DARK COMMAND

DIRECTED BY RAOUL WALSH
MUSIC BY VICTOR YOUNG
REPUBLIC PICTURES

315316

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary

Texas cowpoke Bob Seton (John Wayne) comes to a Kansas town with his friend, Doc Crunch (George 'Gabby' Hayes),
and runs for town marshal against school teacher Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon.)
Seton is elected but loses out to Cantrell for the hand of Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor.)
When the Civil War breaks out, Cantrell organizes a raider band, supposedly on the side of the South, but which, in reality,
is nothing but a guerilla army that loots and robs from both sides. Cantrell has dreams of carving out his own empire out of Kansas.
Cantrell leads his guerillas on a raid against Lawrence, Kansas, where they are defeated and Cantrell is killed.
His widow finds happiness with Seton, the man she truly loves.

Summary written by Les Adams

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
W.R. Burnett novel The Dark Command
Jan Fortune adaptation
F. Hugh Herbert screenplay
Lionel Houser screenplay
Grover Jones screenplay

Full 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)
Ernie Adams .... Townsman (uncredited)
Richard Alexander .... Phil (guerrilla guarding Seton) (uncredited)
Earl Askam .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Hank Bell .... Townsman (uncredited)
Ray Bennett .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone .... Tough (uncredited)
Al Bridge .... Slave trader (uncredited)
Roy Bucko .... Brawler (uncredited)
Budd Buster .... Townsman (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt .... Townsman on balcony (uncredited)
Horace B. Carpenter .... Townsman (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissel .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb .... Juror #3 (uncredited)
Tex Cooper .... Townsman (uncredited)
Harry Cording .... Angry townsman in bank (uncredited)
John Dilson .... Town leader (uncredited)
Edward Earle .... Town leader (uncredited)
Betty Farrington .... Townswoman (uncredited)
Joseph Forte .... Townsman (uncredited)
Mildred Gover .... Ellie (Mary's maid) (uncredited)
Frank Hagney .... Tough Yankee #2 (uncredited)
Al Haskell .... Townsman (uncredited)
Edward Hearn .... Jury foreman (uncredited)
Howard C. Hickman .... Southerner orating for votes (uncredited)
Lloyd Ingraham .... Townsman (uncredited)
Jack Kirk .... Cowhand (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Tom London .... Messenger (uncredited)
Jack Lowe .... Juror #2 (uncredited)
Nelson McDowell .... Farmer (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
John Merton .... Cantrell man (uncredited)
Jack Montgomery .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Dick Rich .... Dental patient #1 (uncredited)
Jack Rockwell .... Assassin of Angus McCloud (uncredited)
Clinton Rosemond .... Tom (McClouds' servant) (uncredited)
Bob Sáenz .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Tom Smith .... Posse rider (uncredited)
Glenn Strange .... Tough Yankee #1 (uncredited)
Harry Strang .... Man about to withdraw his money from bank (uncredited)
Al Taylor .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Ferris Taylor .... Banker (uncredited)
Ethel Wales .... Townswoman (uncredited)
Wally Wales .... Angry townsman in bank (uncredited)
Cecil Weston .... Townswoman (uncredited)
Henry Wills .... Guerrilla (uncredited)
Harry Woods .... Man in fight with Seton (uncredited)

Produced by
Sol C. Siegel .... associate producer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph Kane .... second unit director
Yakima Canutt .... second unit director (uncredited)
Kenneth Holmes .... assistant director (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons .... second unit director (uncredited)

Stunts

Yakima Canutt .... stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons .... stunts (uncredited)
Jack Montgomery .... stunt double (uncredited)
Henry Wills .... stunts (uncredited)
Bill Yrigoyen .... stunts (uncredited)
Joe Yrigoyen .... stunts (uncredited)

Filming Locations

Placerita Ranch, Newhall, California, USA

Sherwood Forest, California, USA

Memorable Quotes

Mrs. Cantrell: You're no good, Will.
William Cantrell: I've killed men for saying less than that!
Mrs. Cantrell: You've killed a lot of men for saying nothing at all!

[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.

