If Jesse James had not been shot by Bob Ford according to Jesse James' Women some enraged husband might have done the deed. This film is an account of a fictional hiatus that Jesse James and his gang have in the state of Mississippi. Jesse is using his middle name of Woodson and traveling incognito as it were.The rest of the gang including brother Frank played here by Jack Beutel just want Jesse either go home to Missouri or start doing what outlaws do. But Jesse who is presented here as a love 'em and leave 'em Lothario is just having too much fun.Actually in real life the one thing you can say about Jesse James was that he was a good husband and father to his family. Star Don Barry who also produced this film created his Jesse James totally out of whole cloth. This one is total fiction.But what fiction when you have women like Peggie Castle, Lita Baron, and Judith Barrett fighting over you. Castle and Baron having a gunfight like they do in Dodge City is a great old hoot.Don Barry and Bob Steele had similar career paths. Both were short guys who were both B picture heroes and villains and both played good roles in mainstream films as well. With the right breaks they could have had careers like James Cagney.Jesse James' Women could use some restoration, but it's a fun film.

It's no wonder that most posters of "Jesse James' Women" have the catfight that occurs in the middle of the film front and center; it seems to be the set-piece that the entire first half of the film is building to, and when it's over the second half seems to have nowhere to go. The catfight itself is relatively long and raw, however it could have been even longer and rawer; in any case, it's considerably better than a male boxing match near the end of the picture, as even the spectators of both events admit themselves! Peggy Castle is quick both with a gun and with her fists, and the newcomer who plays her opponent is quite the match for her. Star-director-co-writer Donald Barry plays Jesse, and he's the object of desire for these beautiful women and more; you can call this a bit of a vanity project, but then again, you'd probably do the same thing if you were in his place. An aimless but watchable Western - though the DVD prints are badly in need of remastering. ** out of 4.

Well somewhere, some time, someone must have thought this was a good idea for a Western film treatment. Instead of terrorizing banks and stagecoaches, Jesse James (Don Barry) turns into a Don Juan and uses his dubious charms to romance a passel of gals out of their money. I guess since the title states "Jesses James' Women", there had to be a bunch of them, and so there was. Peggie Castle led the cast here as Golden Bell saloon gal Waco Gans, conducting a reasonable tryout for her 'Lawman' TV series run as Lily Merrill. Castle takes part in two of the picture's highlights - a knock down, drag out catfight with Betty Brueck, and later on an actual gunfight showdown with the same opponent going by Cattle Kate Kennedy. That one was a bit of a let down to my thinking, but still a creative effort on the part of the principals.The other contenders for Jesse James' affection include Lita Baron as saloon singer Delta, and Joyce Barrett as Caprice Clark. Probably outshining them all just by her sheer innocence was the sheriff's daughter Angel, winsomely played by Laura Lea, who managed to get the outlaw Jesse to show his human side. Ironically, they had their final conversation right in front of a wanted Poster offering ten thousand dollars for Jesse and his gang.For a quick change of pace, there's also a nifty boxing sequence in the latter half in which Jesse attempts to pull off a thousand dollar payday against barnstorming boxer Champ O'Toole (Alton Hillman). Not to be outdone by a resounding knockout, Jesse simply decides to rob the champ's entourage as they head out of town the next day. I guess if you want something offbeat and don't mind tampering with your Western outlaw legends, this could fit the bill. Just don't raise your expectations too high and you'll probably be OK.

Famed outlaw Jesse James is on the dodge and holding up in a small town in Mississippi. Before heading back to Missouri, James manages to complicate the lives of several women-mostly in low-cut gowns. This was star Don Barry's only stab at direction, and from the looks of it,all will be glad that he stopped here.**UPDATE**My earlier review of this picture was based on a viewing many years (decades?) prior. I recently obtained a copy of this movie, and I must say, that it is extremely BETTER than I remembered.Not filmed in Hollywood, this one has a different feel than most of Barry's B Westerns, almost a nostalgic quality...it was to be his last starring role, of course. The acting isn't as bad as I recalled and Barry plays the Jesse role almost tongue-in-cheek. The story moves along at a nice pace and the bare knuckle fight between Barry and a boxing champ is good fun. Yes, the LOW budget shows, but it isn't any worse than some of what Barry did for Lippert a few years earlier. If you love B Westerns, or Don "Red" Barry, I would highly recommend this one.