This '40s Western Movie Launched A Franchise With Over 60 Entries

Lambert Hillyer's "The Durango Kid" hit theaters in the summer of 1940. The film itself initially stood alone, but something about it must have lodged into the pop consciousness, and the titular character went on to appear in a long, long series of string beginning in 1945. That year alone saw the release of the first seven (!) "Durango Kid" follow-ups. From there, it was like a spigot, with Columbia Pictures putting out several additional "Durango Kid" movies every year on through to the early 1950s. It added up quickly, with 65 (!!) in total.

Most people may not know about the Durango Kid these days, but for a solid decade-plus, audiences couldn't get enough of the guy. Suffice it to say, though, if you thought ranking all the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was practically a job unto itself, it's got nothing on the "Durango Kid" film series (which still features far more movies than the MCU, even now).

Like most characters in the MCU, The Durango Kid is something of a superhero. His true identity, at least in Hillyer's original 1940 movie, is that of Bill Lowry, a ranch man played by the committed Charles Starrett. After his father is murdered by a soulless, business-driven land-snatcher named Mace Ballard (Kenneth MacDonald), Bill decides to pursue a career in vigilante justice. Hence, he ties a black bandana across his face and takes on the identity of the Durango Kid, a special deputy of the local sheriffs. This is very close to the traditional origin story of Batman (less so the reinvented one in the "Absolute Batman" comic books, natch) or any number of other famous costumed crime-fighters

As mentioned, 1945 saw seven sequels to "The Durango Kid" hit theaters, but the first of those films, "The Return of the Durango Kid," wasn't released until April. However, even more flooded the market in 1946, with additional sequels continuing to premiere on a steady basis throughout the remainder of the 1940s. Indeed, for all of the well-received superhero movies that rolled out in the 2010s, Western fans were vastly more spoiled for choice in the late '40s.

Naturally, the "Durango Kid" movies have their own lore and sets of foibles. The Durango Kid rides a horse named Raider, although his mild-mannered alter-ego rides a paint horse named Bullet. What's more, in a wrinkle that will be frustrating to canon purists, the Durango Kid has a different "real name" in every movie. Often, his first name is Steve, although both his first and last names change from film to film. Bill Blayden, Steve Buckner, Steve Godfrey, Steve Mason, Jeff Waring, Kip Allen — these are all alter egos of the Durango Kid, and some of them are reused periodically in the movies.

It should also be noted that the "Durango Kid" movies have a spate of sidekicks for the titular cowboy, and the B-Westerns website has done a dandy job of archiving their casts. Tex Harding and Dub Taylor appeared in numerous "Durango Kid" movies, but the franchise's biggest recurring sidekick character actor was Smiley Burnette, who showed up in every "Durango Kid" movie from 1946's "Roaring Rangers" onward.

The B-Westerns website has also unearthed an interview with Charles Starrett, in which he admitted that the Durango Kid was not something he was interested in pursuing for so long. He didn't want to be typecast and was only kept on the gig because his movies were so consistently successful. Per the actor:

"I was freelancing doing independent pictures, from which I had gotten some good training in the business. I heard Columbia was looking for a Western star to take the place of Tim McCoy. I got the job. And when I signed the contract, I told them I didn't want to be 'typed,' but would do films for two years. But they had a five-year contract on me, and picked up my option each time my contract was up. I tried breaking away from Westerns [...], but the bosses kept telling me I was a 'box office name,' which meant more money for the studio." 

Starrett added that he was initially concerned when it came to his paychecks from Columbia Pictures. Luckily, he eventually got paid enough. As he recalled:

"I was making about $450 a week for 52 weeks while I was at Paramount; when I signed with Columbia, my salary was $400, a drop of $50. I was a bit disturbed at first, but made up for it as the years went by and Columbia gave me a bump every year because my pictures were doing good."

The final "Durango Kid" movie, Fred F. Sears' "The Kid from Broken Gun," was released in 1952. After that, it seems Starrett more or less retired from showbiz, merrily living off of his cowboy cash for the rest of his days.