Lady of the Dugout stars two real-life outlaws, brothers Al and Frank Jennings. Al Jennings' story was well known by Americans of the time; tales of his adventures thrilled readers of "The Saturday Evening Post." Born in Virginia in 1863, Jennings moved to the Oklahoma Territory and became a prosecuting attorney. Later, he was falsely accused and convicted of a train robbery actually committed by a former client. Rather than face imprisonment, he went on the lam. He and Frank robbed trains, banks and general stores as founders of "the Jennings Gang," bandits known as Robin Hoods of their day. Al was captured and sent to the Ohio State Penitentiary. After his case was reviewed, his life sentence was reduced and he was later pardoned by President Roosevelt. Jennings turned his life around by becoming an evangelist, politician and writer, eventually forming his own motion picture production company in Arizona.
For the company's first picture, Lady of the Dugout, Jennings hired the young director W.S. (aka Woody, aka "One-Shot") Van Dyke. Brother Frank was on board to play himself in this story of one of their true adventures.
The story is simple one. Following a bank robbery, the outlaw brothers head for their hide-out in the desert. There, they find a desolate woman and her young son who have been abandoned by the woman's husband and come to her rescue. Another bank robbery and a shoot-out provide plenty of action, realistically portrayed.
