Drango

Last updated

Drango
Drangpos.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Hall Bartlett
Jules Bricken
Written byHall Bartlett
Produced byHall Bartlett
Jules Bricken
Meyer Mishkin
Jeff Chandler
StarringJeff Chandler
Joanne Dru
Julie London
Donald Crisp
Ronald Howard
Milburn Stone
Cinematography James Wong Howe
Edited by Leon Selditz
Music by Elmer Bernstein
Production
companies
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • January 1957 (1957-01)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million [1]

Drango is a 1957 American Western film produced by Jeff Chandler's production company Earlmar Productions, written and directed by Hall Bartlett, and released by United Artists. Starring Chandler in the title role, the film also features Ronald Howard, Joanne Dru, Julie London and Donald Crisp. Set in the town of Kennesaw, Georgia in the months immediately following the American Civil War, the story depicts the efforts of a resolute Union Army officer who had participated in the town's destruction during Sherman's March determined to make amends.

Contents

Plot

Union officers Major Drango and Captain Banning ride into Kennesaw Pass, Georgia, at the end of the Civil War; a town ravaged by the war, particularly during Sherman's March to the Sea, its citizens are still bitter about the lives and property lost. Drango is the new military governor, but townspeople including Judge Allen and his son Clay make it clear that these Yankees are not welcome.

A local man seen as disloyal to the Confederacy, set to be tried by Drango's demand for a recent killing, is lynched after the townspeople refuse to serve as jurors. The man's daughter, Kate Calder, blames Drango for letting it happen, while Judge Allen is distraught by how justice has utterly failed his town.

Drango attempts to bring the men responsible to justice, but wealthy citizen Shelby Ransom harbors the fugitives, including her lover Clay. A doctor and newspaper editor offer Drango their support in restoring order. Colonel Bracken from nearby Fort Dalton finds fault with Drango for not being tough enough, so he confiscates the town's food supply and rations it. Clay's men stage a raid. The doctor is wounded during Clay's raid, the newspaper office is set ablaze and the editor's young son is accidentally killed.

Despite the revelation to the townspeople that the root of Drango's presence in Kennesaw Pass is to atone for his part in Sherman's march, Drango's fairness and honesty in his command during the Union rationing over time has won him some more support within town, including Kate Calder. An angered Shelby tries to order Clay from her home, but he slaps her and makes her lure the absent Captain Banning to an ambush. Drango, away from town pleading his case to Colonel Bracken, returns to find Banning, killed in Clay's ambush, being laid to rest by several townspeople; the ambush an unfortunate success.

The judge confronts his son over his unlawful acts, as Clay now aims to lay siege to Fort Dalton, but Clay refuses to listen. In a desperate last stand to stop open revolt, Drango stands in the street, only to be shot and injured for his defiance. But Clay in turn is shot and killed by his own father (who earlier said he would rather see his own son killed in the street than wage war against the Union), restoring law and order to the town. Drango and several townspeople, ally and not, depart for Fort Dalton to end the rationing in a peaceful way.

Cast

Production

The film was made by Jeff Chandler's own production company, Earlmar, for United Artists. It was meant to be the first of a six-picture deal Earlmar had with United, with Chandler to star in three of them. [2] The film was a co-production with the production company of Hal Bartlett, who wrote the script. [3]

Chandler had risen to fame playing Cochise in Broken Arrow . "It's no Indian story", said Chandler, "let Cochise rest in peace." [4]

Half the movie was shot on location in the south; filming started in St Francisville in June 1956. [2]

Ronald Howard made his American debut in the film. [5] Linda Darnell signed to play the female lead, with Donald Crisp and Julie London in support. [6] Darnell had to pull out because of a virus and she was replaced with Joanne Dru. [7]

Follow Up

The second film Chandler was meant to make for United Artists was Lincoln McKeever, based on a novel by Eliezar Lipsky about a frontiersman appointed to the Supreme Court. [2] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Chandler</span> American actor (1918–1961)

Jeff Chandler was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was one of Universal Pictures' more popular male stars of the 1950s. His other credits include Sword in the Desert (1948), Deported (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), and Away All Boats (1956). In addition to his acting in film, he was known for his role in the radio program Our Miss Brooks, as Phillip Boynton, her fellow teacher and clueless object of affection, and for his musical recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Dru</span> American actress (1922–1996)

Joanne Dru was an American film and television actress, known for such films as Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, All the King's Men, and Wagon Master.

