Calamity Jane And Sam Bass (1949)

A transient by the name of Sam Bass (Howard Duff) arrives in a small town looking for a job but soon becomes attracted to both the sheriff's sister (Dorothy Hart, THE NAKED CITY) and the idea of buying a horse to race. But when a crooked promoter (Marc Lawrence) destroys his dream, he reluctantly turns outlaw. The title is a misnomer. The film is all about Duff's character, a real outlaw, and Calamity Jane (Yvonne De Carlo) is in the film only peripherally for the first half before the second half features her more prominently but it's still about Sam Bass. Directed by George Sherman, it's a generic western with only its downbeat ending to make it standout among the plethora of "B" oaters. De Carlo is lively but Duff's performance is D.O.A. Historically, it's piffle as there's no evidence that the real Sam Bass and Calamity Jane ever knew each other. With Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, Willard Parker, Roy Roberts and Ann Doran.