STACK #189 Jul 2020

FILM FEATURE

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THE

DUKE

RIDES AGAIN

Five features from JohnWayne’s early filmography make a welcome return to DVD & Blu-ray on July 1. Words Bob J.

DARK COMMAND (1940) Directed by Raoul Walsh

Following John Wayne's standout performance in John Ford's landmark western Stagecoach (1939), Republic Studios took advantage of their rising star's success and cast him in their first A-western,

Dark Command . With a proposed budget of

$700,000 the studio brought in the respected director Raoul Walsh, who ten years earlier had given Wayne his screen name. The film was a historical drama loosely based on the Missouri border raider William Quantrell during the American Civil War. Wayne plays Bob Seaton, an illiterate drifter who finds approval from the townsfolk of Lawrence, Kansas, and becomes their elected federal marshal. Seaton's adversary and romantic rival is Will Cantrell (Walter Pidgeon) – both men vying for the hand of Mary McCloud (Claire Trevor). Walsh's sharp eye for action delivers some well-staged sequences including an incredible stunt of a wagon careering over a cliff (performed by the expert stuntman Yakima Canutt), and the grand finale of Cantrell's burning of Lawrence. Look out for character actor George "Gabby" Hayes providing comic relief as Wayne's sidekick, and the singing cowboy Roy Rogers in one of his early serious roles. The film was a box-office hit and received two Academy Award nominations. FLAME OF BARBARY COAST (1945) Directed by Joseph Cane

This film was touted as the crowning achievement of Republic's first decade in the movie business. The story concerns the romantic adventures of cattleman Duke Fergus (Wayne), who comes to San Francisco to collect money owed him by the owner of a rip-roaring gambling saloon. Whilst there he meets the beautiful Flaxen (who gives the film its title), played

54 JULY 2020

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