<i>Climax!</i> American anthology TV series

Climax! is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color, using the massive TK-40A color cameras pioneered and manufactured by RCA, and used primarily by CBS's rival network, NBC. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live, but, although the series was transmitted in color, only black-and-white kinescope copies of some episodes survive to the present day. The series finished at #22 in the Nielsen ratings for the 1955–1956 season and #26 for 1956–1957.

<i>Man in the Shadow</i> (1957 American film) 1958 film by Jack Arnold

Man in the Shadow is a 1957 American CinemaScope crime Western film directed by Jack Arnold and starring Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, Colleen Miller and Ben Alexander.

<i>Zarak</i> 1956 British film

Zarak is a 1957 CinemaScope adventure film based on the 1949 book The Story of Zarak Khan by A.J. Bevan. It was directed by Terence Young with assistance from John Gilling and Yakima Canutt. Set in the Northwest Frontier, the film stars Victor Mature, Michael Wilding and Anita Ekberg and features Patrick McGoohan in a supporting role.

<i>The Spoilers</i> (1955 film) 1955 film by Jesse Hibbs

The Spoilers is a 1955 American Western film directed by Jesse Hibbs and starring Anne Baxter, Jeff Chandler and Rory Calhoun. Set in Nome, Alaska during the 1898 Gold Rush, it culminates in a spectacular saloon fistfight between Glennister (Chandler) and McNamara (Calhoun).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chubby Johnson</span> American character actor and journalist

Charles Randolph "Chubby" Johnson was an American film and television supporting character actor with a genial demeanor and warm, country-accented voice.

<i>Boy on a Dolphin</i> 1957 film by Jean Negulesco

Boy on a Dolphin is a 1957 American romantic adventure film theatrically released by 20th Century-Fox. It is set in Greece and shot in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. It was directed by Jean Negulesco and produced by Samuel G. Engel from a screenplay by Ivan Moffat and Dwight Taylor, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by David Divine.

<i>The Chase</i> (1966 film) 1966 American drama film directed by Arthur Penn

The Chase is a 1966 American drama film, directed by Arthur Penn, written by Lillian Hellman, and starring Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, and Robert Redford. It tells the story of a series of events that are set into motion by a prison break. The film also features E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Robert Duvall, and James Fox.

<i>The Jayhawkers!</i> 1959 film by Melvin Frank

The Jayhawkers! is a 1959 American Technicolor VistaVision western film directed by Melvin Frank, starring Jeff Chandler as Luke Darcy and Fess Parker as Cam Bleeker. The film is set in pre-Civil War Kansas. Darcy leads a gang which seeks to take advantage of Bleeding Kansas ; Bleeker joins the gang. The supporting cast features Henry Silva and Leo Gordon.

<i>Chief Crazy Horse</i> (film) 1955 film by George Sherman

Chief Crazy Horse is a 1955 American CinemaScope Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Victor Mature, Suzan Ball and John Lund. The film is a fictionalized biography of the Lakota Sioux Chief Crazy Horse. It was also known as Valley of Fury.

<i>Hell on Frisco Bay</i> 1956 film by Frank Tuttle

Hell on Frisco Bay is a 1956 American CinemaScope film noir crime film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Alan Ladd, Edward G. Robinson and Joanne Dru. It was made for Ladd's own production company, Jaguar.

<i>Return to Peyton Place</i> (film) 1961 film by José Ferrer

Return to Peyton Place is a 1961 American drama film in color by De Luxe and CinemaScope, produced by Jerry Wald, directed by José Ferrer, and starring Carol Lynley, Tuesday Weld, Jeff Chandler, Eleanor Parker, Mary Astor, and Robert Sterling. The screenplay by Ronald Alexander is based on the 1959 novel Return to Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox and is a sequel to their earlier film Peyton Place (1957).

