Republic Pictures
Not part of a collection.
Dark Command
A drama of undying love.
When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place, especially Mary McCloud, daughter of the local banker. Politics is in the air however. It's just prior to the civil war and there is already a sharp division in the Territory as to whether it will remain slave-free. When he gets the opportunity to run for marshal, Seton finds himself running against the respected local schoolteacher, William Cantrell. Not is what it seems however. While acting as the upstanding citizen in public, Cantrell is dangerously ambitious and is prepared to do anything to make his mark, and his fortune, on the Territory. When he loses the race for marshal, he forms a group of raiders who run guns into the territory and rob and terrorize settlers throughout the territory. Eventually donning Confederate uniforms, it is left to Seton and the good citizens of Lawrence to face Cantrell and his raiders in one final clash.
- Original title
- Dark Command
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
John Chard
Apr 26, 2020 · via TMDB
On to Kansas we go. Loosely based around a true story, Dark Command sees John Wayne play Bob Seton, an uneducated cowboy from Texas who wins around the people of Lawrence, Kansas to become their town Marshall just prior to the outbreak of the civil war. This angers the previously respectful town teacher, Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon), who after being beaten on the vote by Seton, forms guerrilla groups to raid, pillage and gun run around the Kansas countryside. Seton, now ensconced in the ways of the law, sets about crushing Cantrell and his unfeeling raiders, but there is also another matter at hand. Both men have deep affection for the same woman, Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor appearing with Wayne again after Stagecoach the previous year), so things are just that little bit more spicy between them as things start to come to a head. Directed by Raoul Walsh and adapted from the novel by W.R. Burnett ("Little Caesar" & "High Sierra"), the picture also contains fine support from Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes and features a pleasing score from Victor Young. Though historically dubious, Dark Command is no less enjoyable for being a creaky distortion of the "Quantrill's Raiders" (Re: Cantrell} period in history. Those after a history lesson would be well advised to source from elsewhere in that respect. Catching John Wayne just as he was about to become the towering presence he was, the film also serves as notice to a time when stunts and character interplay were precious commodities. Walsh, ever the sharp eye for action, delivers some wonderful sequences here, horses and carts are a thundering, even careering over cliffs at one point. Whilst the final raid on Lawrence is a blood pumping feast for the eyes. But it's with the feel of the film that it ultimately succeeds as a period piece of note. The mood is dark as the civil War looms, slave trading and gun running sit distastefully with dubious politics, and then the war, with Cantrell and his raiders taking their spoils of war leaving a particularly nasty taste in the mouth. All of which is moodily cloaked in a Raoul Walsh inspired sheen. A tip top production all round, and a fine cast on form makes Dark Command a must see for Republic Studios enthusiasts. See it if you can. 7/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Claire Trevor
Miss Mary McCloud
John Wayne
Bob Seton
Walter Pidgeon
William 'Will' Cantrell
Roy Rogers
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud
George 'Gabby' Hayes
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch
Porter Hall
Angus McCloud
Marjorie Main
Mrs. Cantrell / Mrs. Adams
Raymond Walburn
Judge Buckner
Joe Sawyer
Bushropp
Helen MacKellar
Mrs. Hale
J. Farrell MacDonald
Dave
Trevor Bardette
Mr. Hale
Ernie Adams
Townsman
Richard Alexander
Phil - Guerrilla Guarding Seton
Hank Bell
Townsman
Ray Bennett
Guerrilla
Stanley Blystone
Tough
Ed Brady
Juror
Al Bridge
Slave Trader
Nora Bush
Townswoman
Budd Buster
Townsman
Yakima Canutt
Townsman on Balcony
Horace B. Carpenter
Townsman
Noble 'Kid' Chissell
Guerrilla
Edmund Cobb
Juror #3
Tex Cooper
Townsman
Harry Cording
Angry Townsman in Bank
John Dilson
Town Leader
Edward Earle
Town Leader
Betty Farrington
Townswoman
Joseph Forte
Townsman
Herman Hack
Townsman
Frank Hagney
Tough Yankee #2
Edward Hearn
Jury Foreman
Howard Hickman
Southerner Orating for Votes
Lloyd Ingraham
Townsman
Jack Kirk
Guerrilla
Ethan Laidlaw
Guerrilla
Mike Lally
Townsman
Tom London
Messenger
Walter Long
Townsman
Cactus Mack
Townsman
Nelson McDowell
Farmer
Joe McGuinn
Guerrilla
John Merton
Cantrell Man
Dick Rich
Dental Patient #1
Jack Rockwell
Assassin of Angus McCloud
Clinton Rosemond
Tom - McClouds' Servant
Harry Strang
Man About to Withdraw Money from Bank
Glenn Strange
Tough Yankee #1
Bob Sáenz
Guerrilla
Hal Taliaferro
Angry Townsman in Bank
Al Taylor
Guerrilla
Ferris Taylor
Banker
Ethel Wales
Townswoman
Henry Wills
Guerrilla
Harry Woods
Man in Fight with Seton
Bob Woodward
Yankee
Michael Miller
Child
Raoul Walsh
Director
Sol C. Siegel
Producer
Victor Young
Original Music Composer
W.R. Burnett
Novel
Grover Jones
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Apr 15, 1940