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.
[referring to Cantrell / Walter Pidgeon]
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: He is, huh? Makes it easier, don't it?
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: Practically a cinch. Say, you do things kinda sudden don't you?
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: No, not exactly. But you see I got 'er figured out this way. If you LIKE someone - and you don't tell 'em right off - well,
maybe all that time you wasted, she liked you, too. So... well, all that time's wasted, ain't it?
Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: Well, it IS the way you put it.

William Cantrell: I know what I'm doing, Ma. I'll be running Kansas yet. I'm going clear up to the top. But I'm not going for the climb or the view.

Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: That'll be four and half
[dollars]
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: . Two for the tooth, two-and-a-half for the whiskey. You got another swig coming.

Judge Buckner: Come on, Doc! Your job is pulling teeth out of people's mouths, not putting words in 'em. Let him speak for himself!

Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: You knock 'em loose and I'll pull 'em out. Maybe, I'm just saying maybe, you know; if you was more promiscuous with your punching,
we might make a little more money.
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: What do you mean - promiscuous?
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: Well, ah, you got strange ideas about justice. You don't want to hit nobody unless they deserve it.
Now, that's all right, but we're in business. And business is different!

Mrs. Cantrell: You're at the end of the road and the devil is beside ya... waiting.

Miss Mary McCloud: I thought they bred men of flesh and blood in Texas. I was wrong. You're made of granite!
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: No, Mary, just common clay. It bakes kind of hard in Texas.

Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: You know, you could make something of yourself if you tried.
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Yeah?
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: Yeah. You could run for marshal.
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Me being a marshal? Are you loco?
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: Well, you could try. It's better for a young fella like you to be working for Uncle Sam than against him.
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: I can't even read or write. You know that!
Andrew 'Doc' Grunch: Listen, you don't read or write a man into jail.

Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Folks, it's true. I don't know much about the law. Ain't had much book learning.
But the good Lord gave me a nose for smelling a horse thief a mile off. And what you need in these parts is a marshal that's better at smelling than spelling.

[Cantrell has been defeated by Bob Seton in the election for marshal]
William Cantrell: Learning, studying, working like a dog... and what did it get me? The first chance I have to be somebody,
I'm beaten out of it by an ignorant cowhand who can't even write his own name! Well, I can write mine...
and I'm going to write it across the territory in letters of fire and blood if I have to! I'm going to be somebody in this country! Somebody big!

Miss Mary McCloud: Now, will you please get to the point and tell me what you want?
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: I want to marry you.
Miss Mary McCloud: You what?
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Well, I ain't got no job right now, but I figure to get one. And outside of a snort of hooch now and then, I got no bad habits.
Miss Mary McCloud: I'd say asking a perfect stranger to marry you is a very bad habit!

Fletcher 'Fletch' McCloud: Well, I guess Lawrence is burned to the ground.
Bob 'Shortcut' Seton: Yeah. Well, we got a saying down in Texas: that it takes a good fire to burn down the weeds... to let the flowers grow.

Angus McCloud: Four killings in a week! It's got to stop!
Judge Buckner: Four! Did you say four? That's right, four! Well, we're going to be quite a town, ain't we? I doubt that they have that many in Dodge City. No, I don't think so.
Angus McCloud: We aim to compete with any city in size, but not in lawlessness!

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Hi,
I like this film, and feel I have a personal interest, as I had the pleasure of meeting, and spending time with Roy Rogers,
when he toured the UK, back in the 50's!
REPUBLIC paired the stars of STAGECOACH , and ALLEGHENY UPRISING, again in this film ,billing Claire Trevor above Duke.
The picture was the studios, most expensive to date,, and it also united Duke with Raoul Walsh,for the first time since THE BIG TRAIL .
They also borrowed Walter Pidgeon from MGM, for additional prestige, and with a fine supporting cast,
including Roy Rogers, in a rare,dramatic role, Marjorie Main(I always thought, she was spooky) and the
dependable, Gabby Hayes.
Duke gave a wonderful performance,and
Bosley Crowther the critic said,
The most pleasant suprise of of the picture,is the solid performance of John Wayne, as the Marshal...
Given a character to build, he does it with vigour, cool confidence, and casual wit.

