine serial,” this does not appear to be true. Goldstone chose Roy Rowland to direct The Outriders. Rowland was under contract with MGM at the time, and he long had close connections with the company. He was married to Ruth Cummings, the niece of MGM co-founder and long-time studio head Louis B. Mayer. Rowland recently directed the Western The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947).
MGM originally planned to cast Van Heflin as the lead character Will Owen. Those plans fell through and Van Johnson was cast in the part instead. He later dropped out and was replaced with Joel McCrea. Earlier in his career McCrea starred in a variety of different films including comedies like Sullivan’s Travels (1941) and thrillers like Alfred Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940). Following the success of The Virginian (1946), McCrea primarily appeared in Westerns, a genre he felt more comfortable in. McCrea appeared in several other Westerns in 1950 including Stars in My Crown and Saddle Tramp. Arlene Dahl was cast as Jen Gort, Will’s love interest in the film. After the success of her first film, the musical My Wild Irish Rose (1947), Dahl signed a film contract with MGM. Earlier that year she starred in another Western, Ambush (1950) directed by Sam Wood. Roy Rowland had previously directed Dahl in the crime drama Scene of the Crime (1949).
Roy Rowland began shooting The Outriders in August of 1949 and filming wrapped up in October. The Outriders was primarily shot on location in Kane County, Utah. Shooting locations near the city of Kanab included: Duck Creek, Aspen Mirror Lake, Strawberry Valley, Paria, Long Valley and Asay Creek. Interiors and many of the scenes set at night were shot on soundstages at MGM Studios in Culver City, California.
Fun Facts and Trivia: The Outriders was one of two westerns from 1950 to feature teenage actor Claude Jarman Jr. in a supporting role. The other film was John Ford’s Rio Grande, in which Jarman played the son of John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara’s characters. Jarman and Arlene Dahl later appeared together in another western film, Inside Straight (1951). Joel McCrea was appointed a deputy sheriff of Kane County, Utah by Sheriff George Swapp during the filming of The Outriders. McCrea was the first entertainer to have been made an honorary deputy in Kane County.
The Missouri Union prison featured at the start of The Outriders is named “Camp Benton.” During the Civil War there was a real-life Union military encampment near St. Louis, Missouri with that name. Unlike the fictional camp in The Outriders, the real Camp Benton (officially known as the “Benton Barracks”) was not a prison and was instead primarily used as a Union army training facility.
Reception: The Outriders was released on March 1, 1950 in the United States. Although The Outriders had a fairly average performance for a Western at the American box office, it failed to earn a profit for MGM. The Outriders faced heavy competition from other Westerns that year, including the dramatic Broken Arrow which starred James Stewart, and MGM’s own western-themed musical Annie Get Your Gun. The film’s large budget (which was due to The Outriders being primarily shot on location) was also a factor in its money loss.
The Outriders received mostly positive reviews from critics when it was first released. Thomas M. Pryor of The New York Times described The Outriders as “a classy-looking Western,” and he praised Roy Rowland’s direction. The newspaper Gadsden County Times gave The Outriders a strongly positive review and described it as “A magnificently photographed, absorbingly dramatic motion picture.” The newspaper lauded the film’s Technicolor cinematography, acting performances, and overall high production values. The Daily Alaska Empire also liked the film’s Technicolor cinematography and action. Harry MacArthur of The Evening Star thought that aspects of the film were too generic, but praised The Outriders for having more character development than typical westerns.
Why You Should See It: The Outriders is an underrated classic western with strong production values. Roy Rowland does a good job directing the film. Rowland adds plenty of tension and excitement to The Outriders. The river crossing scene was quite impressive and has some suspenseful moments. Joel McCrea and Arlene Dahl both give good performances in their lead roles. Barry Sullivan is also quite good as the film’s villain. The Outriders features plenty of gorgeous forest and mountain scenery shot on location in Utah. Charles Schoenbaum did an outstanding job with the film’s technicolor cinematography. I specifically liked his use of sunsets and shadows in the lighting.