| Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter | |
|---|---|
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| "Meanwhile, at stately Wayne Matte Painting..." - Dave Chadwick | |
| Riffed by | SRD's Movie Night |
| Riffers | Dave Chadwick |
| Series | None |
| Date Released | June 10, 2013 |
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter is a low-budget western/horror hybrid film filmed in 1965, in which a fictionalized version of the real-life western outlaw Jesse James encounters the fictional granddaughter of the famous Dr. Frankenstein. The film was originally released as part of a double feature with Billy the Kid vs. Dracula in 1966. Both films were shot in eight days at Corriganville Movie Ranch and at Paramount Studios in mid 1965; both were the final feature films of director William Beaudine.
SRD's Movie Night released a free riff of the movie in June 2013 under the title SRD's Movie Night #1: Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. It is the debut riff of Dave Chadwick, (alternately known as Sugar Ray Dodge.)
Synopsis and Full Riff[]
Victor Frankenstein’s grandchildren Maria and Rudolph have moved to the American West, in order to use the prairie lightning storms in their experiments on unwilling victims. After a number of failures, Rudolph is finding it increasingly difficult to hide the trail of bodies. Down the road, Mañuel Lopez, his wife Nina, and their daughter Juanita decide to leave town because of the frequent disappearances.
Two gunslingers come to town, Hank Tracy, a dimwitted lug, and Jesse James, the infamous outlaw. Meeting up with the head of a local gang called The Wild Bunch led by Butch Curry, they join up with the intention of stealing $100,000 from the next stagecoach. However, a gang member named Lonny decides to go to the sheriff and lets them know about the plot in exchange for becoming his deputy. So as the robbery begins, the sheriff and his men shoot the two remaining members of his gang and seriously wound Hank.
Jesse and Hank escape and stop at the Lopez's camp to tend to Hank's wound and sleep until the morning. During the middle of the night, Juanita wakes up Jesse and Hank and leads them back to town to the Frankensteins' house to fix up Hank. Maria agrees to help, but her plan is to use Hank as another one of her experiments. After sending Jesse to the town pharmacist with a note, she begins operating on Hank, giving him a new brain and bringing him back to life. Rudolph tries to poison Hank, and Maria orders Hank to strangle Rudolph.
Jesse gives the pharmacist the note, which actually reveals his identity and tells the pharmacist to call the sheriff. Jesse manages to escape, killing deputy Lonny in the process. When he returns to the Frankensteins' house, Hank incapacitates him and ties him up.
Realizing Jesse is in trouble, Juanita sends the sheriff to the house, where he finds Jesse and prepares to take him for the reward. But Maria sends Hank to crush the sheriff. During the scuffle, Juanita frees Jesse and tries to escape. Maria orders Hank to go kill Juanita, but Hank strangles Maria instead and goes after Jesse. Juanita gets Jesse's gun and kills Hank.
The next morning, as Jesse buries Hank, Juanita pleads with him to stay and live with her, but Jesse, knowing that he's a fugitive, rides off with the sheriff, who wasn't killed by Hank.
Cast and Crew[]
- John Lupton as Jesse James
- Narda Onyx as Dr. Maria Frankenstein
- Estelita Rodriguez as Juanita Lopez
- Cal Bolder as Hank Tracy
- Jim Davis as Marshal MacPhee
- Steven Geray as Dr. Rudolph Frankenstein
- Rayford Barnes as Lonny Curry
- William Fawcett as Jensen
Quotes[]
Notes[]
- This riff took over two weeks to record.
- Unlike JJMFD, this movie's sister film Billy the Kid vs. Dracula is not in the public domain, therefore not eligible to release as free VOD. The current rights holder is Lionsgate Entertainment, the same entity that made The Twilight Saga.
- This film was the last film to be directed by William Beaudine, the most prolific director in the history of American cinema with over 370 directorial credits to his name. He earned the nickname "One-Shot" because he always seemed to shoot just one take, regardless of actors flubbing their lines or special effects malfunctioning. He also directed the RiffTrax classic, Voodoo Man.
- This film was also the last of actress Estelita Rodriguez, who portrayed Juanita. She died unexpectedly in March 1966, a month before the film's release.
- John Lupton, who portrayed Jesse James, has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Jim Davis, who portrayed Marshal MacPhee, went on to star in the hit TV show Dallas.
- Rayford Barnes, who portrayed Lonny, was a frequent castmate of John Wayne. He also went on to have an extensive television career.
- It is the inaugural full-length riff for SRD's Movie Night, whereas the shorts Playful Polar Bears and How to Keep a Job were recorded in May and June of 2011, over two years prior. In June and July of 2014, these shorts were included in SRD's Movie Night #2 in order to augment the short run time of The Alphabet Conspiracy.