Oddball Film Report: JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (1965 - color)

"FRANKENSTEIN AND THE OUTLAW"

  Reflecting on an under-rated classic...

  (This review originally appeared in Frankenzine for Sam Gafford. The article is reproduced here by Mr. Gafford's kind permission.)

   If you're of a certain age, you remember a time when the cable channel TNT was the greatest channel on the dial. It was near routine for TNT to air any number of older, even obscure, genre flicks at all hours. This was before many of these films could be found on video or on disk, when you would scan the late night listings in search of some goodie you'd not yet seen. And in those days you could find one, two, or three on any given weekend.

   TNT really came through with a series of programming blocks reserved for Friday and Saturday nights. Most popular was Monstervision, which ran on Saturday nights. Here, a theme would dictate the eclectic selections of odd drive-in movies and old classics. Here could be found the old Harryhausen movies, the return of The Outer Limits, assorted Hammer and Toho offerings, and 50's monster movies galore. Friday nights from midnight til dawn was an even less structured block collectively called 100% Weird.

   100% Weird sought out the most unusual fare the Turner movie library had to offer. Here again a theme usually connected, however thinly, the featured films. These themes ranged from juvenile delinquency to space travel, but usually the selections were just whatever oddball movies that could be thrown together under a loose banner. Popular selections included the Hammer epic PREHISTORIC WOMEN, NIGHT OF THE LEPUS, and the American-Japanese co-production THE MANSTER, as well as such outre offerings as THE CRIPPLED MASTERS, FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, THE TWONKY, and THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T. It was this wonderful era in which I finally saw JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER.

   JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER was one of a pair of oat-burner/horror pictures shot in 1965 and released in 1966, the other being BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA. Both were stronger films than usually given credit for, and both were played perfectly straight in defiance of their somewhat campy titles. What's more, these weren't westerns with monsters tossed in, or horror movies with cowboys. They were straight-forward combinations which delivered everything each audience would desire. Each is a legitimate B western, while also being a legitimate B horror film. The drive-in combo was the near perfect cross-breed, and I think it a shame they stopped with just these two. (Granted, they feel more akin to the mid 50's than the mid 60's, which could be considered both a strength and a weakness.)

   BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA is the more obscure of the two films, thus far robbed of a pristine disk release. And the prints shown on television are way too dark in the first couple reels. One hopes this situation is corrected soon. JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER happily was subject to a fine release by MGM on tape and disk. It's considered the better of the two films.

THE STORY

   The film opens on the evacuation of a tiny desert town during a fierce electrical storm. Only the Lopez family stays behind, and they'll be taking off as soon as they know the state of one of their children. Said young man is assisting in the experiments being conducted in the refurbished monastery atop the hill overlooking the town, this being the residence of Maria Frankenstein (Narda Onyx). Maria is every bit the raving researcher her infamous grandfather was. Her brother Rudolph (Steven Geray) has a conscience, however, and begs her to stop the unholy experiments which have resulted in the deaths of three Lopez brothers.

   We catch up to the Frankensteins as they attempt to revive the latest Lopez guinea pig. The young man with the stitches across his forehead sits up, but fails to fully regain life. This condition is made permanent by Rudolph, who fills with poison the syringe intended to boost the subject's bodily reactions.

   Maria consults her grandfather's notes and discovers a mistake in her approach. You see, Frankenstein left his heirs some artificial brains which will make ideal transplants and render the revived creatures submissive. But Maria has wasted all but one synthetic brain by forgetting to connect the reviving subject's brain to a living brain to stabilize it's electrical impulses.

   The remaining Lopez sibling, Juanita (Estilita Rodriguez), is told her brothers have died of plague which required the bodies be destroyed. The Lopez family leaves town, and Maria deduces her next subject should be a giant of a man.

   Cut to another town and Jesse James' new sidekick, Hank Tracy (Cal Bolder). Hank is a hulking brute of a man with a slow brain but a kind heart. He's currently in a bare knuckle brawl with the town champ, the prize money desperately needed by Jesse and Hank. Hank proves undefeatable and the pair are soon on their way to a secluded rendezvous with the three remaining members of the infamous Wild Bunch.

