The Return of the Durango Kid

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Charles Starrett in The Return of the Durango Kid (1945)

Kirby's gang preys on Buckskin Blodgett's stage line by robbing the payroll and passengers. Her only hope to avoid bankruptcy is Bill Blayden and his alter ego, the Durango Kid, who hopes to... Read allKirby's gang preys on Buckskin Blodgett's stage line by robbing the payroll and passengers. Her only hope to avoid bankruptcy is Bill Blayden and his alter ego, the Durango Kid, who hopes to clear his late father's name.Kirby's gang preys on Buckskin Blodgett's stage line by robbing the payroll and passengers. Her only hope to avoid bankruptcy is Bill Blayden and his alter ego, the Durango Kid, who hopes to clear his late father's name.

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IMDb RATING

5.8/10

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Top cast35

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Charles Starrett

Bill Blayden…

Tex Harding

Jean Stevens

Paradise

John Calvert

Lee Kirby

The Jesters

Musicians

Ray Bennett

Henchman Cherokee
(uncredited)

Guy Bonham

Member The Jesters
(uncredited)

Dick Botiller

Sheriff Potter
(uncredited)

Walter Carlson

Member The Jesters
(uncredited)

Steve Clark

Murdered Gambler
(uncredited)

Paul Conrad

Henchman Ringo
(uncredited)

Russell Custer

Barfly
(uncredited)

William Desmond

Street Ambusher
(uncredited)

Art Dillard

Townsman
(uncredited)

Bert Dillard

Barfly
(uncredited)

Jack Evans

Townsman
(uncredited)

Herman Hack

Henchman
(uncredited)

Philip Kieffer

Townsman
(uncredited)

Director
- Derwin Abrahams
Writer
- J. Benton Cheney
All cast & crew
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
In virtually all the later entries in the Durango series, Starrett's character was given the first name of Steve although the last name would vary from picture to picture. However, in this and the initial entry in the series, his first name is Bill.

Quotes
Paradise: [as they are riding in the stagecoach together] You haven't said a word in the last ten miles.
Bill Blayden: Sorry, Ma'am. I don't mean to rote.
Paradise: No harm done.
[flirtatiously]
Paradise: You know, you're quite good-lookin' for a dude.
Bill Blayden: [modestly] Thank you.

Soundtracks
Old Pinto
Sung by Tex Harding (dubbed by James T. 'Bud' Nelson)
Reprised by Tex Harding with The Jesters

User reviews7

Review

Featured review

6/10

The Original Man In Black

As the name implies, 1945's "The Return of the Durango Kid" marks the second appearance of Charles Starrett as a wandering cowboy whose alter ego is known as "The Durango Kid" (also the title of his first film appearance in 1940). Thus begins what at the time must have seemed an endless series of Durango Kid films lasting into the early 50's. It was a confusing concept because Starrett's non-Durango character always goes by a different name, usually Steve "Something" but here it is Bill Blaydon.

Blaydon comes to a small town in 1875 Texas in a quest to clear his dead father's name. His father was the first Durango Kid although none of this stuff seems to tie into the 1940 story. It turns out that saloon owner Lee Kirby (John Calvert) is the one who framed Bill's father, and his gang is now regularly robbing the stage line. The woman who holds the stage line franchise is "Buckskin" Liz Bancroft (played by perennial B-movie prison matron Betty Roadman). She is in danger of losing the line if the hold-ups continue.

Bill's love interest is provided by the standard" saloon girl with a heart-of-gold", Paradise Flo (Jean Stevens) who is kinda purdy.

Because Bill (dressed in a light colored shirt and white hat) is a fair hand with a gun and the gang does not know he is the Kid (who dresses in a black shirt and hat), he is able to bluff them into leaving town by convincing them both gunfighters oppose them.

1945 was the heart of the singing cowboy era; apparently Starrett could not carry a tune because the singing is provided by a group of cowboys called "The Jesters", a knock off of "The Sons of the Pioneers". Some of their song lyrics are funny and these moments of comic relief are inserted in the film at completely inappropriate times, giving it all a surreal quality.

This was a pretty expensive and elaborate effort for a Columbia western and is better than you might expect. The gunfights are rather weak but otherwise Starrett makes a good western hero.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.