The tough Westerner
This chapter explores Power’s work within the Western genre. When Power was cast in the title role of Hollywood’s first ‘A Western’ of the 1930s: Jesse James (Henry King) in 1939 it marked the first major curve in Power’s career trajectory. When it became Twentieth Century-Fox’s biggest hit of the year this proved that audiences were ready to accept Power in more masculine roles at the close of the decade. Released in the period directly preceding America’s entry into World War II, the film was integral in developing a much-needed shift in Power’s screen masculinity, appearance and performance style, reflecting the shifting industrial and social context in which it was made. In advancing his star image away from a womaniser, and instead placing it within an overtly homosocial environment, Power was able to convincingly demonstrate male bonding and leadership through a tougher masculinity which was essential for both the historical timeframe and Power’s own upcoming real-life war service. Despite the film’s huge success, it was another 12 years before Power starred in another Western, and made just four in overall: Jesse James, Rawhide (Henry Hathaway, 1951), Pony Soldier (Joseph M. Newman, 1952) and The Mississippi Gambler (Rudolph Maté, 1953).