Billy the Kid Returns (1938)
“The Kid is dead. Long live the Kid.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
Roy Rogers's second starring vehicle and an early showcase for the man who would become "King of the Cowboys." When Sheriff Pat Garrett guns down Billy the Kid, Billy's exact double Roy Rogers turns up, and Garrett enlists him to impersonate the dead outlaw, continuing Billy's fight for the settlers but without the killing. Smiley Burnette, fresh from the Autry pictures, provides comic relief as a wandering instrument salesman, and Rogers sings half a dozen songs along the way.
Cast
About the Director
Joseph Kane — Joseph Kane, the same director who shaped Gene Autry's screen formula, here helps launch Roy Rogers as Republic's next singing-cowboy property. He folds music, comedy, and action into the studio's reliable B-western mold. The picture's success helped cement Rogers as a rising star.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
A Republic Pictures production whose copyright was never renewed when its term lapsed, placing it in the US public domain in 1966. The Republic copyright-and-renewal records list this title explicitly as "no renewal."
Behind the Scenes
Released September 4, 1938, only months into Rogers's starring career, it leaned on the enduring Billy the Kid legend for marketing pull. The film was later syndicated to television by MCA-TV between 1955 and 1960 as part of the Roy Rogers package. It has circulated freely for decades on budget public-domain western collections.
Did You Know?
- Only the second film in which Roy Rogers received top billing.
- Rogers plays a dual role: both Billy the Kid and his look-alike Roy.
- Smiley Burnette reprises his "Frog Millhouse" sidekick persona, carried over from the Gene Autry series.
- Rogers performs six songs, including "When the Sun Is Setting on the Prairie."
Reception & Legacy
Contemporary and later critics view it as a solid, tuneful early Rogers vehicle that helped establish his screen appeal. The dual-role gimmick and Burnette's comedy are cited as highlights. It is remembered as a key stepping stone in Rogers's climb to western stardom.
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