   Jesse is thought dead by most folk, but his quick draw on the uppity gang member Lonny (Rayford Barnes) settles any doubt as to his true identity. Unfortunately, this action creates a rivalry between James and Lonny which leads to Lonny informing US Marshall MacPhee (Jim Davis) of the plot to rob the stage coach. In the ambush, the rest of the Wild Bunch is shot down, and Hank takes a bullet in the chest. MacPhee and Lonny take off in pursuit of the fleeing outlaws.

   Jesse and Hank run across the Lopez family at their camp in the woods. Jaunita tends to Hank's wound, but tells Jesse that the bullet will need to be removed quickly. Jesse knows this, but can't risk taking Hank to a town doctor. Jaunita takes the men back to Frankenstein's place. Maria is most impressed by Hank's physical condition, and sets her eyes on using him as her next subject. Maria is also taken with Jesse, romantically, but Jesse has fallen in love with Jaunita. Jaunita has also fallen in love with Jesse, after his rescuing her from hostile Indians. Both women cover for Jesse when MacPhee drops by.

   Rudolph removes the bullet from Hank's chest and the Herculean cowboy indeed makes a speedy recovery. Jaunita urges Jesse to hit the trail as soon as Hank is okay to travel, knowing the Frankensteins are up to no good.

   When Maria discovers the romance between Jesse and Jaunita, Miss Frankenstein plots to get Mr. James killed. Jesse is sent to get some medicine for Hank, who Maria claims has taken a turn for the worse. What Jesse doesn't know is that the note he's carrying is actually a tip-off to let the law know of James' presence in town.

   While Jesse is out to help his friend, Hank goes under the knife. Maria indeed revives Hank's body, now sporting an artificial brain, and dubs him Igor. Igor's first act is to strangle Rudolph when Maria discovers the trick with the poison. Juanita watches all this from the hallway before leaving to warn Jesse.

   Meanwhile, Jesse has gone to the pharmacy and the druggist has warned Lonny. Lonny tries to get the jump on Jesse, but our hero is too fast. Discovering the subterfuge, Jesse rides back. Along the way, he meets Jaunita, who tries to get Jesse to ride on and forget Hank. Jesse isn't one to leave a friend behind, however, and digs dirt. Juanita figures Jesse's life will be safer in the hands of the law and rides on to collect MacPhee. Jesse marches into Frankenstein's lab, but is met by the mindless Igor...

   I'll leave off detailing the actual plot for those who wish to see the film.

EVALUATIONS AND REFLECTIONS

   If the film stumbles in any large way, it's the anachronistic lab equipment the Frankensteins use. The impulse helmets worn by subjects (and later by Maria as she uses her own brainwaves to control Igor's developing brain) are obviously surplus US Army helmets painted with bright red and yellow stripes, and adorned with glowing neon tubes. They also sport exposed Jacob's ladders, which look incredibly dangerous!

   A good deal of the control equipment is also quite a bit newer than it should be, although the Strickfaden equipment (the same units used in the original Universal FRANKENSTEIN) looks quite good. Presumably, this was the first time audiences saw these electrical wonders in color. Strickfaden's creations would later be dusted off for films like DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. His creations are just as tied to the Frankenstein aesthetic as are lightning bolts and lab coats. Unfortunately, this equipment is just background decoration and isn't particularly highlighted.

   One wonders, too, just how the elder Frankenstein developed the synthetic brains passed down to his offspring. Frankenstein's son was against the unholy experiments, but for some reason didn't destroy the brains before his daughter Maria could get to them. She and Rudolph had been doing some experimentation in Austria, getting the attention of the authorities. This forced the pair to move to the States. The brains themselves are kept in glass jars with colored fluid. The brains are activated by pouring in what looks like salt. This makes the brains pulsate. How any of this works is left to our imaginations (though you could easily work this footage into an anti-drug PSA).

