Dark Command *** (1940, John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Walter Pidgeon, Roy Rogers) – Classic Movie Review 5519

A year after they starred together in Stagecoach, John Wayne and Claire Trevor are paired again for director Raoul Walsh’s 1940 Republic Western.

Walter Pidgeon also stars as Will Cantrell who changes his profession from school teacher to bandit in mid-19th-century Kansas and battles against new lawman in town, visiting Texan Bob Seton (Wayne). Seton arrives in Lawrence, Kansas, to find Mary McCloud (Trevor), daughter of the local banker.

Despite the bumpy screenplay by Grover Jones, Lionel Houser and F Hugh Herbert, taken from a W R Burnett novel, loosely based on much-used facts about Quantrill’s (Cantrell’s) Raiders in the American Civil War, the modestly engaging film shoots along amiably thanks to the experienced, old-style Western cast, Jack Marta’s crisp cinematography and Walsh’s highly competent direction.

Victor Young’s music score gained an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score and John Victor Mackay was also nominated for Best Art Direction, Black-and-White.

Also in the cast are George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Porter Hall, Marjorie Main, Raymond Walburn, Joe Sawyer, Helen MacKellar, J Farrell MacDonald, Trevor Bardette, Al Bridge, Yakima Canutt, John Dilson, Edward Earle, Harry Cording, Howard C Hickman, Dick Rich, Harry Strang, Glenn Strange, Al Taylor and Harry Woods.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5519

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