Dark Command (1940)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Grover Jones (screenplay) &
Lionel Houser (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

15 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Tagline:

A drama of undying love

Plot:

When transplanted Texan Bob Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas he finds much to like about the place...

Plot Keywords:

Marshal | Romantic Rivalry | Fistfight | Teaching | Deception

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

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 (as George Hayes)
Porter Hall	...	Angus McCloud
Marjorie Main	...	Mrs. Cantrell, aka Mrs. Adams
Raymond Walburn	...	Judge Buckner
Joe Sawyer	...	Bushropp (guerrilla) (as Joseph Sawyer)
Helen MacKellar	...	Mrs. Hale
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Dave (gunrunner)
Trevor Bardette	...	Mr. Hale (shot by Fletch)

Runtime:

94 min | UK:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Germany:16 | USA:Approved (PCA #5985) (original rating) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Placerita Ranch - 24715 Oak Creek Avenue, Newhall, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures

Trivia:

The character of Will Cantrell is loosely based on the real life Confederate guerrilla leader William Quantrill. Like Cantrell, Quantrill was born in Ohio, taught school in Lawrence, Kansas, became a guerrilla fighter on the Confederate side and burnt Lawrence to the ground. However, the Confederacy eventually distanced itself from, and eventually disowned, him because of his band's propensity for executing prisoners, massacring civilians, looting and raping. The real Quantrill was killed in an ambush, beheaded by a Union cavalryman's saber, in Kentucky at the ripe old age of 27 instead of at the hands of Bob Seton.

Quotes:

Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: You know that girl I was staring at when all the ruckus started?
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: Yeah.
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Well, who is she?
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: Well, her name is Mary McCloud. Why?
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Well, I'll tell you. I think maybe I'll marry her.
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: What ?
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Course if she'll have me, I mean. Fella wouldn't wanna marry anyone that didn't want him, naturally.
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: Oh, naturally. Uh, you know her well?
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Naw, just seen her once or twice. Once she was on a horse, and...
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: ...next time she was with a jackass.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited into Law of the Golden West (1949)

Soundtrack:

Camptown Races

A Wish for Walsh's Last Command

John Wayne (as Bob Seton) stars in a Civil War-era film wherein he runs for Marshall of a Kansas town, against wicked schoolteacher Walter Pidgeon (as Will Cantrell). Of course, they are rivals for the attention of a woman - beautiful Claire Trevor (as Mary McCloud). Roy Rogers adds additional charm as brother McCloud. The story is rather more ordinary than intriguing, but the western scores on several fronts…

First, the direction by Raoul Walsh is outstanding. The production is well-mounted; it includes the expected exciting climax, but that's not all... Even better than the climatic ending is a spectacular sequence involving a stagecoach. Don't miss it! The indoor scenes are great, too. Watch the scenes in the Barber Shop, for example: witness the sets, direction, and photography. The placement of characters and objects, along with the great street outdoors, provide terrific visual depth.

The story doesn't do the production justice, however. And, some of the performances are merely adequate; and, sometimes they seem unfocused. Mr. Pidgeon's is probably the most consistent of the main players. Mr. Wayne and some of the players might have improved with some additional worked on their characterizations; and, if the story was sharper, "Dark Command" might have been a truer classic.

******* Dark Command (1940) Raoul Walsh ~ John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Walter Pidgeon