Billy the Kid Wanted (1941)
“They came to homestead — and stayed to clean up the town.”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
This fast, no-frills PRC oater marks Buster Crabbe's debut as Billy the Kid, taking over the role from Bob Steele. When the comic sidekick Fuzzy (Al "Fuzzy" St. John) tries to settle in Paradise Valley and lands in jail, Billy and pal Jeff arrive to find the town under the thumb of land-swindler Matt Brawley. The trio set out to break the racket and free the homesteaders. It launched the most popular stretch of PRC's long-running Billy the Kid/Billy Carson series.
Cast
About the Director
Sam Newfield — Sam Newfield — often billed under pseudonyms like Sherman Scott — was the most prolific sound-film director in American history and PRC's workhorse, shooting Westerns in days for almost no money. With producer brother Sigmund Neufeld, he turned out the entire Crabbe Billy the Kid run. Newfield's economy is the whole aesthetic: quick scenes, constant motion, minimal fuss.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Produced by Sigmund Neufeld Productions and released through PRC, the film's copyright was never renewed after its first 28-year term — standard for the Poverty Row studio's output — so it fell into the public domain in the late 1960s and carries an Internet Archive Public Domain Mark.
Behind the Scenes
Released October 4, 1941, this was the seventh entry in PRC's Billy the Kid series and the first of thirteen with Buster Crabbe, a former Olympic swimming champion and serial star (Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers). The series later renamed his character "Billy Carson" but kept the same formula. Like nearly all PRC product, it was never renewed and has long been a public-domain staple.
Did You Know?
- Star Buster Crabbe won a gold medal in swimming at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics before his film career.
- Co-star Glenn Strange later played Frankenstein's Monster for Universal and bartender Sam on TV's Gunsmoke.
- Director Sam Newfield is recognized as the most prolific director of the American sound era.
- The series later renamed Crabbe's character from Billy the Kid to "Billy Carson" to dodge censor objections.
Reception & Legacy
Reviewers rate it solid, standard-issue B-Western fare — brisk, action-filled, and elevated by the easy chemistry of Crabbe, O'Brien, and St. John. It's considered one of the stronger early entries in the Crabbe run. Genre fans value it as the picture that launched PRC's most enduring Western series.
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