Product Details

• Actors: Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Kennedy
• Directors: Ray Enright
• Writers: James R. Webb, Zachary Gold
• Producers: Milton Sperling
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Republic Pictures
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300209091
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #173,976 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Passable Western, June 30, 2002

By 

James L. - See all my reviews

This review is from: South of St Louis [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Joel McCrea, Zachary Scott, and Douglas Kennedy star as friends and partners whose ranch is destroyed as the Civil War rages on. Needing money to restart, they end up running guns for the Confederate Army, leaving McCrea's girlfriend Dorothy Malone behind and tangling with saloon singer/businesswoman Alexis Smith. However, each man wants something different, putting the former friends at odds with each other. South Of St. Louis is a passable film, neither exciting enough to be memorable, nor dull enough to be given a bad rating. The actors are competent in poorly drawn characters, the script average, the direction acceptable. Alexis Smith's saloon singer appears to have some spark to her in the beginning, but she quickly fades. The film needs some spark to get it going and to make the audience care. It's an average movie, nothing more, nothing less.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "South of St. Louis (1949) ... Joel McCrea ... Ray Enright (Director) (1998)", April 22, 2011

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: South of St Louis [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Warner Bros. Pictures presents "SOUTH OF ST. LOUIS" (1949) (88 min/Color) -- Starring Joel McCrea, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, Dorothy Malone, Douglas Kennedy, Alan Hale & Victor Jory

Directed by Ray Enright

The story begins in the last days of the Civil War. Chased off their property by guerrillas, ranching partners Kip Davis (Joel McCrea), Charlie Burns (Zachary Scott) and Lee Prince (Douglas Kennedy) head southward to seek out a new life. Davis and Burns go into the gun-running business, while Prince joins the Confederate Army. Kip and Charlie battle over the affections of saloon gal Rouge de Lisle (Alexis Smith), a turn of events that falls into the plans of rival gunrunner Luke Cottrell (Victor Jory). The three former friends soon find themselves enemies.

Victor Jory emerging from behind a flaming torch is his usual excellent self, laughing manically and chucking it through a window. His character's name, Cottrell, and behavior brings to mind Quantrell and his raiders, but Jory is mainly on the Union side, something not appreciated by one Union officer when Jory and Bob Steele with other henchmen swagger into a saloon -- Bob Steele a classic Western Star in his own right.

Special footnote: -- The direction and production values were good with great Technicolor and a strong cast. McCrea was always good in his Westerns having played both comedy and drama in his earlier years and Zachary Scott was a very under-rated actor, good in any film he was in -- The plot however is very similar to the Jimmy Cagney and Bogart classic "The Roaring 20's" re-fashioned to a Western setting.

Another great score by composer Max Steiner.

BIOS:
1. Raymond E. Enright (Director)
Date of Birth: 25 March 1896, Anderson, Indiana, USA
Date of Death: 3 April 1965, Hollywood, California, USA (heart attack)

2. Joel McCrea
Date of Birth: 5 November 1905 - South Pasadena, California
Date of Death: 20 October 1990 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

3. Alexis Smith [aka: Gladys Smith]
Date of Birth: 8 June 1921 - Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Date of Death: 9 June 1993 - Los Angeles, California

4. Zachary Scott
Date of Birth: 21 February 1914 - Austin, Texas
Date of Death: 3 October 1965 - Austin, Texas

5. Dorothy Malone [aka: Dorothy Eloise Maloney]
Date of Birth: 30 January 1925, Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: Still Living

6. Douglas Kennedy [aka: Douglas Richards Kennedy]
Date of Birth: 14 September 1915 - New York City, New York
Date of Death: 10 August 1973 - Honolulu, Hawaii

7. Victor Jory
Date of Birth: 23 November 1902 - Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada
Date of Death: 12 February 1982 - Santa Monica, California

8. Bob Steele [aka: Robert Adrian Bradbury]
Date of Birth: 23 January 1907 - Portland, Oregon
Date of Death: 21 December 1988 - Burbank, California

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 4 Stars
Performance: 4 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 3 Stars
Overall: 4 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 88 min on VHS/DVD ~ Warner Bros. Pictures ~ (January 1, 1998)