The Jayhawkers!

Sometimes sports rivalries can be pretty legit. As my friend pointed out, Missouri vs. Kansas isn't just two schools who hate each other. This is two states that brutally went back and forth against each other prior to the Civil War in hopes of bringing Kansas into the U.S. as a free, Northern state. So when you hear "border warfare" between the two schools, remember, it's not so bad. The conflict was even dubbed Bleeding Kansas. It's naturally a touchy subject, especially one for a feature film, but that doesn't seem to stop 1959's The Jayhawkers!

It's shortly before the Civil War in 1860, and Cam Bleeker (Fess Parker) has escaped from the territorial prison in Kansas. Wounded with a bullet in his shoulder, he returns home to find a very pretty French widow, Jeanne (Nicole Maurey), living in his home and on his land with her two kids. He finds out the truth, his wife died months earlier from unknown reasons. It's not long then before he's caught by the army and offered a choice. Bleeker will earn himself a full pardon for his past actions if he can somehow bring Luke Darcy (Jeff Chandler) to justice. With a small army of fighters and gunmen, Darcy intends to turn Kansas into his own country, seemingly without a preference to free or slave state. The only problem is that Darcy has forted up somewhere in the foothills, and no one knows where his hideout is. Making Bleeker's decision easier, he finds out Darcy may have somehow been involved with his wife's death. He takes the offer having to first find Darcy and his gang of Jayhawkers, but he doesn't know the full truth.

From director Melvin Frank, I remembered this one vaguely from watching it as a kid. A huge Davy Crockett fan then (and now to be fair), I watched it for Fess Parker, the mountain fortress sticking with me all these years. It popped up recently on a movie channel I didn't realize I had so I thought it was as good a time as any to catch up with it. Let's start with the positives. A quasi-western about Bleeding Kansas gets points just for having some balls. That is one particularly nasty period in American history so quite a challenge for a modestly budgeted western. So there, No. 1, an attempt at originality. On top of that, it's a very pretty western, shot with some impressive vistas and horizon shots that John Ford would have been proud of. Also, composer Jerome Moross turns in a score that's all around solid, big and booming (a little too "epic-y" at times) to keep up with the action and developing story. 

Never quite the huge film stars they could have been -- Parker more of a television star thanks to Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone, Chandler with a career tragically cut short by his sudden death in 1962 at the young age of 42 --both Chandler (getting top billing) and Parker are well cast. I liked the darkness of either character. Chanlder's Jeff Darcy is an egomaniacal maniac....but a really smooth, charming one. He wants Kansas, ALL of it for himself. His methods are brutally harsh, innocent people caught up in his wake, but for many, there's a method to his madness as his followers increase. Parker too gets a good shot at a significantly darker role than he'd previously had and doesn't disappoint. His Cam Bleeker (also a nomination for Coolest Name Ever) is hell bent on revenge and his target is Darcy. The relationship between the two men is maybe the most surprising thing about the movie, mostly good, some questionable.

Because every western needs a female character -- read = Sarcasm -- we get Maurey as Jeanne, a French widow who ends up with Bleeker through an odd set of circumstances, one after another. Her children are very badly dubbed it seems to the point it can be distracting listening to them talk. It's not that this is a bad or uninteresting character, it's just that she seems out of place and forced into the story. Henry Silva is a slimy scene-stealer as Lordan, Darcy's right hand man and brutal enforcer while Don Megowan and Leo Gordon play two of his Jayhawkers. Herbert Rudley plays the Governor of Kansas, cutting a deal with Bleeker. Also look quickly for uncredited Jack Kruschen and Harry Dean Stanton as a sheriff and deputy in pursuit of a fleeing Bleeker.

Unfortunately, it ain't all positive. A potentially really dark story with a revenge-seeking convict cutting a deal to capture a maniacal, power hungry man just should have been better. It just should have. Parker's Bleeker seems to fall awfully easy for Chandler's Darcy and all his motivations. Even when something goes horribly wrong late in the movie, Bleeker is pissed.........but really only to a point. For the sake of the movie he keeps on going to get his revenge, but even then, the brakes get tapped. All I ask is commit to the darkness or don't go there at all. There's even a bizarre scene in tone early as Bleeker "teaches" Jeanne's two French-speaking children English, or at least a Parker-like English. Bleeker instructs them "I'm a-going, she's a-going, he's a-going" and keeps on going. It's a painful scene in execution and completely out of place.

That's the biggest deal breaker. It's a lot of potential here that is never tapped. For a movie that runs 100 minutes, just not enough happens. Lots and lots of talking with no real payoff, including an ending that I felt cheated a bit. A decent watch thanks to some interesting casting, but mostly this was just a disappointment.

