Drango

Major Clint Drango [Jeff Chandler] and Captain Marc Banning [John Lupton] ride into Kennesaw Pass, Georgia, at the end of the Civil War, a place still raw with memories of lost lives and ruined homes. The town bears the marks of Sherman’s march to the sea, and its people are wary of outsiders stepping in to govern them.

Drango is installed as the new military governor, but the atmosphere remains tense. Local power figures, including Judge Allen [Donald Crisp] and his son Clay [Ronald Howard], make it plain that these Yankee rulers are not welcome, and the grip of old loyalties lingers in every street. When a local man deemed disloyal to the Confederacy is set to stand trial for a recent killing, the jury refuses to serve, and the man is lynched. His daughter Kate Calder [Joanne Dru] holds Drango responsible, while Judge Allen is heartbroken by how justice in the town seems to have collapsed.

Determined to restore law, Drango moves to bring those responsible to account, but Shelby Ransom [Julie London], a wealthy resident, shields the fugitives, including her lover Clay. A doctor [Dr. Blair, played by [Walter Sande]] and a newspaper editor offer support to help restore order. From nearby Fort Dalton, Colonel Bracken [Milburn Stone] criticizes Drango for not being harsh enough and confiscates the town’s food, rationing it to keep the peace. Clay’s men strike back with a raid; the doctor is wounded, the newspaper office is set ablaze, and the editor’s young son is killed in the violence.

Over time, Drango’s fairness and honesty begin to win allies in the town, including Kate Calder. Yet Shelby presses Clay to stay and even tries to control the town’s fate, prompting Clay to slap her and lure Captain Banning into an ambush. While Drango is away at Fort Dalton pleading his case with Colonel Bracken, Banning is killed in the ambush, a loss mourned by several townspeople and viewed by some as a grim turn of events.

The judge confronts his son about the lawlessness tearing the town apart, and Clay intensifies his plan to lay siege to Fort Dalton. In a desperate stand in the street, Drango is shot and wounded, but Clay is killed by his own father, who had vowed to stop the violence even at the cost of his son’s life. Order is gradually restored as Drango and a contingent of townspeople depart for Fort Dalton to end the rationing and pursue a peaceful resolution.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 09:25