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.
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Classical in form, resolved, earnest and grave.
- classical in formformally daring
- resolvedopen-ended
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- effortlessdemanding
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- John Chardon TMDB · Apr 20207/10
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}
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Cast
- Claire TrevorMiss Mary McCloud
- John WayneBob Seton
- Walter PidgeonWilliam 'Will' Cantrell
- Roy RogersFletcher 'Fletch' McCloud
- George 'Gabby' HayesAndrew 'Doc' Grunch
- Porter HallAngus McCloud
- Marjorie MainMrs. Cantrell / Mrs. Adams
- Raymond WalburnJudge Buckner
- Joe SawyerBushropp
- Helen MacKellarMrs. Hale
Crew
- Raoul WalshDirector
- F. Hugh HerbertScreenplay
- Grover JonesScreenplay
- Lionel HouserScreenplay
- W.R. BurnettNovel
- Jack A. MartaDirector of Photography
- Victor YoungOriginal Music Composer
- William MorganEditor
- Sol C. SiegelProducer
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