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South of St. Louis ()

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The friendship of three Texas ranchers whose ranch is destroyed by Cottrell, of the Union army, and his band of outlaw raiders. The working title was "Distant Drums", and south of St. Louis was a term used to describe Civil War deserters.
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Photos and Videos

25 photos

Cast

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Kip Davis
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Rouge de Lisle
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Charlie Burns
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Deborah Miller
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Lee Price
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Jake Evarts
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Luke Cottrell
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Slim Hansen
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Bronco
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Capt. Jeffrey
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Manuel
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Trooper (uncredited)
Ray Beltram ...
Mexican Townsman (uncredited)
Arthur Berkeley ...
Townsman (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Farmer (uncredited)
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Henchman (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Lieutenant (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Henchman (uncredited)
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Bartender (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
Elias Gamboa ...
Mexican Townsman (uncredited)
John Goldsworthy ...
Cecil Middleton (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Kip's Henchman (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Sir Cecil (uncredited)
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Col. Kirby (uncredited)
Warren Jackson ...
Jim Marlin (uncredited)
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Henchman (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
Paul Maxey ...
Henri Brugnon (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Soldier (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Marshal Billings (uncredited)
Anton Northpole ...
Barfly (uncredited)
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Trooper (uncredited)
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Kip's Henchman (uncredited)
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Dealer (uncredited)
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Trooper (uncredited)
Paul Ravel ...
Trooper (uncredited)
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Wagon Driver (uncredited)
Tony Romero ...
Guitarist (uncredited)
Clark Ross ...
Barfly (uncredited)
William Ruhl ...
Doctor (uncredited)
Allen D. Sewall ...
Barfly (uncredited)
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Bucky (uncredited)
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Trooper (uncredited)
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Jason (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Kip's Henchman (uncredited)
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Sentry (uncredited)
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Captain (uncredited)
Chalky Williams ...
Barfly (uncredited)
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Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)

Directed by

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Ray Enright

Written by

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Zachary Gold ... (story and screenplay) and
James R. Webb ... (story and screenplay)

Produced by

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Milton Sperling ... producer

Music by

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Max Steiner

Cinematography by

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Karl Freund ... director of photography

Editing by

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Clarence Kolster

Editorial Department

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Natalie Kalmus ... color director: Technicolor
Morgan Padelford ... associate color director: Technicolor

Art Direction by

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Leo K. Kuter

Set Decoration by

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Howard Winterbottom

Costume Design by

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Milo Anderson

Makeup Department

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Sally Berkeley ... hair stylist
Burris Grimwood ... makeup artist
Ward Hamilton ... makeup artist
Myrl Stoltz ... hair stylist
Perc Westmore ... makeup artist

Production Management

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Frank Mattison ... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Lester D. Guthrie ... assistant director (as Les Guthrie)

Sound Department

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Charles Lang ... sound

Stunts

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Fred Kennedy ... stunts (uncredited)
Audrey Scott ... stunts (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent ... stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Edwin H. Clarke ... still photographer (uncredited)
Ray Ramsey ... camera operator (uncredited)
Lee Wilson ... gaffer (uncredited)
Warren Yaple ... grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Eugene Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)
Joan Joseff ... costume jeweller (uncredited)

Music Department

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Murray Cutter ... orchestrator

Script and Continuity Department

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Wandra Ramsey ... script supervisor (as Wandra Sybald)

Additional Crew

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Gene Lewis ... dialogue director

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

In Missouri during the Civil War, the Three Bell Ranch belonging to Kip Davis, Charlie Burns and Lee Price is destroyed by Luke Cottrell and his guerrilla raiders. Cottrell plunders the region for personal gain rather than in the name of the Union, as he claims. Driven from their land, many settlers move to Texas, still a neutral territory. Kip, Charlie and Lee go to Brownsville, Texas, looking for Cottrell. After a fistfight between Kip and Cottrell, Cottrell is told to leave Texas. While Lee decides to join the Confederate army, Kip and Charlie try to raise money to rebuild their ranch. Eventually, they get involved in smuggling arms for the Confederacy, bypassing the blockade imposed by the Union. This lucrative enterprise brings them into conflict with Cottrell who, after leaving the Union cause, is also smuggling guns out of Mexico. After a series of conflicts, crosses and double-crosses between Cottrell and the three friends, the Confederates capture Brownsville. Kip suggests they all return to rebuild their cattle ranch. However, Lee chooses to remain in the Confederate army and continue the fight. Charlie, who's more interested in money and gunrunning than in ranching, decides to continue the smuggling. Kip and Charlie continue the smuggling together. After they high-jack a gun shipment belonging to Cottrell, the two partners find themselves in open conflict with Cottrell's outfit. During an ambush set-up by Cottrell, a gunfight ensues but the two friends prevail. Cottrell is killed by his former henchman, Slim. After the Civil War, Kip moves to Mexico. Charlie opens a saloon in Brownsville where he hires some of Cottrell's ex-henchmen, including Slim. Lee is disbanded from the army and joins the Texas Rangers in Brownsville. This puts him at odds with Charlie who's involved in a variety of shady businesses. Lee is the only lawman in Brownsville whereas Charlie has Cottrell's former outfit behind him. Word gets to Kip in Mexico about an imminent shootout between Lee and Charlie. To even out the odds, Kip rides to Brownsville to help Lee in the final showdown. Written by nufs68

Plot Keywords
Taglines Warner Bros.' Thundering New Triumph! See more »
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Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Distant Drums (United States)
  • Les chevaliers du Texas (France)
  • Al sur de San Luis (Spain, Castilian title)
  • Al sur de San Luis (Spain)
  • Konterbande (Austria)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 88 min
Country
Language
Color
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Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia The character "Luke Cottrell" is described as the leader of a band of guerrilla raiders working for the Union army that ravaged the Missouri countryside during the Civil War, robbing and murdering Southern sympathizers. The character is obviously based on the real-life William Quantrill, who was in fact the leader of a band of Confederate guerrillas that terrorized the Missouri and Kansas countryside during the Civil War. His raiders were responsible for the sacking and burning of Lawrence, KS, on Aug. 21, 1863, during which more than 150 men and boys in the town were rounded up and executed. It became known as The Lawrence Massacre. Eventually Quantrill's methods were so brutal--wholesale executions of prisoners, burning and looting towns and villages, etc.--that the Confederacy disowned him and withdrew all support. He was shot in an ambush by Union troops on May 10, 1865, and died in a Union military prison on June 6. See more »
Goofs A revolver commonly seen in the film is the famous Colt Single Action Army Revolver. This design did not appear until 1873, much too late for use in the American Civil War. See more »
Movie Connections Referenced in Quicksand (1950). See more »
Soundtracks Too Much Love See more »
Quotes [after Rouge spurns Charlie's advances in favor of his honest brother Kip]
Charlie Burns: But he doesn't even have a shirt to his name!
Rouge de Lisle: It's not the clothes that make the man, it's how he wears 'em.
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