<i>The Tattered Dress</i> 1957 film by Jack Arnold

The Tattered Dress is a 1957 American CinemaScope film noir crime film released by Universal Pictures and directed by Jack Arnold. It stars Jeff Chandler, Jeanne Crain, Jack Carson, Gail Russell and Elaine Stewart.

<i>The Dark Avenger</i> 1955 film by Henry Levin

The Dark Avenger is a 1955 British historical action adventure film in CinemaScope directed by Henry Levin. The screenplay was written by Daniel B. Ullman. The film stars Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru and Peter Finch. The music score is by Cedric Thorpe Davie. It is also known as The Warriors in the United States, and had a working title of The Black Prince in the United Kingdom.

<i>Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford</i> (1921 film) 1921 film

Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford is a lost 1921 American silent comedy film directed by Frank Borzage. The film's script was adapted by writer Luther Reed from the 1910 Broadway play by George M. Cohan, which in turn was adapted from the novel Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford by George Randolph Chester. Produced by Cosmopolitan Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation, the film was released in seven reels on December 4, 1921.

<i>Pillars of the Sky</i> 1956 American film

Pillars of the Sky is a 1956 American CinemaScope western film directed by George Marshall and starring Jeff Chandler, Dorothy Malone and Ward Bond. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures.

<i>Sign of the Pagan</i> 1954 film by Douglas Sirk

Sign of the Pagan is a 1954 American historical drama film directed by Douglas Sirk, shot in CinemaScope, and released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Jeff Chandler, Jack Palance, Ludmilla Tchérina, and Rita Gam.

<i>Stranger in My Arms</i> 1959 film by Helmut Käutner

A Stranger in My Arms is a 1959 American CinemaScope drama film directed by Helmut Käutner and starring June Allyson, Jeff Chandler, Sandra Dee, Charles Coburn, Mary Astor and Peter Graves.

<i>Black Spurs</i> 1965 film by R. G. Springsteen

Black Spurs is a 1965 American Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Linda Darnell, Terry Moore, Scott Brady, Lon Chaney Jr., James Best, Richard Arlen, Bruce Cabot and scenes with James Brown and DeForest Kelley. The film was released on June 25, 1965, by Paramount Pictures.

References

  1. ↑ "Tuesday Proclaimed as L.A. Free Enterprise Day". Los Angeles Times. April 26, 1956. p. 23.
  2. 1 2 3 THOMAS M. PRYOR (April 23, 1956). "R.K.O. TO MAKE SPACE-TEST FILM: Feature to Depict Efforts of U.S. Scientists to Launch an Earth Satellite". New York Times. p. 23.
  3. ↑ Richard Dyer MacCann. The (January 15, 1957). "Films Treat Civil Liberties: Hollywood Letter". Christian Science Monitor. p. 5.
  4. ↑ The (May 16, 1956). "Louella Parsons: Linda Darnell Signs With Jeff Chandler". Washington Post and Times-Herald. p. 37.
  5. ↑ THOMAS M. PRYOR (May 1, 1956). "CARNERA CHARGES STUDIO WITH FOUL: Ex-Boxer Sues Columbia for $1,500,000 Damages Over 'The Harder They Fall' Milland Signed for 'Stockade' Of Local Origin". New York Times. p. 37.
  6. ↑ THOMAS M. PRYOR (May 15, 1956). "FILMING DELAYED BY CLIFT'S MISHAP: M-G-M Halts Production of 'Raintree County' Pending Leading Actor's Recovery Malden in 'Piersall Story'". New York Times. p. 26.
  7. ↑ "Virus Forces Darnell Out of Film 'Drango'". Los Angeles Times. June 1, 1956. p. B6.
  8. ↑ Schallert, Edwin (February 2, 1957). "'McKeever' Ready Soon for Jeff Chandler; New Drug Feature Planned". Los Angeles Times. p. B3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.