   The refurbished monastery offers a gothic setting for the Frankensteins, with interiors designed after the fashion of a European castle. Yet, this doesn't seem too far removed from the Mexican aesthetic of the abandoned town which lies in the mission's shadow. This in turn provides an aesthetic not far removed from the typical American settings found throughout the rest of the picture. As result, the aesthetics blend together without anything looking too jarringly out of place, while still maintaining a visual interest from scene to scene.

   BILLY THE KID VS DRACULA seemed to take place later in Billy's life, after his death had been faked as in THE OUTLAW (or so I've always figured). JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER also seems to set itself after the supposed death of the infamous outlaw. In this case, it's actually discussed. Jesse and his gang have recently been involved in a violent altercation with the law and Jesse was among those presumed dead. Frank James is even mentioned, said to be hiding out by posing as a preacher in another town.

   In real life, Jesse was shot in the head by a member of his own gang (a second gang, after the James-Younger gang was no more and James attempted to recapture his former glory by conducting new raids).

   Records of that era were so rough that you could reasonably gloss over the finer details (they do get correct that Jesse James had a $10,000 bounty on his head). Even so, the character presented here has little in common with the real outlaw (not to mention the fact that the real James was married and had a couple of children when he was murdered). A nice touch that does ring true, however, is that James assumes the name of Howard when Maria asks his identity -an alias favored by the real outlaw.

   The historical Jesse James was a southern rebel who turned to crime after a botched attempt to avenge the murder of his commanding officer shortly after the Civil War. The James-Younger gang engaged in much of the same random violence that marked the gangsters of the roaring 20's and Depression era America. And like those men, Jesse James became a larger-than-life figure just as often thought of as a hero as he was an outlaw.

   The movies seemed to prefer James as a heroic character, often as a reluctant outlaw. The Jesse James of JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER is a nicely complex figure with a bit of Robin Hood in him. He leaves money to repay the Lopez family for their troubles, and then rescues Juanita from an Indian warrior seemingly for no other reason than it's just the right thing to do. MacPhee even notes James' tendency to rob from the rich and give to the poor. He's fiercely loyal to his friend Hank, and tries not to lead on Jaunita into thinking that they could have any sort of life together. James knows he is destined to either remain on the run or finish at the end of a rope. Even so, unlike Billy the Kid* in his movie, Jesse is quite firmly an outlaw and makes no allusions to being anything else.

(*The Billy of BILLY THE KID VS DRACULA has turned over a new leaf and is making every effort to escape his past, but his history gives Dracula some leverage when the two find themselves at odds. Personally speaking, I think the vampire movie to be the slightly better of the double bill -but both are plenty fun.)

   Television actor John Lupton makes for a good choice to play this version of Jesse James. He's convincingly tough, yet amiable, perfectly capturing the decent outlaw created by writer Carl Hittleman. (Hittleman had earlier written THE RETURN OF JESSE JAMES, in which a member of the old James-Younger gang convinces John Ireland to pose as the late James and conduct some new raids.) 

   Cal Bolder is good as Hank, despite playing to perhaps an over-used plot device of a big guy being sorta dumb. As Hank, he's an amiable Lenny-type, though not quite as child-like as most such characters. He's a grown man, but tends to let smarter types do his thinking for him. Even with his size and power, Hank remains polite, gentle, and even submissive. He's also loyal and without hesitating takes a bullet meant for Jesse. Jesse seems to genuinely value his friendship, and it never seems as if Jesse is just using the hulk for his own ends -he even risks his life to rescue Hank more than once. As Igor, Bolder plays it stiffer, as if he's now just a robot.

   Estelita Rodriguez (billed here only by first name as she sometimes preferred) is certainly pretty and a good actress, but her age is starting to show and she doesn't look remotely like the rebellious youth she's supposed to be playing. In fact, she looks a little older than her 37 years. Possibly she was already in bad health. She passed a few months later. Reportedly, the cause of her death was never released. Interestingly, she was supposedly preparing to star in a biopic of Lupe Velez. 

