Old Louisiana

B movie western actor Tom Keene stars in this poverty row costume drama of the American frontier as it was during the Thomas Jefferson administration. He's on a mission first to and then from our third president who has one big real estate deal cooking with Napoleon Bonaparte. Basically Allan Cavan as Jefferson doesn't want any boats rocked while he's negotiating.

But some frontier elements are doing just that and some rather ambitious fur trappers are looking to maybe displace the current Spanish administration and maybe set their own country up. That won't sit well with either Washington, DC or the Spaniards that Napoleon left in charge. Getting kind of lost in the intrigue is the budding romance between Keene and the Spanish governor's daughter played by future movie queen legend Rita Hayworth.

It's a poverty row product with inferior values and even worse acting. If it weren't for Rita Hayworth no one would remember this item.

Producer E. B. Derr's series starring Tom Keene was intended to be "something different," and it was. Tom had been associated with series Westerns, though not exclusively, but Mr. Derr's series for release through his independent Crescent Pictures banner was intended as something else. This was a series of program pictures intended as historical dramas, their pressbooks including such features as "Tom Keene's History Lessons," encouraging teacher endorsements. While series Westerns were often set in the 19th century, historical accuracy was not necessarily sought or always delivered. Mr. Derr's series hoped to use authentic historical events to generate audience-pleasing stories.

OLD LOUISIANA is often regarded today as simply an early film appearance of beautiful Rita Hayworth, a dancer/actress later to become a major screen attraction. It is, however, a fine film which may be judged on its own merits. Adhering fairly well to history, the screenplay - story credited to John Thomas Neville and script to Mary Ireland - reflects their research and intent to place their fictional characters in an authentic context. The budget did not permit elaborate settings to be used, but Arthur Martinelli's lensing judiciously captures what matters.

The characteristically valiant Mr. Keene and the lovely Miss Hayworth are ably supported by expert cowboy character man Budd Buster, splendid heavies Robert Fiske and Raphael Bennett (the latter outdoing himself as the despicable "Flint," who twice seeks to murder the man who saved his life) and an excellent cast of character people. Eugene Borden, unbilled (and seldom seen in independent productions), is fine as always in his role as proprietor of a rowdy inn/tavern, even singing a verse and chorus of the traditional "Drink Old England Dry."

Motion Picture Herald, at the time of its release, wrote about OLD LOUISIANA "Both entertainment and educational values have been incorporated in a dramatic romance told against a historical background, and with abundant action. The picture is capably produced, acted, and directed...." Parents' Magazine called it a "good historical Western, for adults, young people, and children." A Western..? Well, the Crescent Keenes were sold as a series, were not big budget productions, and Mr. Keene had been a leading cowboy actor. Perhaps that explains their being sometimes characterized as Westerns. Maybe the term "historical drama" makes a film such as OLD LOUISIANA sound pretentious. Whatever the category, this picture sustains interest, successfully captures the feel of the era its script depicts, and is well directed by Irvin Willat, with good performances from a sturdy cast of capable players.

Despite a decent story idea and an interesting historical setting, "Old Louisiana" is still a largely routine movie. It is interesting to see Rita Hayworth in one of her pre-stardom roles, but she does not really get that much to do, as her character is really just forced into the plot.

The story is set in Louisiana before the Louisiana Purchase, and has Tom Keene going up against a group that is trying to exploit the political situation for their own ends. Keene is generally believable enough, but he doesn't have quite the screen presence to be able to carry things through the slow stretches. The story itself is quite predictable, and it needed something extra to give it some life, but the overall production is not good enough to make it more than mediocre.