The Jayhawkers!
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Melvin Frank
Jeff Chandler
Fess Parker
Nicole Maurey
Henry Silva
Herbert Rudley
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Just prior to the Civil War, Cam Bleeker breaks out of a Kansas Territorial prison because he cannot believe the news he has received telling him that his beloved wife is dead. After being injured during his escape, Cam arrives at his homestead in a state of delirium and is shocked to see that it is now inhabited by a French widow, Jeanne DuBois, and her two children, Paul and Marthe. The beautiful Jeanne tends his wounds and reluctantly shows him the grave of his wife. Her own husband, she explains, believed so strongly in freedom that he brought his family from France to the United States in order to help build the free, young nation. Shortly after they bought the Bleeker property, which had been seized by the government following Cam's imprisonment and Mrs. Bleeker's death, the Missouri Redlegs, a pro-slavery gang, raided the house and killed her husband. Now she hopes Cam will stay on to help her run the ranch, and after agreeing, Cam soon finds that he has become attached both to the children and to Jeanne. Before long, a posse arrives looking for Cam, and for the children's safety, he surrenders. He is brought before Governor William Clayton, who promises to return his freedom if he will find and capture Luke Darcy, the elusive leader of a powerful group of raiders called the Jayhawkers. Cam protests that he had led raiders of his own, an act that landed him in prison, merely to protect his home, and that he is unwilling to offer assistance either to the pro-slavery governor or his anti-slavery enemies. Clayton finally enlists Cam's cooperation by revealing that Darcy, after capturing Cam's wife during a raid, made love to the woman then abandoned her, whereupon she became an alcoholic and a tramp. Poor and alone, she eventually died of pneumonia. Jeanne tells Cam that he has no right to seek revenge, but he leaves her and rides off in search of Darcy. Through one of his own former raiders, Cam soon locates the "backwoods Napoleon," who, although willing to kill any Jayhawker who violates his rules, is very charismatic and even impresses Cam. Cam, in turn, impresses Darcy, and soon the escaped prisoner becomes the gang leader's right-hand man. One evening, Darcy admits that he had indeed loved Cam's wife but that their love had been a mistake. Cam is moved by Darcy's truthfulness, and when the Jayhawkers attack the next town, he saves Darcy's life. During a visit to Jeanne, Cam declares that he has joined the Jayhawkers, infuriating the Frenchwoman, who in her homeland had seen "big men" make empty promises similar to Darcy's. Meanwhile, Lordan, a Jayhawker who despises Cam, secretly sends a posse after him, but Cam gets away. Furious, Darcy almost kills Lordan for his act of betrayal. During a raid, Marthe runs after Cam and is nearly trampled to death by the Jayhawkers' horses. Cam delivers the injured child to Jeanne, who, by screaming that he is a murderer, finally persuades Cam to abandon the Jayhawkers. Cam discovers that wealthy cattle owners from several states soon will descend on Abilene for a huge cattle sale. By convincing Darcy that a raid on a scheduled train will yield enough money to secure Kansas for the Jayhawkers, Cam persuades him to ambush the train. Unknown to Darcy, instead of a gold shipment, the train will carry Clayton's troops, and Darcy will be apprehended. Jeanne assists Cam with the plan, but Darcy's charm and gratitude make both her and Cam feel uneasy. Unknown to them, Lordan has discovered the plot and returned to Abilene with the news. At the last moment, Cam decides to warn Darcy about Clayton's impending attack, but Darcy, instead of fleeing from the approaching soldiers, angrily challenges Cam to a fight to the death. During the fight, Darcy gets Cam's gun, but Cam retrieves it. As Clayton's soldiers approach the saloon door and prepare to hang Darcy, Cam challenges his friend to a duel. Darcy draws his gun, but Cam fires first and Darcy dies, saved from a hanging death he considered hideous and undignified. The governor agrees to pardon Cam, and as Darcy's body is borne away, Cam takes Jeanne's hand and looks on with sorrow and respect.
Director
Melvin Frank
Cast
Jeff Chandler
Fess Parker
Nicole Maurey
Henry Silva
Herbert Rudley
Frank Dekova
Don Megowan
Leo Gordon
Shari Lee Bernath
Jimmy Carter
Renata Vanni
Berel Firestone
Allan Wyatt
Charles Bail
Ned Glass
Richard Shannon
Barbara Knudson
Max Power
Joe Forte
Tony Regan
Howard Joslin
John Wiley Rice
Courtland Shepard
Frank Hagney
Frank Wilcox
Dean Stanton
Charles Boaz
Kenneth Macdonald
Glenn Strange
Harry Clexx
James E. Hope
Mike Mahoney
George Barrows
Mitchell Kowal
Polly Burson
Carole Conn
Paul Mcguire
Richard T. Adams
William E. Green
Jack Kruschen
Eric Alden
Boyd Morgan
Crew
Lloyd Allen
Roland Anderson
Barney Barnett
Bud Bashaw
Howard Beals
Claire Behnke
A. I. Bezzerides
Mike Caffey
Earl Canter
Carl Coleman
Sam Comer
A. D. Cook
Everett Douglas
Frank Dugas
Farciot Edouart
Frank Fenton
Lyle Figland
Ed Fitzharris
Melvin Frank
Melvin Frank
John P Fulton
Hubert Graham
Loyal Griggs
Doane Harrison
Edith Head
John Holden
Winston Leverett
Phil Loranger
Nellie Manley
Daniel Mccauley
Jerome Moross
Richard Mueller
William Mull
Rocky Nelson
Wally Oliver
Norman Panama
Hal Pereira
Joseph Petracca
Glen Richardson
Irmin Roberts
Robert Rogers
Arthur Rosson
Dave Salven
Dominic Seminerio
Darrell Silvera
Ruth Stella
Lenore Weaver
Wally Westmore
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film was very loosely based on the exploits of the "Jayhawkers," the name given to various groups based in Kansas before the Civil War. While some of the groups were abolitionists, others, under the guise of abolition, were bandits who raided their opponents in Kansas and neighboring states. Contemporary reviews noted that the film was filled with historical inaccuracies, and the Hollywood Reporter critic commented: "The reason, in this case, for pointing out historical inaccuracies is not to strike a blow for pedantry but to emphasize that almost any valid tale of the Border War would have been better entertainment."
Jeff Chandler was borrowed from Universal-International for the production, which, according to contemporary news items, was partially shot on location at the Janss Ranch in Conejo, CA. Hollywood Reporter news items added the following actors to the cast, although their appearance in the completed picture has not been confirmed: Clyde Howdy, Jimmy Casino, Beverly Englander, Abdel S. Moussa, Allan Douglas, Fenton Jones and Clark Allen. A January 1959 Hollywood Reporter news item stated that Jamie and Dana Chandler, the children of Jeff Chandler, and producer Norman Panama's daughter Kathleen had been cast in the picture, but their appearance in the completed film also has not been confirmed.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1959
VistaVision
Released in United States 1959
