Drango

Plot

Union officers Major Drango and Captain Banning ride into a Georgia town ravaged by the Civil War and 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 is lynched. The man's daughter, Kate Calder, blames Drango for letting it happen.

Drango attempts to bring the men responsible to justice, but wealthy Shelby Ransom harbors the fugitives, including Clay, her lover. Union colonel Bracken 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.

A doctor and newspaper editor offer Drango their support in restoring order. The newspaper office is set ablaze and the editor's young son is accidentally killed. Kate now sides with Drango, and an angered Shelby tries to order Clay from her home, but he slaps her and makes her lure Capt. Banning to an ambush.

Now even the judge is appalled by Clay's unlawful acts. He warns his son this must stop. Clay refuses to listen and shoots Drango, wounding him. He is about to kill Drango when a bullet from his father ends Clay's life, restoring law and order to the town.

Cast

Jeff Chandler as Major Clint Drango

Joanne Dru as Kate Calder

Julie London as Shelby Ransom

Donald Crisp as Judge Allen

Ronald Howard as Clay Allen

John Lupton as Capt. Marc Banning

Walter Sande as Dr. Blair

Milburn Stone as Col. Bracken

Morris Ankrum as Henry Calder

Parley Baer as George Randolph, Daily Herold

Damian O'Flynn as Gareth Blackford

Barney Phillips as Rev. Giles Cameron

Charles Horvath as Ragan

Katherine Warren as Mrs. Scott

Chubby Johnson as Zeb

David Stollery as Jeb Bryant

Edith Evanson as Mrs. Blackford

Anthony Jochim as Stryker the School Teacher

Amzie Strickland as Mrs. George Randolph

Mimi Gibson as Ellen Bryant

Helen Wallace as Mrs. Allen

Paul Lukather as Burke

Bing Russell as Lieutenant with Supply Wagon

Chuck Webster as Boy with Chicken

David Saber as Tommy Randolph

Phil Chambers as Luke

James Murphy as Bartender

Rex Allen as Himself - Singer of Title Song (voice)

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. The film was a co-production with the production company of Hal Bartlett, who wrote the script.

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

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

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

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.