The Jayhawkers! (1959): **/****

Two Flags West

For four years between 1861 and 1865, the Civil War raged on as North fought South, mostly in the eastern half of the country.  Out west though, life went on, and the U.S. army and cavalry still had to protect settlers from raiding Indians from any number of tribes.  It's a little known but always interesting part of American history, this time in the west that is overshadowed what was happening back in the east. It's a topic that's been explored a couple times through film, most notably Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee and John Sturges' Escape from Fort Bravo, and now I can add another to the list, 1950's Two Flags West, an obvious influence on both films.

So if a majority of your soldiers are off fighting elsewhere, what does an army do to fill out its ranks? In 1863, President Lincoln passed a proclamation stating that any Confederate prisoners of war in Union prison camps could sign up to fight with the Union in the west, battling Indians rather than wasting away in a prison camp.  As if fighting Indians wasn't enough, any movie dealing with this situation now gets the natural rivalry and hatred of North vs. South now forced to work alongside each other.  If that's not a recipe for success, I don't know what is. 'Flags' plays on that sentiment, ending up with an underrated and exciting Civil War/western combo.

On his way to Fort Thorn, a remote outpost in New Mexico, wounded Union officer Capt. Bradford (Cornel Wilde) stops at a Union prison camp in Illinois, offering Confederate cavalry there commanded by Colonel Clay Tucker (Joseph Cotten) a proposition. If they enlist in the Union army, they can ride out of the camp and join him in traveling west to fight the warring and dangerous Apache tribe in the southwest. Tucker and his fellow surviving prisoners -- some 40-plus men -- agree and head west with Bradford to Fort Thorn. There they find the situation a little more prickly than they imagined. In addition to the Apaches, they must deal with Major Kenniston (Jeff Chandler), an officer with a deep-seeded hatred for any Confederates who he blames for his brother's death. His brother's widow, Elena (Linda Darnell), is also at the post, providing even more of a rivalry among the new arrivals.

With the talented cast involved and the above-average finished product, I'm semi-stunned to see this movie has no reputation at all, either positive or negative.  I was lucky enough to catch it on TCM's recent tribute to Linda Darnell, but other than that it's not available anywhere on DVD or even VHS (that I could find). It makes sense of course. It's a good movie, lost in a sea of good movies over the years. Director Robert Wise turns out a solid western that knows what it is doing and how to entertain. 'Flags' is a pretty dark western overall, especially for one released in 1950, and has its fair share of violence, some of which is surprisingly graphic and gruesome. It doesn't overstay its welcome at just 92 minutes, but coupled with an interesting story, great cast, gorgeous New Mexico locations and a solid score from composer Hugo Friedhofer, ends up being an above average western that deserves some sort of reputation.

Maybe some of the issue is the casting. Cotten, Darnell, Chandler and Wilde are not HUGE names when it comes to movie stars.  I count that as a big positive here.  They're all good actors, not just stars.  They work well together in an ensemble that does have a lot going on, but Wise keeps all those plates spinning for the most part.  Cotten is the gentleman Southern officer, a more than capable soldier who looks out for his men above all else.  Chandler gets to be a villain of sorts playing a character that reminded me of Henry Fonda's performance in Fort Apache.  He always played flawed good guys so doing a 180 is a nice twist. Wilde is the odd man out with the smaller part but he makes the most of it. And instead of a love triangle, we've got a love square with Darnell having to decide among those three actors.  My only other movie I've seen Darnell in is My Darling Clementine -- not a great performance for her but not really her fault -- so this is a drastic improvement.

Filmed in black and white, Wise's cavalry western with North meeting South isn't your typical western. Sure, there are those iconic shots a la John Ford of a cavalry troop riding across the horizon, but in general there is a darkness here that you don't see often.  Chandler's Major Kenniston hates the Confederates -- he was wounded in the opening moments of the fighting at First Bull Run and later escaped from Libby Prison -- and through his hatred almost gets his whole command wiped out. Cotten's Colonel Tucker is a proud Southern officer but only to a point, an issue which Kenniston pokes and prods. Everyone is out for themselves in this western, leading to a surprising ending.

Thinly garrisoned by aging and wounded Union soldiers sent west and a lone company of Confederate cavalry, Kenniston provokes an attack as the Apache tribes come together to attack Fort Thorn. For a modestly budgeted western, the assault on the fort is impressive in its scale.  Chaotic and violent, it looks like at one point the whole garrison -- women and children included -- will be massacred. The ending does provide a twist, Chandler's ego-maniacal officer given a chance to redeem himself.  Thin on action up to this point, the finale makes up for it.

