Classic Westerns

Drums in the Deep South (1951)

Director: William C. Menzies
Actors: James Craig, Barbara Payton, Guy Madison, Barton MacLane, Craig Stevens
Runtime: 87 min.

Clay Clayborn (James Craig) and Will Denning (Guy Madison) are two college friends from West Point who find themselves fighting on opposite sides of the Civil War. Each is unaware that the opposing force is led by his friend, but Clay's former fiance Kathy Summers (Barbara Payton) knows and she tries to prevent them from killing each other.

Trivia: Director William Cameron Menzies is best known as a set designer. He designed the sets for numerous films, including Gone With the Wind . His work is credited far and wide for its role in elevating cinema to the level of a respected form of art. Composer Dimitri Tiomkin received a total of 16 Academy award nominations, winning the Best Music and Best Score award for High Noon and the Best Score award for The High and the Mighty, The Old Man and the Sea.