The Return of Frank James

Not to be confused with The Return of Jesse James.

The Return of Frank James is a 1940 Western film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Henry Fonda and Gene Tierney. It is a sequel to Henry King's 1939 film Jesse James. Written by Sam Hellman, the film loosely follows the life of Frank James following the death of his outlaw brother, Jesse James, at the hands of the Ford brothers. The film is universally considered historically inaccurate, but was a commercial success. It was the first motion picture for the actress Gene Tierney, who plays a reporter for the newspaper The Denver Star.

The Return of Frank James
The Return of Frank James movie poster
Directed by	Fritz Lang
Written by	Sam Hellman
Produced by	Darryl F. Zanuck Kenneth Macgowan (associate producer)
Starring	Henry Fonda Gene Tierney Jackie Cooper Henry Hull John Carradine J. Edward Bromberg Donald Meek Eddie Collins George Barbier
Cinematography	George Barnes
Edited by	Walter A. Thompson
Music by	David Buttolph
Production company	20th Century Fox
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	August 16, 1940 (1940-08-16)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

After the death of his outlaw brother, Jesse, Frank James seeks revenge on his killers, Bob and Charlie Ford.

Cast

• Henry Fonda as Frank James
• Gene Tierney as Eleanor Stone
• Jackie Cooper as Clem
• Henry Hull as Major Rufus Cobb
• John Carradine as Bob Ford
• J. Edward Bromberg as George Runyan
• Donald Meek as McCoy
• Eddie Collins as Station Agent
• George Barbier as Judge
• Russell Hicks as Prosecutor
• Ernest Whitman as Pinky
• Charles Tannen as Charlie Ford
• Lloyd Corrigan as Randolph Stone
• Victor Kilian as Preacher
• Edward McWade as Colonel Jackson
• George Chandler as Roy
• Irving Bacon as Bystander
• Frank Shannon as Sheriff
• Barbara Pepper as Nellie Blane
• Louie Mason as Watchman, Wilson
• Stymie Beard as Mose
• William Pawley and Frank Sully as Actors
• Davidson Clark as Officer
• Robert McKenzie as Old Man on Rocker (uncredited)
• Adrian Morris as Denver Detective (uncredited)
• Lillian Yarbo as Eleanor's Maid (uncredited)

Production

The railroad scenes were filmed on the Sierra Railroad in Tuolumne County, California.^[1]

Preservation

The Academy Film Archive preserved The Return of Frank James in 2000.^[2]