Steely-eyed Alan Ladd stars as Jim Bowie, famed inventor of the knife – the “iron mistress” – that bears his name, in this would-be rip-roaring Warner Bros adventure.
Bowie arrives in New Orleans and quickly falls under the spell of Southern beauty Judalon de Bornay (Virginia Mayo). Bowie’s actions in his attempt to win Judalon’s love become the stuff of legend.
There’s a fair bit of romantic padding holding up the action, as Ladd gets rejected by Judalon only to fall for Ursula de Veramendi (Phyllis Kirk) en route to his destiny at the Alamo.
Ladd’s blue eyes were made for Technicolor, and the film is well enough mounted by director Gordon Douglas, but there’s a distinct run-of-the-mill feeling to the tale.
Jim Bowie
Alan Ladd Judalon de Bornay
Virginia Mayo Juan Moreno
Joseph Calleia Ursula de Veramendi
Phyllis Kirk Phillippe de Cabanal
Alf Kjellin Narcisse de Bornay
Douglas Dick “Bloody Jack” Sturdevant
Anthony Caruso Henri Contrecourt
Nedrick Young James Audubon
George Voskovec Rezin Bowie
Richard Carlyle
Director
Gordon Douglas
Video
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