When the Daltons Rode 1940

Old-Timer Edgar Buchanan opens the tale by speaking with Tod Jackson Randolph Scott, who isn’t after a history lesson, just the location of the Dalton brothers’ new home. The Dalton brothers, law-abiding farmers, move from Missouri to Kansas to begin a new life. Bob Dalton [Brian Donlevy] persuades Tod Jackson to defend his kin Ben Dalton [Stuart Erwin] in a court case against a corrupt land-development company. A melee erupts during the trial and the Daltons shoot their way out of the courtroom. Cronies of the land developers and the press portray the brothers as vicious criminals. Ben Dalton is shot in the back, and, unable to live by legal means, the family’s course darkens as they rob a stagecoach, cementing their notoriety as dangerous outlaws.

Tod and Bob Dalton’s fiancée, Julie King [Kay Francis], fall in love in the shadow of this escalating conflict. Tod uncovers the man behind the land grab: Caleb Winters [George Bancroft], secretly orchestrating the sale of farmland to secure railroad right-of-way. When Tod tries to warn his friend, Bob Dalton seems to lose his way, and a clash of loyalties follows; he knocks Winters out, drawing fire from those who stand to gain from the scheme. His mother Ma Dalton [Mary Gordon] and Julie confront him, and a troubling self-awareness dawns—Bob is not the man he once was.

The Dalton gang contemplates a split, but they roll the dice one more time with a final bank job. Bob tests his resolve by joining them in the ensuing shootout. Winters retaliates from a high window, firing on the gang and taking life, including Ozark [Andy Devine], among others. As the dust settles, Tod steps into the street and Winters trains his rifle on him. With his dying breath, Bob Dalton reloads his rifle and ends Winters’ threat.

Dissolve to a storefront displaying souvenir photos of the Daltons and the ominous “Death Alley.” The narrative returns to the Old-Timer, as Tod and Julie—now married—reflect on the shared history and the heavy price of their choices.