In other supporting parts, look for Noah Beery Jr, Arthur Hunnicutt and Dale Robertson as the three most visible members of Colonel Tucker's Confederate troop. Jay C. Flippen has a small part as Sgt. Duffy, Kenniston's aide and a veteran soldier with plenty of experience. Flippen and Hunnicutt have a couple good back-and-forths with their Union vs. Confederacy rivalry. Skeptical as to why this movie had no notoriety, I wasn't sure what to expect from Two Flags West, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. If you can track down a copy or stumble across it on TCM again, I highly recommend it.

Two Flags West <---TCM trailer (1950): ***/****

Drango

The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history, but the Confederate surrender at Appomattox was far from the end of the war for much of the country. Not even accounting for the loss of life, huge portions of the South had been literally destroyed by the war. Business and industry literally had to be built from the ground up.  The Reconstruction Era followed the Civil War and lasted all the way into the late 1870s as America healed from the wounds of the war.

As few Civil War movies as there are (good ones at least), I can think of very few movies dealing with the Reconstruction, and that's part of what drew me to 1957's Drango. I will admit that at first I thought I had stumbled onto some weird American hybrid and a predecessor to the 1966 spaghetti western Django, but I was sorely mistaken.  During the war, North fought South in an attempt to regain control in the country, the North trying to free the slaves and the South fighting for states' rights (in a very simplified explanation of the war). But once the North had won, it was up to the U.S. government to rebuild because if the country hoped to move on, something had to be done to help the war-torn southern states.

Just months removed from the Confederate surrender and the end of the Civil War, two Union officers, Major Clint Drango (Jeff Chandler) and Capt. Marc Banning (John Lupton), ride into the town of Kennessaw Pass in Georgia. Drango has been tasked with starting the rebuilding process but immediately sees that the townspeople want nothing to do with him or his efforts, holding a deep hatred and resentment for what Union forces did just a year before in General Sherman's infamous march to the sea. Dealing with some inner demons, Drango goes to work, trying to go about the rebuilding the right way, by winning over the people instead of forcing them to do something.  His plan takes time, but it starts to show signs of working, only to see the groundwork torn apart by a Confederate officer, Clay Allen (Ronald Howard), who hopes to start the war all over again, resorting to terror tactics.

While few parts of the country went untouched during the war years between 1861 and 1865, few regions were as heavily impacted as the state of Georgia.  Trying to destroy Confederate infrastructure, General William Tecumseh Sherman basically unleashed his army through Georgia, burning, looting and destroying an entire state.  His March to the Sea is infamous in its brutal effectiveness and efficiency. In a historical context, it was necessary if brutal. Seeing the aftermath though, even in a movie made almost 100 years later, is startling, and we're just seeing one small Georgia town.  Crops burned, stores stolen, houses, churches and businesses burned to the ground.  It's easily understandable to see why these Southerners hold such a bubbling resentment of any help from Union officers.  Any complaints about the movie aside, that's Drango at its best.

Dying at the young age of 42 from blood poisoning following a back surgery, Jeff Chandler never became the star he could have.  In a 15-year span though, he was able to make over 40 movies, most of them B-movies and not major studio productions. But as was the case here with Drango, he delivers a moving performance that shows he was capable of the bigger, flashier roles.  His Clint Drango was part of Sherman's army, destroying as much of Georgia as possible, so he wants to right at least one wrong. He bonds with Joanne Dru's Kate, the daughter of a Union sympathizer who also deals with the glares, looks and judgments of the townspeople. He knows the job laid out for him is extremely difficult, but he intends to follow through, no matter how long it takes.

Portraying a post Civil War very bitter south is a trick subject here, especially with a movie that's only 92-minutes long.  For my liking, the townspeople's sentiment bounces around too much.  They're incredibly fickle, swaying and changing with every fresh wind coming down the road.  First, they hate Drango, then love him when they see his intentions are true, and then hate him again.  Maybe a longer, more developed movie could have covered these changes more effectively, but we're left with this shorter version.  It is frustrating also to see a people so full of hate they won't accept the helping hand being offered them.  Instead of moving on and putting their hate behind them, they're basically willing to wither away and die before admitting they need help. True to history? Maybe, but frustrating still.

In the opening credits, I was briefly under the impression that I was about to watch a 9-hour movie judging by the cast listing which was spread out over four or five pages of very small print.  After Chandler and Dru, the acting ranges from hammy and bad to moving and emotional.  Howard is a superb villain, charming and conniving all rolled up into one.  Donald Crisp is Judge Allen, the town patriarch blinded by his feelings who starts to see the error of his ways. The beautiful Julie London plays Shelby Ransom, Clay's girlfriend who questions what he's up to. Lupton isn't around enough to make much of an impression as Banning, but that's not his fault. Some of the townspeople include Parley Baer, Walter Sande, and Barney Phillips.

