Dark Command

1940
A
1h 30m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

John Wayne, Walter Pidgeon, and Claire Trevor in Dark Command (1940)

Classical Western Drama Romance War Western

In Kansas during the Civil War, opposing pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps clash and visiting Texan Bob Seton runs afoul of William Cantrell's Raiders.In Kansas during the Civil War, opposing pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps clash and visiting Texan Bob Seton runs afoul of William Cantrell's Raiders.In Kansas during the Civil War, opposing pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps clash and visiting Texan Bob Seton runs afoul of William Cantrell's Raiders.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

3.2K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 2 wins & 2 nominations total

Top cast85

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Claire Trevor

Mary McCloud

John Wayne

Bob Seton

Walter Pidgeon

William 'Will' Cantrell

Roy Rogers

Fletch McCloud

George 'Gabby' Hayes

Doc Grunch
(as George Hayes)

Porter Hall

Angus McCloud

Marjorie Main

Mrs. Cantrell…

Raymond Walburn

Judge Buckner

Joe Sawyer

Bushropp
(as Joseph Sawyer)

Helen MacKellar

Mrs. Hale

J. Farrell MacDonald

Dave

Trevor Bardette

Mr. Hale

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)

User reviews59

Featured review

7/10

John Wayne+Raoul Walsh+Republic=Great western

Few people did westerns better than John Wayne, few directors did them better than Raoul Walsh, and NO studio did them better than Republic--and when you put the three of them together, the results are pretty near unbeatable.

This film, based on the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, during the Civil War by the Confederate guerilla Quantrill, bears little relation to the actual event--but if you want a history lesson, turn on the Discovery Channel. Instead, just sit back and marvel at the rousing action sequences that Republic was renowned for, enjoy the sea of great old cowboy actors (Gabby Hayes, Harry Woods, Wally Wales, Trevor Bardette, Glenn Strange, etc.), check out the performance of a young Roy Rogers (he's actually very good), and enjoy the talents of masters like Wayne and Walsh at their prime--and remember that this is the kind of movie people are talking about when they say, "They don't make 'em like they used to."

BrianG
Sep 29, 1999
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Marjorie Main plays the mother of Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon) but was only seven years his senior.

Goofs
Throughout the film, Colt Single Action Army revolvers (commonly known as Peacemakers) are used by various actors including John Wayne, Roy Rogers, and George 'Gabby' Hayes. This revolver was not produced until the 1870s. The film is set in the late 1850s and 1860s. The Colt is the 1873 model so it could not have been in the Civil War.

Quotes
William Cantrell: I know what I'm doing, Ma. I'll be running Kansas yet. I'm going clear up to the top. But I'm not going for the climb or the view.

Crazy credits
Opening credits prologue: In those years, 1859 and on, in the dusk before the nation plunged into the red night of civil warfare, the plains of Kansas were an earlier battleground. Down from the north, down to Kansas: up from the south, up to Kansas, came hordes - each bent on voting the territory into the Union as its own. The battle cry of the day was - - "On to Kansas."