Days of Jesse James

Days of Jesse James (1939)

*** (out of 4)

A bank is robbed and Jesse James and his gang are accused of pulling off the heist. Special agent Roy Rogers thinks that James' bad reputation is getting him blamed for crimes that he didn't do so he joins the gang to try and find out what really happened. Of course, the real villain is the bank owner did the crime knowing he wouldn't be a suspect. DAYS OF JESSE JAMES was just one of many "historical" films that Rogers made during this period but if you're expecting some sort of documentary on the real history of James then you're going to be disappointed. All of these films obviously just used these historical names for marquee value so one should just expect entertainment and nothing else. This here is a pretty good one thanks in large part to the terrific cast. As you'd expect, Rogers is very good in the role of the good guy but then again I don't think he could be bad at pretty much playing himself. We have George 'Gabby' Hayes playing his sidekick so obviously you're in for a lot of good comic relief. Pauline Moore, one of my favorite love interests for Rogers, is also very good in her part as she has a lot of nice chemistry with the star. Don Barry does a nice job as well as Jesse James. Fans of Universal horror films will enjoy seeing Glenn Strange in a small role. With a short running time, fast action and a nice story, this here certainly won't be mistaken for a masterpiece or some sort of classic but fans of Rogers and "B" Westerns should at least be entertained by this.