The Kid from Texas

• Directed by Kurt Neumann
• February 10, 1950 (Toronto) / March 24, 1950 (Los Angeles) / June 1, 1950

In New Mexico during the Lincoln County War, Billy the Kid kills many rivals on his way to infamy.

The Kid from Texas is one of many Billy the Kid movies that purport to tell the true story of Billy the Kid with one of the few actors close enough in age to the Western legend. Audie Murphy was around 25 here whereas Henry McCarty used the alias of William H. Bonney and better known as Billy the Kid officially dies at 21.

Murphy portrays Billy as a dark person with a violent code and a streak of loyalty. The dialogue by characters paints him more as an animal while he is surrounded by some of the nicest gunfighters and thugs you would ever meet with none of them really being outlaws but rather trying to dispense a brand of justice during the Lincoln County War.

As portrayed, the gun battles are almost gentlemanly exchanges of gunfire. Each side launches volleys and then allows the other to respond in kind like they say occurred in the early days of combat with firearms. Perhaps this aversion to edgy-for-the-time violence owes to the casting of a war hero that kids looked up to.

A voiceover by Parley Baer sounding a lot like Marlin Perkins from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom gets over narrative humps that would otherwise require expensive additional scenes. It also keeps the film well under 90 minutes and the cast of characters small.

Taking this as fiction makes The Kid from Texas go down much easier. At least for me. I understand the story gets the broad facts right but Billy the Kid movies then and now are their own Western genre with so many being fan fiction over being based on historical fact.

One thing I can’t help but notice is that much of the sets are painted. The stuff in the foreground is certainly real, but elements like pictures hanging on walls and doorways opening to other rooms are two dimensional works of art on a flat background meant to add depth. Not necessarily a critique but an observation.

Billy is employed by Alexander Kain (Albert Dekker). Billy becomes attracted to Kain’s very young wife Irene (Gale Storm). Some reciprocation is there yet she avoids anything passionate for the time. She represents what he could have if he was an upstanding citizen.

Billy is a historical figure known for his violence and violent ending but director Kurt Neumann does not push the envelope for the time this was made. He does not even come close to the edge. Billy is closer to a misunderstood nice guy than a dangerous killer. Murphy could do dark and dangerous. He could also do misunderstood good guy. What we get here is not much of any of them.

There is much more of a focus on creating a drama with a message than there is on creating an exciting adventure. The script is good in that respect but the director certainly needed to up the gunplay aspect. Quicker cuts and maybe even some more shots.

It is short and to the point. As such it does breeze through the story quickly choosing to rely on public knowledge of Billy the Kid or assumptions along with statements by the narrator over actual moments of characterization. This is fine for an adventure film over a drama. I think I can enjoy it as that even it it is harmed elsewhere.

The Kid from Texas is a fine drama that falls short only in the gun battle scenes. That makes this Billy the Kid seem a little less dangerous than he probably should. If you can forgive the weakness in the gun battles you will find something dramatic to enjoy.