BILLY THE KID
DIRECTED BY DAVID MILLER/FRANK BORZAGE
METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER (MGM)
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot Summary
Billy Bonney is a hot-headed gunslinger who narrowly skirts a life of crime by being befriended and hired by a peaceful rancher, Eric Keating. When Keating is killed, Billy seeks revenge on the men who killed him, even if it means opposing his friend, Marshal Jim Sherwood.
Written by Jim Beaver
Cast
Robert Taylor ... Billy Bonney
Brian Donlevy ... Jim Sherwood
Ian Hunter ... Eric Keating
Mary Howard ... Edith Keating
Gene Lockhart ... Dan Hickey
Lon Chaney Jr. ... 'Spike' Hudson
Henry O'Neill ... Tim Ward
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams ... Ed Bronson (as Guinn Williams)
Cy Kendall ... Cass McAndrews - Sheriff
Ted Adams ... 'Buz' Cobb
Frank Conlan ... Judge Blake
Frank Puglia ... Pedro Gonzales
Mitchell Lewis ... Bart Hodges
Dick Curtis ... Kirby Claxton
Grant Withers ... Ed Shanahan
Joe Yule ... Milton
Earl Gunn ... Jesse Martin
Eddie Dunn ... Pat Shanahan
Carl Pitti ... Bat' Smithers
Kermit Maynard ... Thad Decker
Ethel Griffies ... Mrs. Hanky
Chill Wills ... Tom Patterson
Olive Blakeney ... Mrs. Patterson
Harry Tenbrook ... Man with Rifle Behind Barred Window (uncredited)
and many more...
Directed
David Miller
Frank Borzage ... (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Gene Fowler ... (screenplay)
Howard Emmett Rogers ... (story) and
Bradbury Foote ... (story)
Walter Noble Burns ... (suggested by the book "The Saga of Billy the Kid" by)
Produced
Irving Asher
Music
David Snell
Cinematography
William V. Skall
Leonard Smith
Trivia
Right-handed Robert Taylor spent weeks perfecting his ability to draw a gun with his left hand in preparation for this film. Ironically it was later revealed that the infamous photo of Billy the Kid with a gun in his left hand was mirrored and the famous outlaw was in fact right handed.
Maureen O'Sullivan was initially cast in the role of "Edith Keating" but left to be with her husband, director John Farrow, who was with the RCAF in Canada.
This film was first telecast in Los Angeles Monday 7 January 1957 on KTTV (Channel 11), followed by Philadelphia Friday 22 March 1957 on WFIL (Channel 6); it first aired in New York City 2 December 1957 on WCBS (Channel 2) and in San Francisco 15 February 1958 on KGO (Channel 7). At this time, color broadcasting was in its infancy, limited to only a small number of high rated programs, primarily on NBC and NBC affiliated stations, so these film showings were all still in B&W. Viewers were not offered the opportunity to see these films in their original Technicolor until several years later.
This MGM Movie had Swedish Censorship number 63.152, and the movie was banned from showing at Swedish cinemas. MGM cut off 106 meters, and tried again this time the Censor number was 63.243, the Censor board cut another five meters, and it was allowed to be shown to everyone over 15 y/o.
Filming Locations
Double U Guest Ranch - 8600 E. Rockcliff Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Kanab Movie Ranch - 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah, USA
Monument Valley, Utah, USA
Paria Canyon, Kanab, Utah, USA
Sedona, Arizona, USA
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
Watch the Movie
[extendedmedia]
[/extendedmedia]