Watch a 1930 Movie About Jesse James Starring His Only Son
Almost everyone knows at least part of the legend of Jesse James. But, I doubt many know that there was a movie made about his life that starred his only surviving son. I've found it and you can watch it all.
Of all the things I've shared over the years about Jesse James and his life in Missouri, this might be the strangest. It's a movie made in 1930 called "Jesse James Under the Black Flag". It starred his son Jesse E. James, Jr. Here's a little backstory from the YouTube share:
This 1930 piece is actually two silent films from 1921 edited together with added narration. This piece claims to tell the true true story of outlaw Jesse James and how he's been misjudged by the history books. Starring his actual son Jesse Jr. this is one of the more intriguing pieces from western movie history.
This is as old-school cinema as you can get and it stars Jesse James son.
The story of Jesse James Jr. is an interesting one. According to Wikipedia, he went by the name Tim Edwards as a child to disguise his relation to his dad. He and his mother moved to the Kansas City area after Jesse was murdered by Robert Ford.
Based on "Jesse James Under the Black Flag" and the fact that Jesse James Jr. served as a consultant on another movie about his dad, it seems he was compelled to try and convince the public that his father was a good guy and not an outlaw.
Jesse James Jr. is a little-known part of one of the most famous wild west outlaws of all time.