One of the Billy the Kid series of PRC B westerns, starring Buster Crabbe as Billy and Al St. John as his comical sidekick Fuzzy. There are several versions of this film, running at 38, 50 or 56 min. I saw the 50min. version. Buster may have been handsome, but he had a pretty bland personality. Thus, it was important to pair him with a comical looking and acting sidekick, which Al supplied. In this film, Fuzzy actually plays a smaller role than usual. He gets thrown in jail for associating with Billy, who is considered in that county to be the main cause of recent outlawry. But, Billy soon busts him out of jail, as he has an anticipated use for him as a guard at his old miner's shack hide out. Billy just joined an outlaw gang as an undercover agent, headed by- Billy-imitating Kate Shelly. His first assignment is to rob a stagecoach, aided by 2 accomplices. But outlaw Dillion is jealous of Billy's relatively high initial standing in the gang. So, he sends a note to the sheriff office saying that Billy will rob the stage. Fortunately, Billy noticed that a posse was trailing the stagecoach, so called off the heist, and instead sticks up his 2 accomplices and takes them to the shack where Fuzzy is. Tying them up, he returns to the outlaw's hideout, and explains that someone must have tipped the sheriff off about their plans. He has a difficult time explaining where his accomplices are........ Kate then suggests they rob the town bank and Billy agrees. However, he returns to Fuzzy's shack and writes a note to the sheriff saying that the bank will be robbed. How this note gets to the sheriff is not explained, but it does, and the sheriff makes plans for a reception committee around the bank. Meanwhile, Kate sends 2 men to look for the missing 2 men. They eventually find Fuzzy's cabin with Billy outside. They stick up Billy and push him inside where Fuzzy is waiting to stick them up. A fistfight ensues, and these 2 are also tied up......... Billy returns to the gang's hideout, has dinner and conversation with Kate, advising her to give up her outlaw ways. She doesn't agree. Kate and several men apparently leave, then Billy tries to leave, but 2 guns are stuck in his belly at one door, and 2 more guns, including Kate, at the other door. Kate admonishes that people don't disappear into thin air. Strangely, they don't make him lead them to the 4, but get ready to ride to town and rob the bank, in broad daylight!....... SPOILER ALERT - THE REMAINDER OF THIS REVIEW. The gang is shot up in front of the bank, Kate being badly wounded. She, Dillon, and another ride out of town, with the posse behind them. Billy manages to free his ropes and beat up the guard. He rides toward town, but takes a trail across to the trail Kate is taking. She is lagging behind the others. Billy pulls her onto his horse, takes her to a secluded spot, and lays her down. They talk. He says her wound is serious, that he needs to take her to a doctor. She says he is right. She should have given up outlawry, but she was hooked on the excitement........Dillon apparently doubled back and somehow found the 2, sneaking up behind Billy. Instead of shooting Billy then, he decided to do some talking, telling how he finally has his chance to become the leader of the gang, now that Kate is probably dying. He tells Billy to drop his gun, which he does near Kate's outstretched hand. Dillon prepares to shoot Billy, but Kate reaches for Billy's gun and shoots Dillon dead........ Kate didn't know that Billy sent that note warning the sheriff, which is probably the main reason why she lay dying. She didn't trust his loyalty to the gang. But, he had offered to help save her life, and I suspect she had some romantic feeling toward him. On the other hand, Dillon stated that he was glad she was dying. Thus, her choice.
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