Here is a comment from a fan,

Author:* (bmatt) from Kent, England
Although 'Dark Command' reads like a 'Who's Who' of Westerns (John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Gubby Hayes, Clare Trevor etc), the real 'star' is its writer - William Riley (WR) Burnett.
He created a vivid moral fable of the wild west - William Cantrell (Pidgeon)gives up the role of good School teacher to become a ruthless bushwacker and gunrunner.*
In the opposite corner is the illiterate Bob Seton (Wayne) who keeps the Faith and becomes town marshall. Both want to achieve things and get the same girl before the Civil War strikes(Trevor)
Seton stands up for right even if it means losing friends and the girl, whilst Cantrell will stop at nothing to make a difference and as his Mother (Main) remarks "the Devil is walking with you". The title of the movie must say it all for W R Burnett.
The picture is not only gripping but hilarious and good hearted in parts.
Gabby Hayes is superb as Seton's Dentist/Barber/Butcher and is responsible for most of the humour*
and keeps your interest when the film starts to fade.

The film was far better received than ALLEGHENY UPRISING ,
and it more than fulfilled it's box office potential, becoming the studios biggest moneymaker, that year.
Producers and directors at the major studios began to give Duke, a second look,, including Cecil B. DeMille.
DeMille previously, had kept Duke waiting for an appointment,
after this film, he sent for him.

Bosley Crowther commented,
The most rousing, and colorful horse opera, that has gone thundering past this way, since, STAGECOACH .

All in all, a suprisingly, very good film,
Rating 8/10

Originally posted by ejgreen77+Nov 28 2005, 09:45 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ejgreen77 @ Nov 28 2005, 09:45 PM)</div>I wrote a review of this movie a while ago for IMdB. If anyone's interested in reading it, you can find it at:

[Only registered and activated users can see links]
23443
[/b]

Originally posted by Senta@Jan 30 2006, 12:50 AM
Hi Ejgreen,
Your comments are mighty interesting. I read your other comments too. One about Dark Command. May be it is off topic, but You mention Santa Fe Trail (I didn't think before that both films came the same year). But you didn't speak much about comparison and what you mean. May be you add a few words about that here.
I myself like Santa Fe trail.
Regards,
Senta :rolleyes:
26193


Originally posted by ejgreen77@Jan 30 2006, 06:12 PM
Senta,

Well, we probably don't want to get too far off topic here. Maybe ethanedwards can set up a new thread for Dark Command soon so we can discuss it there.

I'm glad you liked my reviews. I'd do more of them if I had more time. You should also check out the IMDb reviews of my fellow Buffalonian bkoganbing. He's a fan of JW as well and has written many good reviews of the Duke's films at:

[Only registered and activated users can see links]
26228


<!--QuoteBegin-ethanedwards@Jan 30 2006, 06:50 PM
Hi ejgreen77,
Thanks, I'll post that one, for you.

Best Wishes,
26238



Well, now that ethanedwards has set up this nice thread for us, I can review my review of Dark Command!!!!!

What I meant in comparing Dark Command and Santa Fe Trail was that they are both set in the same time and place (pre-Civil war "Bleeding Kansas"), but they come from two different points of view about the war (Dark Command showing a pro-Northern view and Santa Fe Trail a pro-Southern view).

Just look at who the heavies are. In Santa Fe Trail it's abolitionist leader John Brown, played by Raymond Massey. Brown was an anti-slavery zealot, who often did use force and violence to achieve his ends. To the South, he was a lawbreaker and anarchist, while in the North, he was seen as a man ahead of his time, a foreshadowing of the war that was to come. There's even a scene where some black folks tell Flynn they're fed up with Brown's violence. VERY pro-Southern, there!

In Dark Command, the heavy is the Southern guerilla leader Quantrill (called "Cantrell" in the film), played by Walter Pidgeon. Quantrill was another brute of the war, he and his men continued to raid and pillage the Kansas-Missouri border country long after it had lost any strategic importance to the Southern cause. To the North, he was nothing but a renegade and outlaw, while in the South, his actions and contributions received the silent approval of the Southern government (think, the reception Flora Robson gives to Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk: "I can't officially recognize this, but thanks just the same" [paraphrase]). In fact, I believe there is a scene in Rooster Cogburn where Duke's character proudly tells Kate Hepburn about his service with Quantrill during the war.