   Marshal MacPhee was played by cowboy star Jim Davis. His smooth manner, imposing physical presence, and deep voice all marked him as a perfect western star. He's a natural here, although his part is somewhat limited to that of a supporting character. He has fairly limited screentime, though he has the charisma to come across as a much larger figure than the script really offers. Davis stayed busy right up to his passing in 1981. Although primarily a cowboy star, Davis did have some experience with science fiction programmers. In 1958, he headlined the giant-mutant-wasps-in-Africa epic MONSTER FROM GREEN HELL. Not long after our current subject, he provided some of the better moments of DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN. His easy drawl and everyman appearance also served him well as the star of THE DAY TIME ENDED. 

   Narda Onyx was a busy television actress, and brings that kind of professionalism to the role of Maria Frankenstein -one of the relatively few Frankenstein women to carry on the family business. Heavy, but attractive, she plays well the dedicated -if mad- scientist with conviction. She occasionally goes a bit broad, but somehow that's in keeping with the aesthetic of the film. Countered by the more subdued performances of other cast members, her hysterics seem fitting to the character. 

   She keeps her eye on the prize, even when confronted with stirrings of romantic feelings upon meeting James. This sensation is new to her, and she takes it in with scientific curiosity. This is handled subtly, as the film is primarily aimed at kiddie matinee audiences. Her main trait is to be obsessed with her experiments, though she flashes a vengeful reaction of upset when she finds Jesse and Juanita in each others' arms. This is again done subtly, but she seems genuinely hurt, despite being aware that Jesse was likely already in a relationship with the younger and prettier Jaunita. Onyx retired from acting following this film.

   Another busy television actor, Steven Geray brings a lot of passion to Rudolph Frankenstein, though the role is fairly one dimensional. Taking the place of the standard emotional assistant who grows a conscience and must be eliminated, Rudolph's being a Frankenstein gives the part more juice than it otherwise might've had. Here's a man who has been trying to live down the horrors associated with his name, as his own father had done before. This has likely edged him more toward faith in order to cope, and indeed Rudolph speaks in terms of an engaged divine Creator where his sister speaks of heavenly beings only in the abstract. Rudolph has been the monkey-wrench in Maria's experiments for some time, humanely keeping the dead from coming back to life via injections of poison. If he only had more spine, he might've been able to stop Maria before she could create Igor.

   Yet another extremely busy television actor, Rayford Barnes brings to the role of Lonny the appropriate mixture of jealousy and slimy conniving due a turncoat. Lonny claims to be leaving the Wild Bunch in order to live straight, but his joining MacPhee on the manhunt is only so he can settle a score by killing Jesse. Considered a coward by MacPhee, Lonny none the less attempts to single-handedly get the drop on Jesse at the pharmacy. This proves his undoing, of course, but it shows some guts since he knows how fast Jesse is. Interestingly, Barnes would later act in THE WILD BUNCH.

   Famed character actor Nestor Paiva puts in a brief appearance as the owner of the bar where Jesse and Hank win the bare knuckle brawl before meeting the Wild Bunch. He's great, of course, though his stay is very brief.

   When exactly this is supposed to be set in James' life is uncertain (possibly between his days in the James-Younger gang and the days of his later outlaw band), again mostly because this version of Jesse is so unlike his real-life namesake.  Granted, most Western outlaws weren't cut and dried good or bad. Still, Lupton's dapper gentlemen seems pretty far removed from reality. One can easily see this version of the character starring in a series following the adventures of an outlaw with a good side. It's actually one of the better screen versions of Jesse James that I can think of.

   As a Frankenstein movie, the film offers some interesting items. The Frankensteins arrived in America much earlier than most films portray, but the Frankenstein line also seems to end here. Possibly Rudolph and Maria had other siblings. If the movies have taught us anything, it's that the Frankenstein family tree had countless branches. 

