Drango (1957)

Major Clint Drango of the U.S. Army and his aide, Capt. Banning, ride into a burned-out Georgia town shortly after the end of the Civil War with orders to set up a military governorship. ... See full summary »

Directors:

Hall Bartlett, Jules Bricken

Writer:

Hall Bartlett

Stars:

Jeff Chandler, Joanne Dru, Julie London

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Chandler	...	Major Clint Drango
Joanne Dru	...	Kate Calder
Julie London	...	Shelby Ransom
Donald Crisp	...	Judge Allen
Ronald Howard	...	Clay Allen
John Lupton	...	Capt. Marc Banning
Walter Sande	...	Dr. Blair
Milburn Stone	...	Col. Bracken
Morris Ankrum	...	Henry Calder
Parley Baer	...	George Randolph
Damian O'Flynn	...	Gareth Blackford
Barney Phillips	...	Rev. Giles Cameron
Charles Horvath	...	Ragan
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Scott
Chubby Johnson	...	Zeb

Storyline

Major Clint Drango of the U.S. Army and his aide, Capt. Banning, ride into a burned-out Georgia town shortly after the end of the Civil War with orders to set up a military governorship. The townspeople are bitter over the destruction of their homes, but they do not know that Drango was a participant in that destruction. Renegade former Confederates under Clay Allen plan to undermine Drango's benign administration in hopes of restarting the war.

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Plot Keywords:

american civil war | 1860s | southern reconstruction | confederacy | character name in title

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Taglines:

BURN...DESTROY...KILL...RAVAGE...These were the orders and they were obeyed!

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cenizas de odio

Filming Locations:

Fort Pike, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Earlmar Productions, Hall Bartlett Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Drango"
Lyrics by Alan Alch
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Sung by Rex Allen

User Reviews

Jeff Chandler finds out the Civil War isn't over...

DRANGO is a sturdy little western that has an interesting tale to tell but doesn't quite fulfill its potential as a saga about a town in Georgia that is still bristling with hostility over what the dirty Yanks have done to their burned out village. And what they have yet to learn is that Major Clint Drango (JEFF CHANDLER) had a large part in destroying and pillaging the town under orders from Sherman to do exactly that. Now he's involved in the town's reconstruction.

It's an interesting story, directed in crisp, no nonsense fashion with the major finding out just how hard his job is going to be the moment he sets foot in town with his helpmate Captain Marc Banning, played by JOHN LUPTON. He also has to contend with a woman (JOANNE DRU) who has her own reasons for despising him until she learns that he's a caring man who is only seeking justice in a town torn apart by hatred and fear.

The villain of the piece is Clay Allen (RONALD HOWARD), the man who opposes Drango every step of the way, leading an angry mob to hang Dru's father before his trial can even begin. Julie London is wasted in a colorless supporting role. Ronald Howard is the spitting image of his father, LESLIE HOWARD, only a bit finer in features--but he has the same walk, the same voice pattern and was, judging from this film, a very competent actor.

Overall, it's an unusual western with some slow spots but it's a western best appreciated by Civil War fans.