An interesting little picture covering a time in American history that is often overshadowed by the events that preceded it, and the events that would follow.  If you can find a copy, definitely a movie worth watching.

Drango (1957): ***/****

Merrill's Marauders

After reviewing a heavily anti-war movie yesterday, I thought it was only right to counter today with a different look at war and soldiers in a more heroic light.  The 1960s were full of war flicks that focused on real-life military units, like 1968's The Devil's Brigade that dealt with the First Special Service Force, and then for a change of pace here, 1962's Merrill's Marauders in the Pacific theater of WWII.

Directed by WWII vet Samuel Fuller, Marauders tells a mostly factual story of the 5307th Composite Unit (provisional), dubbed Merrill's Marauders after their commander, General Frank Merrill. This was a fighting force of 3,000 American volunteers with experience in jungle warfare after years of island-hopping across the Pacific on places like Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and many others. Fuller doesn't try to present the Marauders as a unit of Superman-like soldiers who can't be defeated.  These are men pushed to their physical, emotional and mental limits as they undertake a near-suicide mission late in WWII.  Heroes of course, but Fuller isn't going to shove any rhetoric down your throat.  Here's the story, and if you don't like it, tough.

Early in 1944 as the advantage shifts toward the Allies in WWII, the 5307th Composite Unit marches into Burma from India with a dangerous mission, get behind enemy lines and walk 125 miles undetected in Japanese territory to knock out a key Japanese supply base.  Commander Brigadier General Frank Merrill (Jeff Chandler) is at the lead, pushing his men every step of the way. The mission is a success if a costly one, but it's only the start.  The Marauders are ordered to continue on, marching further into the Burmese jungle on their way to an essential airfield at Myitkyina where they will link up with British forces.  Out in front leading his scout platoon, Lt. Stockton (Ty Hardin) begins to see the men wear down but somehow continue on, ready for whatever awaits them.   

Telling the story of the Marauders, Fuller puts together a fast-paced, full of action story that never slows down, even in the moments following the firefights as the men wait for orders.  With backing from the U.S. Army, Fuller films his story in the Philippines which does a fine job filling in for Burma.  Much of the movie is filmed in dense jungle, giving a feel of what trudging through such horrifically dense landscape would be like.  Howard Jackson's musical score borrows some from 1945's Objective Burma! but stands well on its own, supplying a driving pace at times that balance out the softer moments as the Marauders cope with their situation.

Chandler tragically died at the age of 42 before this last movie of his was ever in theaters, a shame because of how good his performance is.  Never a huge star, he was a class professional, and makes Merrill a red-blooded character, an officer who knows he must sacrifice some of his men if the Allies ever hope to win the war.  Difficult decisions, but he knows the end result will prove it all worthwhile.  He has a father-son relationship with Hardin's Stock, the platoon leader who struggles dealing with the ever-increasing casualties among his men.  Joining the platoon is Bullseye (Peter Brown), the sharpshooter, Kolowicz (Claude Akins), the tough but fair sergeant, Muley (Charlie Briggs), the mule driver with his pack animal Eleanor, Chowhound (Will Hutchins), the platoon a-hole, and Taggy (Filipino star Pancho Magalona), a Filipino volunteer. We get to know little to nothing about these men, but by seeing their actions, as viewers we get a strong sense of who they are as people.  The personal background would be a wasted effort.

Certain moments can bring a war movie up a notch or two, and it doesn't require an epic battle or a heroic sacrifice.  Here, it comes following a bloody battle at a railyard.  Stock walks over cement posts where the heaviest fighting took place, the bodies mingled together so closely it is impossible to tell who was American and who was Japanese.  It is one long tracking shot as Stock surveys the battle silently, Jackson's score playing softly.  A few minutes later, Akins -- in a career-best performance -- is offered food by a young boy and his grandmother.  They're just offering a cup of water and a bowl of rice (very little in the grand scheme of things), but Akins' Wolowicz breaks down, the exhaustion taking over of months behind enemy lines.  These are the moments that stick with you more than anything else, the mark of a truly moving story.

With his lightning quick pacing, Fuller covers a ton of ground in just 97 minutes. The studio made certain cuts -- including a slightly different ending -- giving the story a sometimes disjointed feel, but it never distracts for long.  The battle sequences sound like toy guns instead of real guns (Fuller opted for blanks instead of sound effects), but they're shot so well you hardly notice minutes in.  The movie ends on a positive note, asking the question that's been brought up the whole movie by Doc (Andrew Duggan). Men on the brink of exhaustion after months of fighting with limited supplies, how do they do it?  They did it because they had to.  A great, underrated WWII movie well worth catching up with.

Merrill's Marauders <---trailer (1962): *** 1/2 /****