The Man from Texas

Tobias Simms apparently enjoys a quiet, respectable family life in a small Texas town. In reality, he is a notorious bandit known as the El Paso Kid. When his worried wife threatens to leave and take the children with her, Toby agrees to reform and they move to another town, where the former desperado changes his name and opens a feed store. But the Kid's past returns to haunt him when members of his old gang turn up unexpectedly.

Modestly produced but still in a higher budgetary class than most B Westerns, The Man from Texas benefits from a strong cast headed by former M-G-M contractee James Craig and one-time Fox starlet Lynn Bari. Both contribute fine performances, although supporting player Una Merkel steals her scenes as a widow aided by Toby. Leigh Jason's direction emphasizes characterization although there's ample action for thrill-hungry viewers.

Eagle-Lion studios inaugurated its new "big budget" western policy with 1948's THE MAN FROM TEXAS. James Craig stars as the El Paso Kid, who can't make up his mind whether to be an upstanding, decent citizen or a masked bandit. He continues to vacillate all through the picture, much to the dismay of his wife Zoe (Lynn Bari, in a rare sympathetic performance). Among those benefitting from the Kid's "good" spells is the Widow Weeks (Una Merkel), who's in danger of losing her farm. Singing star Johnnie Johnston wanders in and out of the proceedings as a frontier balladeer, occasionally commenting upon the action -- a device later used to better effect in Lang's RANCHO NOTORIOUS and Zinneman's HIGH NOON.