A secondary effort from the output of independent film impresario Benedict Bogeaus, the Mexico-shot sagebrusher My Outlaw Brother (1951) remains an interesting curio for its improbable star trio of Mickey Rooney, Robert Preston and Robert Stack, all of whom put forth efforts to try and lift the project beyond its budgetary constraints. Adapted from Max Brand's 1936 opus South of the Rio Grande by Gene Fowler, Jr., who would have a far more estimable career in the industry as an editor, the scenario opens on Denny O'Moore (Rooney), late of New York City and looking every bit of it as he clumsily maneuvers his nag and buckboard across the Texas prairie in search of the town of Border City. The object of his quest is to surprise his big brother Patrick (Stack), who headed west eight years prior to seek his fortune, and has since regularly sent cash home due to his stewardship of a silver mine. At least, that's Denny's understanding.

He reaches the town just in time to get caught in the crossfire when the local bank is robbed by a gang lead by the misshapen Native American bandit El Tigre. The Mexican government has implored the Texas Rangers for assistance in bringing El Tigre to heel, and the local captain gives the assignment to his best man, Joe Walter (Preston). Walter's gambit is to ride alone across the border to El Tigre's stronghold in San Clemente, and attempt to flip the bandit's trusted American lieutenant--who is, of course, the older O'Moore.

Procuring Patrick's Mexican location, Denny sets out to find him--and Walter, impressed with the green kid's tenacity and pugnacity--offers to ride alongside, while staying surreptitious about his own motives. The action shifts to San Clemente, where Patrick is introduced making a bid to court the petite and beautiful Carmel Alvarado (Wanda Hendrix). The senorita, however, is aware of his subservience to the heinous El Tigre, and wants nothing to do with him. When Denny reaches town, Patrick orders his capture and return to the States; Joe frees the kid and flees with him when Patrick refuses to turn on El Tigre. From there, Denny is forced to confront the truth about his sibling, and his flight for freedom with Walter makes for plenty of gunplay and the revelation of the true nature of El Tigre's hold on Patrick.

My Outlaw Brother would prove to be the penultimate directing assignment for Elliott Nugent, whose resume was marked by a string of memorable farces including Three-Cornered Moon (1933), The Cat and the Canary (1939), Nothing But the Truth (1941), Up in Arms (1944) and The Male Animal (1942), adapting the stage hit that he co-authored with good friend James Thurber. Born to a stage family, Nugent was a busy boy ingénue on Broadway and Hollywood from the mid-'20s through early '30s, and he gave himself a walk-on here as a Ranger. The working title of the project bounced from El Tigre to The Gringo to My Brother, The Bandit; the choice of My Brother, the Outlaw was foredoomed with the filing of litigation by RKO, who asserted infringement upon the Howard Hughes-Jane Russell opus The Outlaw.

In his 1980 memoir Straight Shooting, Stack didn't look back upon My Outlaw Brother with a lot of warmth, deeming it "a piece of Limburger that put a temporary damper on the careers of Robert Preston, Mickey Rooney and me". Of his outlaw disguise, the actor claimed that "the stuffing from a car seat" was responsible for his added bulk. "No matter how much I tried to be scary, I'm afraid I wasn't too impressive," Stack wrote. "The only one I scared was my horse, who bucked me off during my most evil scene...Happily, I fell on my back and the car seat stuffing took the worst of it. I wish I could have used the car seat stuffing on the reviewers."

Producer: Benedict Bogeaus
Director: Elliott Nugent
Screenplay: Gene Fowler, Jr.; Al Levitt (additional dialogue); Max Brand (book "South of the Rio Grande")
Cinematography: Jose Ortiz Ramos
Art Direction: Edward Fitzgerald (uncredited)
Music: Manuel Esperon
Film Editing: George Crome
Cast: Mickey Rooney (J. Dennis 'Denny' O'Moore), Wanda Hendrix (Senorita Carmel Alvarado), Robert Preston (Joe Walter), Robert Stack (Patrick O'Moore), Jose Torvay (Enrique Ortiz), Carlos Muzquiz/El Capitan (Col. Sanchez), Fernando Wagner (Burger) Hilda Moreno (Senora Alvarado).
BW-82m.

by Jay S. Steinberg