Western legends John Wayne and Roy Rogers only made one film along with a 1940 Civil War classic called Dark Command. Wayne is one of the most famous Western stars of the 20th century and is largely responsible for shaping the genre in the American film industry and beyond. Wayne starred in several groundbreaking Western films, including John Ford's blockbusters Diligence (1939) and The researchers (1956).
While Wayne's legacy speaks for itself, Roy Rogers was also a central figure in the western genre. Often nicknamed "King of the Cowboys", Rogers became an icon of mysticism and Western entertainment as an actor, singer, television host and rodeo performer. Although Wayne and Rogers represent different aspects of the Western genre, they would both appear in the same Western film at some point. This ended up being Dark Commandwhich is yet another classic war romance drama but it still has western elements,
John Wayne and Roy Rogers' Dark Command was a successful Western team
Raoul Walsh's direction makes Dark Command a great film
Dark Command offers Western lovers a rare pleasure in seeing Wayne and Rogers sharing a screen for the only time in cinema history. The film is set in Kansas during the Civil War, in a battle between pro-Union and pro-Confederate camps. The film also stars Claire Trevor and Diligence acclaim and Walter Pidgeon, best known for his role as Dr. Morbius in Forbidden Planet. Dark Command earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and is available to stream on Plex and Tubi.
Dark Command was released shortly after Diligencewhich led to Wayne becoming an "A" movie star soon after. The film is directed by Raoul Walsh, who created dozens of classic films such as White Heat and The Roaring 20s. The combination of Wayne and Walsh is one of the main highlights of Dark Commandwhich is made even better by the inclusion of Rogers. Rogers starred in dozens of Westerns, including The Roy Rogers Showthroughout the 1940s and 1950s.
John Wayne and Roy Rogers were very different types of western movie stars
Rogers is quite polished compared to Wayne's rugged masculinity
What's most interesting Dark Command it's the juxtaposition between Wayne and Rogers' essentially opposite cowboy personas. Rogers was basically a singing cowboy, which Wayne obviously wasn't.carrying a dry, hardened demeanor throughout all of his films. Rogers is also quite polished compared to the rugged masculinity of Wayne's protagonists. Still, as demonstrated in Dark CommandBoth Western legends are willing to get their hands dirty to create a compelling picture of Western wartime and offer a glimpse into the tumultuous landscape during the early Civil War.