To sum it up, I like both Dark Command and Santa Fe Trail equally. They are two good films with two very different points of view on American history. As with everything, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, as both sides were equally guilty of what they are accused here. In today's era of political correctness, Dark Command probably holds up better, but they are both well worth seeing in their own right.

E.J.

I always liked this movie, too. It was interesting to see Walter Pidgeon play against type as the heavy. He was always the good guy, the strong father and husband in Mrs. Miniver, the popular teacher in How Green Was My Valley, the strong but sympathetic general in Command Decision. To see him go from a nice guy teacher to a cold blooded guerilla leader in Dark Command was unusual to say the least.

Hi Ejgreen,
Thank you for the comment. I like both movies too and it was very interesting for me to read your review, and I didn't think before that this movies were done from the different sides of the war, you enlightened it very well.
In True Grit Cogburn also spoke about his service at the Quantrill's forces (for a pity I haven't seen Rouster Cogburn yet).
Regards,
Senta

P.S. Thank you for the link to the reviews of your friend.

I have to say that it's a shame that John and Rauol Walsh didn't work together more often. I thought that Dark Command was a very good movie and so was The Big Trail.

Dark Command has a lot of great comedy of course because of Gabby Hayes who plays a dentist and gets the duke to start fights and give people tooth aches.

While not as sweeping as The Big Trail, this story is more tightly focused on the duke and the bad guy, who goes from being a good guy school teacher in the beginning to being a complete psychopath on a rampage at the end. It was a little hard to believe in such a drastic turn around for that character, but then again, people do a lot of stupid things to get money or what they think is entitled to them.

One of the dukes best movies from his early career.

Some photos from the film,

14691470

14711472

Another idea, since we've been posting these YouTube videos, maybe we can just post the whole Movie under its thread.:agent:

Chester :newyear:

That would be good, but we need them to improve the quality!

I meant for us to have the movie's ready to watch under each title thread .
Although, I doubt if our site has enough gigs.

Chester :newyear:

Here are two original posters for Dark Command, and also a re-issue poster from 1950.

These are like many I've posted, when the artwork looks wierd at times,
but great to have in any collection!

Keith,

Thank you. This is one that Les Adams, from Abilene, Texas shared with us.

Chester :newyear:

Surprisingly good movie when you get to watch it, but nothing especially memorable that would make me to miss seeing it again

Great early movie, and quite unique having 2 king of the cowboys ( athough we know who the real king is) in the same film. Does anyone know why the title is now 'Dark Command' instead of 'The Dark Command'?

Chris
(Scottish Highlands)

Hi

Interesting point about Walter Pigdeon normally playing the good guy in his pictures one other film he was dubious in was playing Morbeous in 'Forbidden Planet' a remake of The Tempest complete with Leslie Neilson and Robbie The Robot.

Regards

Arthur

I watched Dark Command on DVD. This is part of the the John Wayne Collection.
Sparkling sharp print and sound. You can see Republic spent a good deal more money on this picture with the production values and stunts from Yakima

I felt film was a little uneven at times but generally a very good western. On this version there is the added bonus of the documentary Young Duke The Making of A Movie Star (45 minutes) narrated by Leonard Maltin being included. This covers Dukes career from the beginning to Stagecoach with lots of rare clips and footage. I know I have it on VHS and could have sworn I have it on DVD but it was a nice little bonus for £5.99 from play.com.


Mike

Just watched this last night, and have to say, it's one of Duke's best early 1940 films. The film proves that even at John Wayne's relatively early age, given the right dialog and director, he was a top-notch actor. Going toe-to-toe with the great Walter Pigdeon must have been intimadating for Duke, but he carries his scenes off very well.

Extremely entertaining western...made even better by the excellent cast, great script, and a proven director.

I'll give this one 8 out of 10 stars!

Here is an example of the book. Enjoy!

Mark

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horses action scenes great recipe.

IMO a very good movie which surprised me a lot. It's started so light-weighted with good humour and then the movie is getting darker. It's fun to watch John Wayne and Gabby Hayes as Barber/Dentist. There are also some good lines in Dark Command and well photographed action scenes. Walter Pidgeon is doing a fine job as Teacher who became a Guerilla Leader. His villain role was more interesting than the Marshal character of Duke. Good Movie and as posted before it's a pity that Raoul Walsh and John Wayne made only two Movies together.