Monday, February 23, 2009

DRANGO debut airing on Encore Westerns

Hey you Jeff Chandler fans (and those of fellow West Virginian Joanne Dru, brother of Peter Marshall the original host, back in the day,  of  THE HOLLYWOOD SQUARES).  DRANGO, not Durango, not Django, not Jango, not Shango and not even Cjamango....one of Jeff's rarely seen westerns will air on Encore Westerns on the first of March (check your local listings).  This 1957 civil war oater stars ol' Jeff as Major Drango (not Major Dundee....that's another movie) who is appointed US Military governor to a small Georgia community where tensions, needless to say, are running high affter the defeat of the Confederacy.....and the fly in the ointment is that ol' Jeff hisself participated in Sherman's march through the state.  John Lupton is featured as an embittered Confederate Captain and guess who....you are CORRECT....Joanne is the love interest. Other featured familiar faces are Julie London, Milburn Stone (made on hiatus from GUNSMOKE), Chubby Johnson (one of my least favorite side-kick types), Bing (Kurt's dad) Russell, Parley Baer (the voice of Chester on radio's Gunsmoke and years away from his role as the mayor on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW), Donald Crisp (the patriarch, Mr Morgan in HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY) and Ronald Howard (no relation to Ron or Rance....but Leslie's kid).  I'm going to take a look-see as I have never seen this movie.

Bonus....Rex Allen sings the title song.

1 comment:

Tom B. said...

I saw it years ago. Very dark and town bound. If I recall Chandler is assigned to govern a town he was once forced to plunder. You've seen it all before so don't get too excited or you'll be greatly disappointed.