BrianRxm Coins in Movies 92/377
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun (1952)
Spanish gold coin is played by a coin with a strange legend
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The 1952 film "The Kid From Broken Gun" features an unusual prop coin with a strange legend.
 
This film was the last of the 65 "Durango Kid" pictures starring Charles Starrett in a dual role as a law-abiding man and as the outlaw Durango Kid, who always wore black. Smiley Burnette played the Charles' comical partner.
 
The films were produced from 1940 to 1952 in black and white and ran around an hour. Music was provided by various country and western groups, including some well-known ones like Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.
 
This film incorporates footage from the 1946 Durango Kid film "The Fighting Frontiersman." The prop coin appears in both films.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
1. Title
 
Charles and Smiley ride into town to see Jock Mahoney, who is in jail. Jock is being tried for murdering an assistant to a local businessman.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
2. Charles and Smiley visit Jock in jail
One of the businessman's associate is Gail Kingston, a lady lawyer. Jock becomes friends with her and saves her from an assault by another employee. That employee is later found dead and Jock is accused of killing him. Gail defends Jock in court. Jock tells Charles his story about working for a businessman who had a strong box of gold coins.
 
Charles and Durango get into a number of chases and gunfights with assorted crooks. At one point Durango gets into the businessman's office.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
3. The Durango Kid raids the office
The Durango Kid finds a coin on the floor.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
4. The Spanish gold coin, played by a prop coin
The prop coin has a man facing left, and the legend: DEUS VALOR PATRIA / MANDORA / LORENZO REX. It appears to be around the size of a United States fifty-cent coin. This coin or token does not appear in any standard coin or token catalogs.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
5. Another view of the prop coin
Part of the story involves an old prospector, Cimarron Dobbs (no relation to Fred C. Dobbs) who found a treasure chest full of gold Spanish coins. The money had been left by the Mexican general Santa Anna during his retreat from Texas.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
6. The prospector finds the treasure
The Treasure Chest looks like one used in pirate films.
 
The prospector shows a gold coin to Dixie King, a saloon girl.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
7. The prospector shows a coin to a saloon girl
Some crooks observe, and kidnap the prospector, and get some of the gold, which is put into a bank strong box.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
8. The gang examines the bank strong box
The lady lawyer is revealed to be part of the gang. At some point the prospector disappears.
 
The Durango Kid shows up, holds his own trial at the point of a gun, and forces the businessman and Gail to confess their parts in the crimes.
 
Durango Kid - The Kid From Broken Gun
9. The Durango Kid holds court
The real killer turns out to be the lady lawyer. The film ends with Jock vowing to Charles and Smiley that he will not fool around with women any more, then leaves to follow a pretty blonde girl.
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Charles Starrett as Steve Reynolds and The Durango Kid
Smiley Burnette as Smiley Burnette
Jock Mahoney as Jack Mahoney
Angela Stevens as Gail Kingston
Helen Mowery as Dixie King
Emmett Lynn as Cimarron Dobbs (the prospector)
 
Director: Fred F. Sears
Writers: Barry Shipman, Ed Earl Repp
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