Nevada (1944 film)

Nevada
Theatrical poster without Mitchum's name
Directed by	Edward Killy
Written by	Zane Grey (novel) Norman Houston
Starring	Robert Mitchum Anne Jeffreys Guinn "Big Boy" Williams Richard Martin
Cinematography	Harry J. Wild
Edited by	Roland Gross
Music by	Paul Sawtell Dave Dreyer (uncredited) Roy Webb (uncredited)
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date	December 20, 1944 (1944-12-20) (U.S.)^[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

Nevada is a 1944 Western film based on the 1928 Zane Grey novel and starring a 27-year-old Robert Mitchum, with Anne Jeffreys, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, and Richard Martin in supporting roles. The film was written by Norman Houston from Grey's popular novel and directed by Edward Killy. Mitchum is billed with "Introducing Bob Mitchum as Jim Lacy" at the film's beginning. Although this was not Mitchum's first movie, it was his first lead role; he had previously played mainly villains.

Richard Martin also played sidekick "Chito Rafferty" in thirty other western movies, most of which starred screen cowboy Tim Holt, who had joined the service during World War II when Nevada was produced. Martin played this same character set in different times, both contemporary and the Old West.^[2]

This version is a remake of the 1927 silent film Nevada starring Gary Cooper, Thelma Todd, and William Powell. This is the only time that Gary Cooper and Robert Mitchum played the same role in two different films.

The following year, Mitchum again played the lead in another Zane Grey movie with the same writer and director titled West of the Pecos also featuring Richard Martin as Chito Rafferty.