| Streets of Laredo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Leslie Fenton |
| Screenplay by | Charles Marquis Warren |
| Story by | Louis Stevens Elizabeth Hill |
| Produced by | Robert Fellows |
| Starring | William Holden Macdonald Carey Mona Freeman William Bendix |
| Cinematography | Ray Rennahan |
| Edited by | Archie Marshek |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Paramount Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,472,000[1] |
| Box office | $2,150,000[2] |
Streets of Laredo is a 1949 AmericanWestern film directed byLeslie Fenton and starringWilliam Holden,Macdonald Carey andWilliam Bendix[3] as three outlaws who rescue a young girl, played byMona Freeman. When they become separated, two reluctantly becomeTexas Rangers, while the third continues on a life of crime.
The film is aTechnicolorremake ofKing Vidor's black-and-white filmThe Texas Rangers (1936), which starredFred MacMurray in Holden's role,Jack Oakie in William Bendix's,Lloyd Nolan in MacDonald Carey's role, andJean Parker as the girl they rescue.
A trio of outlaws, Jim Dawkins (Holden), Lorn Reming (Carey), and Reuben "Wahoo" Jones (Bendix), rob a stage. But when a young lady, Rannie Carter (Freeman), is menaced by rich and ruthless protection-racketeer Charley Calico (Alfonso Bedoya) after her uncle is killed, the robbers come to her rescue. They run him off, then pay old Pop Lint (Clem Bevans) to watch over her at his ranch.
Lorn ends up separated from his partners but continues his life of crime. Jim and Wahoo inadvertently aid some Texas Rangers and are sworn in as Rangers themselves. Lorn sees an opportunity, steals a herd of cattle the Rangers are guarding, then lets Jim and Wahoo enhance their reputation by being the ones who bring the cattle back.
Lorn's friends turn a blind eye to his activities for a while. Calico is a worse villain, burning Pop's barn and causing the old man to have a fatal heart attack. Calico assaults a Ranger as well, and is ultimately killed by Jim.
But it doesn't end there. Lorn now wants Calico's empire for himself. He also wants Rannie, who has grown to be a beautiful woman. Jim, who loves her, calls off the agreement to look the other way at Lorn's misdeeds. But he does remove a bullet when a wounded Lorn hides out at Rannie's after a holdup.
After being ordered to apprehend Lorn, Jim resigns as a Ranger, then vows revenge after Lorn kills Wahoo in cold blood. Now that Rannie can see Lorn for what he really is, she wishes Jim luck as he rides toLaredo for a showdown. The former partners face each other for the last time, then Lorn is killed by Rannie.
The film takes its title from the old Westernballad "The Streets of Laredo", which is frequently used as underscoring.
The film opened May 11, 1949 at theParamount Theatre in New York City together with a stageshow featuringPeter Lorre,The Pied Pipers and theVictor Lombardo orchestra.[4] It grossed $63,000 in its opening week.[5]