The Command

"A Story Beyond Any Bigness the Screen Has Shown – The First Production from Warner Bros. in CinemaScope"

Feb 13 1954 Approved 1h 34m
Romance, Western

Once the commanding officer of a cavalry patrol is killed, the ranking officer who must take command is an army doctor.

Plot

Just before dying from wounds received in a skirmish with Indians Capt. Forsythe orders his cavalry troop's doctor, Capt. Robert MacClaw, to take command. His men don't like it and think that Sgt. Elliott should have been put in temporary command until they reach the Fort. MacClaw admits he knows little of battle tactics but takes charge only with the promise that he will do the best he can. If anything, the men are embarrassed at having such an inexperienced man leading them and MacClaw agrees not to let on that he's a doctor. When they arrive at a staging post they are ordered by the Colonel in command of a group of infantry to escort a wagon train of settlers moving west. There may be smallpox among them however and MacClaw is caught between his promise to his men and the demands of Martha Cutting who is trying to deal with the epidemic.

Written by

Russell S. Hughes, Samuel Fuller, James Warner Bellah

Directed by

David Butler

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
680
Average Rating
6.4 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA