DARK COMMAND
DIRECTED BY RAOUL WALSH
PRODUCED BY SOL C. SIEGAL
REPUBLIC PICTURES
Photo with the courtesy of lasbugas
For continuity, discussion, please post here:-
Dark Command (1940)
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
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)
Bob Woodward ... Yankee (uncredited)
Writing Credits
W.R. Burnett novel The Dark Command
Jan Fortune adaptation
F. Hugh Herbert screenplay
Lionel Houser screenplay
Grover Jones screenplay
Original Music
Victor Young
Cinematography
Jack A. Marta
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)
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.
Filming Locations
Placerita Ranch, Newhall, California, USA
Sherwood Forest, California, USA
For continuity, discussion, please post here:-
Dark Command (1940)