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In Kansas, during the Civil War opposing pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps clash and visiting Texan Bob Seton runs afoul of William Cantrell's Raiders.
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16 photos

Cast verified as complete

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Mary McCloud
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Bob Seton
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William 'Will' Cantrell
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Fletch McCloud
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Doc Grunch (as George Hayes)
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Angus McCloud
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Mrs. Cantrell / Mrs. Adams
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Judge Buckner
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Bushropp (as Joseph Sawyer)
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Mrs. Hale
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Dave
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Mr. Hale
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Phil - Guerrilla Guarding Seton (uncredited)
Earl Askam ...
Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Tough (uncredited)
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Juror (uncredited)
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Slave Trader (uncredited)
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Brawler (uncredited)
Nora Bush ...
Townswoman (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Townsman on Balcony (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
Burr Caruth ...
Minister (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Juror #3 (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Angry Townsman in Bank (uncredited)
Bobby Crandall ...
Child (uncredited)
Marvin Davis ...
Child (uncredited)
Art Dillard ...
Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Town Leader (uncredited)
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Town Leader (uncredited)
Betty Farrington ...
Townswoman (uncredited)
Robert Ferrero ...
Child (uncredited)
Joseph Forte ...
Townsman (uncredited)
Mildred Gover ...
Ellie - Mary's Maid (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Tough Yankee #2 (uncredited)
Al Haskell ...
Townsman (uncredited)
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Jury Foreman (uncredited)
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Southerner Orating for Votes (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
Mike Lally ...
Townsman (uncredited)
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Messenger (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
Jack Low ...
Juror #2 (uncredited)
Herbert MacGregor ...
Child (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Farmer (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Cantrell Man (uncredited)
Michael Miller ...
Child (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
Dolly Nardon ...
Child (uncredited)
Lawrence Osman ...
Child (uncredited)
Russell Palmer ...
Child (uncredited)
Harvard Peck ...
Child (uncredited)
Dick Rich ...
Dental Patient #1 (uncredited)
Lee Riggin ...
Child (uncredited)
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Assassin of Angus McCloud (uncredited)
Clinton Rosemond ...
Tom - McClouds' Servant (uncredited)
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Posse Rider (uncredited)
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Man About to Withdraw Money from Bank (uncredited)
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Tough Yankee #1 (uncredited)
Bob Sáenz ...
Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Angry Townsman in Bank (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Banker (uncredited)
Ernest Tobey ...
Child (uncredited)
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Townswoman (uncredited)
Cecil Weston ...
Townswoman (uncredited)
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Guerrilla (uncredited)
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Man in Fight with Seton (uncredited)
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Yankee (uncredited)

Directed by

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Raoul Walsh

Written by

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Grover Jones ... (screenplay) &
Lionel Houser ... (screenplay) &
F. Hugh Herbert ... (screenplay)
 
W.R. Burnett ... (novel)
 
Jan Fortune ... (adaptation)

Produced by

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Sol C. Siegel ... associate producer

Music by

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Victor Young ... (musical score)

Cinematography by

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Jack A. Marta ... (photography) (as Jack Marta)

Film Editing by

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William Morgan

Editorial Department

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Murray Seldeen ... supervising editor

Art Direction by

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John Victor Mackay

Costume Design by

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Adele Palmer ... (costumes)

Production Management

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Al Wilson ... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Yakima Canutt ... second unit director (uncredited)
Kenneth Holmes ... assistant director (uncredited)
Joseph Kane ... second unit director (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons ... second unit director (uncredited)

Stunts

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Yakima Canutt ... stunt coordinator (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited)
Frank Hagney ... stunts (uncredited) (doubtful)
Cliff Lyons ... stunt double: John Wayne (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited)
Jack Montgomery ... stunt double: Walter Pidgeon (uncredited)
Henry Wills ... stunts (uncredited)
Bill Yrigoyen ... stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen ... stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Bud Thackery ... special process photographer (uncredited)

Music Department

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Charles Bradshaw ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Herman Hand ... orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew

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Sid Davis ... stand-in: John Wayne (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

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. Written by garykmcd

Plot Keywords
Taglines A drama of undying love See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • L'escadron noir (France)
  • Mando siniestro (Spain)
  • Crna komanda (Yugoslavia, Serbian title)
  • Väärän lipun alla (Finland)
  • El mandamiento oscuro (Mexico)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 94 min
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Language
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Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $1,000,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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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, KS, became a guerrilla fighter on the Confederate side and burned Lawrence to the ground. However, the Confederacy eventually distanced itself from him and later revoked his commission and disowned him, because of his band's propensity for executing prisoners, massacring civilians, looting and raping. The real Quantrill died not at the hands of "Bob Seton" but during an ambush by a Union cavalry unit. Unable to escape on account of a skittish horse, he was shot in the back and paralyzed from the chest down. He was brought by wagon to Louisville, KY, and taken to the military prison hospital, located on the north side of Broadway at 10th Street. He died from his wounds on June 6, 1865, at the age of 27. See more »
Goofs Observing Cantrell's uniform, Bob Seton tells him, "General Beauregard and the Fifth Army are a long ways from here, but that doohickus on your collar says Fifth Army." In the Confederate Army, collar insignia only indicated an officer's rank, not which general's army he belonged to. Furthermore, Civil War armies were not numbered like U.S. forces in the twentieth century, but instead took their names from states, regions, rivers, etc. (ex. the Army of Tennessee, the Army of the Potomac). See more »
Movie Connections Edited into Law of the Golden West (1949). See more »
Soundtracks My Country Tis of Thee See more »
Crazy Credits Opening credits prologue: In those years, 1859 and on, in the dusk before the nation plunged into the red night of civil warfare, the plains of Kansas were an earlier battleground. Down from the north, down to Kansas: up from the south, up to Kansas, came hordes - each bent on voting the territory into the Union as its own. The battle cry of the day was - - "On to Kansas." See more »
Quotes [she holds a rifle on her son, William, to prevent him from going upstairs after his wife]
William Cantrell: Say, what's the matter with you? What's that gun for?
Mrs. Cantrell: It's for you, Will. I thought I'd borned a man-child when I first hear'd you squallin'. But I didn't. I borned a dirty murderin' snake that's broke my heart to see it crawlin' along. You're no good, Will.
William Cantrell: I've killed a lot of men for saying less than that.
Mrs. Cantrell: You've killed a lot of men for sayin' nuthin' at all! Kansas is red with their bleedin'. I curse the day I ever had you.
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