This fictionalized account of outlaw William Quantrill during the episode in United States history known as "Bleeding Kansas" is an above average account of a dark period in our history and Quantrill was certainly a dark commander--dark meaning evil. Quantrill like most of the bushwhackers (irregular southern sympathizers) and jay hawkers (irregular northern sympathizers)was simply out for personal gain. He didn't give a damn which side won the war. That most of his band of outlaws supported the South, including Cole Younger and Jesse James, mattered little to him as long as they kept their commander's coffers full of gold and the spoils of looting and robbing.
Though the grand finale of the burning of Lawrence, Kansas, is not as spectacular as the burning of Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind," in many ways "Dark Command" is a more realistic, less romanticized, account of the Civil War period. It is certainly less racist than "Gone With the Wind." Much of this is owed to the script based on a novel by the usually gangster oriented writer W.R. Burnett ("Little Caesar," "The Asphalt Jungle")and to the direction of Raoul Walsh.
Making all this gel is an exceptional cast handpicked by Walsh and Republic. Heading the roster is John Wayne who had recently gained acceptance from the Hollywood moguls as a result of his standout performance in "Stagecoach." Republic threw in their cowboy star Roy Rogers and his sidekick Gabby Hayes. Roy, though somewhat miscast, does a creditable job showing a wide range of emotions and gives life to his role of kid brother who wants to be a contender. When Roy and Dale had a show on the Nashville Network in the 1980's, they invited viewers to send in questions they would answer on the air, sending the writer an autographed picture in return. I asked Roy about his being teamed with John Wayne in "Dark Command." In answering the question on the air, it was obvious that he was not pleased with his appearance along side the Duke. Perhaps Republic had pushed Roy into the part holding him to his contract. Whatever the reason, Roy had no need to be ashamed. His performance indicates that he could have succeeded in A movies had that been his desire. Gabby Hayes is in top form and his role not only adds much needed humor to this rather dark film but serves also as a father figure and guiding hand to the man from Texas played by Wayne. Walter Pigeon adds a degree of dignity to his role portraying Quantrill (Cantrell in the film) as a three dimensional character with both good and bad in his nature. Upstaging them all is the divine Claire Trevor who walks away with the show.
This is a Republic picture so naturally the action and stunts are going to be first rate, especially with the likes of Yakima Canutt on the payroll. There is also the gallery of bad guys under contract to Republic who were some of the most despicable heavies in film history. Adding to the authenticity of the movie is music from the period, including two Stephen Foster songs.
Though the grand finale of the burning of Lawrence, Kansas, is not as spectacular as the burning of Atlanta in "Gone With the Wind," in many ways "Dark Command" is a more realistic, less romanticized, account of the Civil War period. It is certainly less racist than "Gone With the Wind." Much of this is owed to the script based on a novel by the usually gangster oriented writer W.R. Burnett ("Little Caesar," "The Asphalt Jungle")and to the direction of Raoul Walsh.
Making all this gel is an exceptional cast handpicked by Walsh and Republic. Heading the roster is John Wayne who had recently gained acceptance from the Hollywood moguls as a result of his standout performance in "Stagecoach." Republic threw in their cowboy star Roy Rogers and his sidekick Gabby Hayes. Roy, though somewhat miscast, does a creditable job showing a wide range of emotions and gives life to his role of kid brother who wants to be a contender. When Roy and Dale had a show on the Nashville Network in the 1980's, they invited viewers to send in questions they would answer on the air, sending the writer an autographed picture in return. I asked Roy about his being teamed with John Wayne in "Dark Command." In answering the question on the air, it was obvious that he was not pleased with his appearance along side the Duke. Perhaps Republic had pushed Roy into the part holding him to his contract. Whatever the reason, Roy had no need to be ashamed. His performance indicates that he could have succeeded in A movies had that been his desire. Gabby Hayes is in top form and his role not only adds much needed humor to this rather dark film but serves also as a father figure and guiding hand to the man from Texas played by Wayne. Walter Pigeon adds a degree of dignity to his role portraying Quantrill (Cantrell in the film) as a three dimensional character with both good and bad in his nature. Upstaging them all is the divine Claire Trevor who walks away with the show.
This is a Republic picture so naturally the action and stunts are going to be first rate, especially with the likes of Yakima Canutt on the payroll. There is also the gallery of bad guys under contract to Republic who were some of the most despicable heavies in film history. Adding to the authenticity of the movie is music from the period, including two Stephen Foster songs.