Copyright 24 March 1948 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Winter Garden: 3 May 1948. U.S. release: April 1948. U.K. release through Eros (the film was turned down by Rank): floating from November 1949. Australian release: 12 August 1948. 7,247 feet. 80 minutes. U.K. release title: BLACK BART, HIGHWAYMAN.SYNOPSIS: This film is based on the adventures of Charles E. Bolton, poet-highwayman who committed 28 hold-ups before he was apprehended, and Lola Montez, the internationally famous dancer. That they ever did meet is not impossible but highly improbable, for Lola was touring the U.S. under the direction of P. T. Barnum at the time Black Bart was on the rampage. This is a dashingly-played (particularly by Dan Duryea and lovely Yvonne De Carlo), fast-moving and very exciting melodrama, very competently directed with appealing Technicolor photography. - E.V.D.COMMENT: Quite an entertaining "B", photographed in most attractive Technicolor by Irving Glassberg, this classy Universal entry features an interesting and highly rewarding group of players, led by Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea, Jeffrey Lynn and Percy Kilbride. Very capably directed by George Sherman from a taut, well-constructed and peopled-with-interesting-characters screenplay (to which William Bowers doubtless made a major contribution), Black Bart (despite its off-putting title) rates as a must-see western.

....including:a) Technicolor photography so bright and fresh it looks as if the film was made yesterday!b) Yvonne De Carlo at her most gorgeous, in a role that allows her to dance and doesn't require her, most of the time, to take matters too seriously.c) The often smart, snappy dialogue. In many Westerns the dialogue is simply functional; in this one, much of the dialogue seems to have been written for the sheer joy of its own writing.d) Well-done action and stuntse) An unexpected finale, followed by a funny gag that's diametrically opposite to the tone of what has just happened! The film IS a little slow to start, but stick with it. *** out of 4.

Yvonne de Carlo was a pretty girl, but somehow they gave her roles where she was supposed to be astonishing beautiful making all men fall for her. She wasn't that great, as a matter of fact very few are. "Salome Where She Danced" was one of the worst films I have ever seen and Black Bart saves itself because of a decent script and good actors like Dan Duryea, Jeffrey Lynn and Percy Killbride. Masked main characters at those times (1948) used to be heroes, like the Zorro and the Durango Kid. They wore their masks to defend poor people's rights, or the law. In Black Bart, Duryea's mask is for pure self interest, but in the film he is not quite the bad guy, the spectator will sympathize with him. In those westerns where the outlaw was the hero, he either had to die at the end, or go to jail for a number of years, with his woman waiting for him. That made them different from the standard "good guy happy ending". Conclusion: any western with Dan Duryea, the eternal Waco Johnnie Dean (Winchester 73) is worth seeing, even this average one.

Gorgeous Miss De Carlo often portrayed historic figures:from Sephora to Calamity Jane and from La Castiglione to Lola Montès (spelled "Montez" ,unlike in Europa).Many users probably know Max Ophuls' last opus (1954) which showed a Lola short of the readies,(Martine Carol)who had to work in a circus -under a cynical MC 's Thumb played by Peter Ustinov) Lola was king of Bavaria LudwiG Der Erste 's lover (not to be mistaken for gay Ludwig Der Zweite)and in the movie,you can hear Lola talk about the jewels he bestows on her;"you look at my jewels the way the king used to look at me" ) The story is a bit tongue in cheek and the tale of this masked brigand is not particularly exciting but Lola adds some spice to it.