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Billy the Kid (1930) with John Mack Brown, Wallace Beery, and Kay Johnson
Billy the Kid the movie is not meant to be an honest account of the life of Billy the Kid. Once you forget about the historical Billy the Kid – once you let go of facts and history – you can enjoy this oddly entertaining early-talkie riff on the famous young g*nslinger.
Focusing on the Lincoln County War, Billy, played by Johnny Mack Brown, is a young hot-shot g*nslinger who leads a group of men to avenge the shooting of their boss, which leads to a months-long battle of retribution and counter-retribution, commonly known as a feud.
What matters is that Billy is engaging, friendly, and only kills for honor, not profit. He also has an undefined girlfriend, Claire, played by Kay Johnson, the fiancée of Billy's now dead boss. Claire seems to hang around out west, just waiting to have the occasional moment with Billy.
Billy spends the movie avenging the death of his boss and then running or hiding from those who are coming for him. One of them is Billy's friend, sheriff Pat Garrett, played by Wallace Beery, who goes after Billy reluctantly as he clearly values friendship over his job responsibilities.
Shot in proto-widescreen by director King Vidor, the movie has a lot of early-talkie clunkiness. Yet it also rises above those annoying tics in several captivating scenes, such as when Billy is caught with others in a house and the stress of being under siege is intensely felt.
Others crack, but Billy keeps his resolve and cool. When the house is set on fire to "smoke them out," you forget you're watching a clunky 1930 movie and are just rooting for Billy to get out alive. He, though, tries to help the others to escape first.
There's another scene of Billy trapped in a cave that is short and powerful, as Billy is cracking. The movie is all but one long chase, with interludes for Billy to chat up Claire, who needs no chatting up, or to talk with his friend Garrett, who doesn't really want to catch him anyway.
The relationship between Billy and Garrett – more than the off-the-shelf one of Billy and Johnson – is the emotional heart of the movie. These are two men who genuinely like and respect each other, trying to navigate a world that puts them on opposite sides of the g*n.
The climax is another capture-escape-chase-down-again sequence that has you on edge as you don't know how it will end: historically accurate or Hollywood feel-good. Smartly, most of that scene plays out with the only three characters you care about: Billy, Garrett, and Claire.
Brown would go on to a long career in supporting roles in Westerns as his heavy southern accent, something it's very unlikely the real Billy the Kid had, and modest range precluded starring roles. Yet his likability makes him perfect for this version of the g*nslinger's story.
Beery, who often mugs for the camera, gives a smartly nuanced performance here as a man balancing a lot of external pressure on his own sense of personal honor and loyalty. Beery would also have a long career, and you can understand why, seeing him here.
Johnson, seemingly by choice, had a more modest career, and in truth, looks too delicate and sweet to be a frontier woman pining for an outlaw. Yet in her scenes with Billy, you forget all that and just want this sincere and lovely-looking wan blonde to find her happily ever after.
From that era, Joan Crawford, Wynne Gibson, Bette Davis, or Glenda Farrell, to name just a few, were better suited to play a frontier woman, as these women read grit, not delicacy. Still, darn it, you can't help liking Kay Johnson, trying hard to look like all that dust isn't bothering her.
Vidor's Old West is, well, a dusty and grimy place as it historically was – it only became more elaborate and cleaner as movies got more expensive over time – which gives the picture an almost quaint believability or sense of honesty despite its basically made-up story.
Today, you watch 1930's Billy the Kid if you like one or more of the stars or enjoy early talkies, but you don't watch it for historical accuracy or expect a polished modern-made Western. Still, bring a forgiving attitude and it provides a solid ninety-plus minutes of entertainment.
