If you are an old movie fan, you might be very surprised to see Walter Pidgeon cast in the role of the villain. That's because during his long tenure at MGM he so often played nice guys like Mr. Miniver or the kindly Minister in HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY. In addition, oddly, Roy Rogers plays a rather ambiguous role--a guy who is both villain and hero. Again, fans of old movies know that Rogers CAN'T be anything other than the hero, but since this was an early film for him, his on-screen persona was not yet set in stone. Also, Marjorie Main plays a surprisingly restrained role--usually she is pretty loud and cantankerous, but here she rather underplays her role as Pidgeon's mother. Now, as for John Wayne, it's no surprise at all that he is the hero--anything else just would have been difficult to accept!
The film itself is a fictionalized variation on the true story of Quantrill's Raiders. Quantrill defied the accepted way of fighting war and waged a form of hit and run gang warfare on the North in the Midwestern US. He and his men were more interested in terrorizing the Northern civilians and making themselves rich off plunder. Because of this, many Southerners hated them and refused to acknowledge that they were on the same side during the war! Eventually, Quantrill and his men were captured and many executed for their actions.
In the case of this film, the leader of the outlaws wearing Confederate uniforms was named "Cantrell" and although there was similarity, there were also many other differences from the true story--such as locating the gang in Kansas and Missouri instead of Kentucky and Ohio (among other places) with Quantrill.
However, despite these differences, this is still a dandy adventure film with the usual ingredients--such as Gabby Hayes for some comic relief, Claire Trevor as the woman who comes between the hero and villain as well as the expected betrayals and final showdown between the two stars (Pidgeon and Wayne). Simple, well acted, predictable (in spots) yet fun--it's similar to other movies such as VIRGINIA CITY or WHISPERING SMITH.
The film itself is a fictionalized variation on the true story of Quantrill's Raiders. Quantrill defied the accepted way of fighting war and waged a form of hit and run gang warfare on the North in the Midwestern US. He and his men were more interested in terrorizing the Northern civilians and making themselves rich off plunder. Because of this, many Southerners hated them and refused to acknowledge that they were on the same side during the war! Eventually, Quantrill and his men were captured and many executed for their actions.
In the case of this film, the leader of the outlaws wearing Confederate uniforms was named "Cantrell" and although there was similarity, there were also many other differences from the true story--such as locating the gang in Kansas and Missouri instead of Kentucky and Ohio (among other places) with Quantrill.
However, despite these differences, this is still a dandy adventure film with the usual ingredients--such as Gabby Hayes for some comic relief, Claire Trevor as the woman who comes between the hero and villain as well as the expected betrayals and final showdown between the two stars (Pidgeon and Wayne). Simple, well acted, predictable (in spots) yet fun--it's similar to other movies such as VIRGINIA CITY or WHISPERING SMITH.