   Another thing we learn is that the original Frankenstein was an even greater genius than we'd been told. Not only had he revived a man sown together from dead tissue, Frankenstein spearheaded the field of artificial organs! He also seems to've been an early genetic scientist. His synthetic brains seem totally organic in structure, are activated chemically, and apparently will last forever if kept in their preservative, fluid-filled jars! Not bad for a guy limited to Victorian technologies.

   Maria demonstrates that the obsessed mania to push the boundaries of science isn't a trait found only in the male members of the Frankenstein clan. Maria may be the first female Frankenstein to wield her scalpel on film. The earlier FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER still involved a male scientist -in that one the monster was female. Even earlier was FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, in which Frankenstein's feminine offspring showed absolutely no scientific curiosity -and was in fact leery of it after seeing what it did to her father. A year after our current subject, Hammer offered up FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN, in which Dr. Frankenstein's experiments in soul transference result in a sexy blonde harboring a murderer's mind. A few years down the road, LADY FRANKENSTEIN would present a more immediate female offspring of Frankenstein who shared his scientific passion. By that time, of course, female mad scientists were quite common in exploitation horror and science fiction.

    JESSE JAMES MEETS FRAKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER is a fun little drive-in movie from an era in which genre films weren't required to be mean or ironic. Although the B western/horror subgenre boasts a few titles, it's also true that our current subject and it's co-feature represent the zenith of that form. Family-friendly combos of western action and monster spookery, both films can lean toward being a bit talky at times. On the other hand, both were professionally shot by experienced helmer William Beaudine and show the polish one might expect. 

   Nothing overly spectacular in our director's approach, but nothing really lacking, either. Beaudine's most interesting imagery here may be in the title sequence, which plays out over footage of the townsfolk packing up and leaving during a raging electrical storm. There's some beautiful western scenery throughout, but Beaudine really doesn't do much with it. The definition of a hack director, Beaudine was reliable but avoided flourishes. A matte painting of the Frankenstein castle looming over the tiny village in the foreground is probably the most fanciful visual here. Jesse's fight with a redskin warrior is nicely staged, it should be noted.

   The two films were Beaudine's final theatrical directorial efforts. Both sport some fine (if unspectacular) color cinematography Lothrop Worth. Given the television background of many involved, it should probably be expected that the films are on the level of TV movies of the period. I'd like to note that I don't say that as a detriment.

   In the end, a film better than it's reputation. Seeing it again reminded me of those magical days in which I would stay up until two in the morning to catch such fare on TNT. Wonderful memories.

THE SPOILERS

   Hank's transformation into Igor is tragic, but his finish leaves some questions. Despite having a whole new brain, and a virgin one at that, Igor seems to retain enough of Hank's memories to break free of Frankenstein's control. As Igor, he refuses to kill Jaunita and turns on Maria, thus another Frankenstein is destroyed by their own unholy creation. Igor lacks this recall when it comes time to confront Jesse, who refrains from taking a shot at his friend to the point that he's nearly crushed to death. Fortunately, Juanita grabs Jesse's dropped gun and brings an end to the first Frankenstein monster to be reasonably easy to kill.

   Although Hank shows no romantic interest in Juanita, he does form an emotional bond with her as she helps to nurse him back to health after his first operation. When Maria tells Igor to collect Jaunita, the creature pauses in recognition of the name -seemingly in response to Hank's memories. Even in his death throws, Igor echoes Hank's affection for Juanita. Why Igor recalls Juanita is left a mystery. Possibly it's Hank's soul influencing the brain? Jesse, though closer to Hank, doesn't get this benefit.

   When Jesse is taken away by MacPhee, he seems resigned to his fate. Jaunita promises to wait for his return, but Jesse remains unconvinced that he will ever see her again. Tellingly, MacPhee doesn't have Jesse restrained in any way. The outlaw rides alongside MacPhee quietly, ready to take his medicine like a man. Presumably, Juanita has filled MacPhee in on everything he was unconscious for (after being jumped by Igor), thus giving the previously antagonistic lawman a quiet respect for the man he must bring in. In it's way, it's really the perfect ending to such a film.