Outlaw Women is a 1952 American western film directed by Sam Newfield and Ron Ormond and starring Marie Windsor, Richard Rober and Carla Balenda.
Impressed by his medical skill, a pretty female outlaw forces a young doctor at gunpoint to travel to Las Mujeres, a town run by women, where the only males who can enter either work in or patronize the local, and crooked, gambling hall. The town's independence from men is threatened by an gang of notorious outlaws and the election of a new marshal - an election in which the women, outlaws or not, cannot participate.
Tropes:
- Absurdly High-Stakes Game: Woody and Mae play one hand of five card stud for ownership of the Paradise Saloon.
- Actually, I Am Him: Peyote Bill is telling a story about how he scared Johnny Ringo out of town and asks a stranger to help in a display of gun fighting. When the stranger outdraws him, Bill asks "Are you sure you waited till I said 'dog', mister...?" To which the stranger replies "Ringo".
- Ambiguously Gay: It is never explicitly stated, but Iron Mae's enforcer Dora bears many of the classic 1950s markers for a lesbian: she is tall and muscular, has short hair, dresses in men's clothes, and smokes cigars. Additionally, she is the only major female character who shows no interest in any of the men.
- The Bartender: After her original bartender dies from pneumonia, Iron Mae press-gangs Snake Oil Salesman Uncle Barney into service as her new bartender.
- Catfight: Ellen gets into a full blown hair-pulling, face-slapping, fingernail-scratching cat fight with the wife of one of the patrons after Ellen has taken him for everything he has.
- Cigar Chomper: Iron Mae's bouncer/enforcer Dora smokes cigars to demonstrate her toughness, and she lights them by striking a match on her teeth.
- Death of the Hypotenuse: Even though Bob has made his preference for Beth fairly obvious, the film resolves the Sibling Triangle by having Ellen shot and killed by Sam Bass during the robbery at the Paradise.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Ellen dies in Iron Mae's arms after she shot by Sam Bass while attempting to thwart him robbing the safe.
- Extended Disarming: At the end of the film, Doc tells The Gunslinger Peyote Pete that the wound to his shoulder is going to slow him down, and that he should give up his guns. Pete proceeds to pull more than half a dozen hidden firearms off his person and lay them on the table in front of Doc. He then does a mental count and pulls up his pants leg to reveal a derringer stashed in his boot. Because his arm is in a sling, Doc has to pull it out for him.
- Frontier Doctor: The hero is Dr. Bob Ridgeway, a frontier doctor hijacked at gunpoint to become the town doctor of the Lady Land Outlaw Town of Las Mujeres.
- Gilligan Cut: Uncle Barney works himself into a high dudgeon when Ellen offers him the job of bartender, claiming it is no position for a man of his standing, and storms off to settle matters with Iron Mae. The next shot is of him Obsessive-Compulsive Barkeeping.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: When Sam Bass attempts to force himself on Beth, she escapes by smashing a bottle being used as a candle holder over his head.
- Historical Domain Character: Sam Bass and Johnny Ringo were Real Life Wild West outlaws.
- Lady Land: Iron Mae runs Las Mujeres, a town run by women, where the only males who can enter either work in or patronize the local, and crooked, gambling hall.
- Lovely Assistant: Snake Oil Salesman Uncle Barney travels with three beautiful women as part of his Medicine Show to help him peddle his Blackfoot Balm. On arriving in Las Mujeres, Iron Mae steals the three beauties away to work in her saloon.
- Medicine Show: Uncle Barney arrives in town with a medicine show selling his patent Blackfoot Balm. After Iron Mae steals his Lovely Assistants away from him to her organization, he winds up working as bartender for her.
- Outlaw Town: Las Mujeres is a borderline example. While not everyone in town is an outlaw, the town's lack of law enforcement, and the policies of the town boss Iron Mae, allows the local outlaw gangs to the town as a place of recreation and resupply.
- Showdown at High Noon: The film opens with a showdown between Peyote Pete and Chillawaka Charlie, with them agreeing to draw on the last chime of the saloon clock striking noon.
- Sibling Triangle: The Larabee sisters—sexy saloon singer Ellen and tomboyish outlaw Beth—both set their cap for the handsome Frontier Doctor Bob Ridgeway.
- Snake Oil Salesman: Uncle Barney arrives in town with his Medicine Show, peddling his Blackfoot Balm which he claims can cure anything from baldness to cattle bloat. After he becomes the bartender at the Paradise, he continues to peddle it from below the bar.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Larabee sisters. Younger sister Beth is a tomboyish outlaw who spends much of the film in boy's clothes, while elder sister Ellen is a sexy saloon singer who dresses in revealing gowns and negligees.
- Unorthodox Holstering: Chillawaka Charlie uses a swivel rig: allowing him to shoot from the hip without drawing his gun. Peyote Pete claims the swivel rig for himself after he kills charlie in a Showdown at High Noon. It plays an important role in the final shootout as it allows him to twist and fire the gun at Frank Slater when Slater's gang is holding everyone at gunpoint.
