The Outlaw (1943)

Producer Howard Hughes’ notorious production shifts focus from the Kid’s gunfights to his passions. Jack Buetel’s Billy is locked in a sultry triangle with Doc Holliday (Walter Huston) and Jane Russell’s Rio McDonald, whose smoldering presence made the film a sensation. Infused with noir-like moral ambiguity and beset by censorship battles, The Outlaw redefined the Billy the Kid legend by foregrounding desire and transgression as much as violence.

This screening is part of our series Dead or Alive: Billy the Kid at the Movies, held in conjunction with the exhibition The Resurrection of Billy the Kid.

Chief Curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion with the audience.

Program Info:

Sunday, November 23, 2025
2 p.m.
1 hour 56 minutes
FREE for Museum Members (Members, log-in first to reserve tickets)
FREE with Museum Admission
$10 for just the program