The True Story of Jesse James

The True Story of Jesse James is a 1957 American Western drama film adapted from Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James, which was only loosely based on James' life. It was directed by Nicholas Ray, with Robert Wagner portraying Jesse James and Jeffrey Hunter starring as Frank James. Filming took place during 1955. Originally titled The James Brothers in the United Kingdom, the film focused on the relationship between the two James brothers during the last 18 years of Jesse James' life.

Plot
Jesse and Frank James ride with their gang into Northfield, Minnesota for a raid. While robbing a bank, gun fighting breaks out and two of the gang are killed. The James brothers and another gang member head out of town and hide out while investigators from the Remington Detective Agency search for James to receive a $30,000 reward. While the three are hiding, the film tells the story of how the James brothers came to be criminals in flashback.

Cast

 * Robert Wagner as Jesse James
 * Jeffrey Hunter as Frank James
 * Hope Lange as Zerelda "Zee" James, wife of Jesse
 * Agnes Moorehead as Zerelda Cole James, mother of the James brothers
 * Alan Hale, Jr. as Cole Younger
 * John Carradine as Rev. Jethro Bailey
 * Biff Elliot as Jim Younger
 * Frank Gorshin as Charley Ford
 * Carl Thayler as Robby Ford
 * Adam Marshall as Dick Liddell
 * Anthony Ray as Bob Younger
 * Louis Zito as Clell Miller
 * Paul Wexler as Jayhawker
 * Clegg Hoyt as Tucker (uncredited)
 * Frank Overton as Maj. Rufus Cobb
 * John Doucette as Sheriff Hillstrom

Production
Shortly after his success with 1955's Rebel Without a Cause, Ray was hired to direct this movie based on Jesse James' later life. He had only one movie left under his contract with 20th Century Fox, before he would depart for Europe and film Bitter Victory. The studio suggested a remake of King's 1939 biography of Jesse James.

It is speculated that had James Dean not died in a car crash before production began, he would have starred in this film as Jesse James. In place of Dean, director Ray hoped to cast Elvis Presley, who had successfully completed his first film, Love Me Tender. Ray's son Tony also was cast in the film as Bob Younger, the first time he appeared in one of his father's films.

Hope Lange, also a contract player for 20th Century Fox, as were Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter, was hired for the role of Jesse's wife after her Academy Award-nominated success with Peyton Place. John Carradine had appeared in Fox's first Jesse James film as Bob Ford and appears in the 1957 version as Rev. Jethro Bailey.

Ray shot the film using CinemaScope in 1956. Stock footage that had previously been used on the earlier James film which inspired this one was re-used and reconfigured for CinemaScope.

Characterizations
In the film, Jesse James is portrayed as a "Nicholas Ray hero"—a consistent type of character seen throughout Ray's films and thought to be based on Ray himself. Ray's similar characters include Jim Stark (James Dean) in Rebel Without a Cause and Jesus Christ in King of Kings.

Comic book adaptation

 * Dell Four Color #757 (March 1957)