Raoul Walsh knew exactly what he was doing when he hired Clark Gable for Band of Angels. He wanted the "King of Hollywood" to play Hamish Bond, a wealthy New Orleans merchant with a dark, sprawling secret. It was 1957. The studio, Warner Bros., was clearly trying to bottle lightning twice by recreating the Gone with the Wind magic. But honestly, looking back at the Band of Angels 1957 cast, this wasn't just a simple retread of Rhett Butler. It was a messy, ambitious, and deeply complicated attempt to handle the brutal realities of the antebellum South through the lens of a mid-century melodrama.
The film follows Amantha Starr, played by Yvonne De Carlo. She’s a pampered Kentucky belle who discovers, upon her father's death, that her mother was a slave. Suddenly, she's legally considered "property" and is sold at an auction. Gable’s character, Bond, buys her. Not to rescue her in the way we’d hope for today, but to keep her. It’s a plot that feels incredibly uncomfortable by modern standards, yet the chemistry and the pedigree of the actors involved make it a fascinating study in Hollywood's transitional era.
The Power Dynamic: Clark Gable and Yvonne De Carlo
Gable was 56 when this came out. You can see the age in his eyes, but he still had that effortless, slightly cynical charisma. He didn't want to do the movie at first. He felt the script was too close to his previous work, but the paycheck was massive. He plays Hamish Bond as a man haunted by his own past in the slave trade, which adds a layer of self-loathing you didn't usually see in Gable’s "charming rogue" roles.
Yvonne De Carlo was a bit of a surprise choice for some critics at the time. She was mostly known for "Exotic" roles or The Ten Commandments, where she played Sephora. Here, she had to carry the emotional weight of a woman whose entire identity is erased in a single afternoon. De Carlo’s performance is often overlooked because the film’s pacing is so frantic. One minute she’s a socialite, the next she’s on a boat to New Orleans. It’s jarring. But she holds her own against Gable. Their relationship is the definition of "it's complicated." It’s a mix of Stockholm Syndrome, genuine affection, and the horrific power imbalance of the era.
Sidney Poitier: The Real Star of the Show?
If you want to talk about the Band of Angels 1957 cast and not mention Sidney Poitier, you're missing the most important part of the movie. Poitier plays Rau-Ru, Hamish Bond's protege and overseer. This was a massive role for a Black actor in 1957. Rau-Ru isn't a caricature. He is educated, articulate, and deeply, righteously angry.
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Poitier was actually quite critical of the film later in his life. In his autobiography, This Life, he talked about the struggles of playing a character who was technically "favored" by a white master while still being enslaved. He brought a simmering intensity to the screen that often made Gable look like he was coasting. When Rau-Ru eventually turns against Bond during the Civil War segments of the film, you’re not just watching a plot point. You’re watching the shift in American cinema. Poitier was the future; the old Hollywood system Gable represented was the past.
The Supporting Players and the New Orleans Vibe
Warner Bros. didn't skimp on the atmosphere. They brought in Rex Thompson as Seth Parton and Patric Knowles as Charles de Marigny. Knowles was a veteran of these kinds of period pieces—he’d been in The Adventures of Robin Hood decades earlier. He brought a certain "old world" stuffiness that contrasted well with Gable’s ruggedness.
Then there’s Efrem Zimbalist Jr. He plays Ethan Sears, a Union soldier who becomes a romantic complication for Amantha. Zimbalist was just on the verge of becoming a major TV star with 77 Sunset Strip. Here, he’s the "moral" alternative to Gable’s Bond, but he’s nowhere near as interesting. The movie basically grinds to a halt whenever Gable isn't on screen. That was the problem with 1950s star vehicles; the gravity of the lead actor often sucked the air out of the supporting cast.
Behind the Scenes: Raoul Walsh’s Direction
Walsh was a "man’s man" director. He liked action. He liked grit. But Band of Angels is based on a novel by Robert Penn Warren—the same guy who wrote All the King’s Men. The source material is dense and philosophical. Walsh tried to turn it into a swashbuckling romance, and the two styles clash constantly. You can see it in the way the scenes are lit. The New Orleans sets are lush and beautiful, almost too pretty for the subject matter.
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Why This Cast Matters Today
We can't look at this film without acknowledging the "Passing" narrative. This was a popular, if flawed, trope in mid-century literature and film. Pinky (1949) and Imitation of Life (1959) handled similar themes. But Band of Angels is unique because it ties that personal identity crisis to a massive Civil War epic.
The cast had to navigate a script that was trying to be "progressive" for 1957 while still catering to a segregated audience. It’s a tightrope walk. You see it in the way Poitier and Gable interact. There’s a mutual respect between the characters that felt revolutionary, even if the surrounding plot was still rooted in old-fashioned melodrama.
- Clark Gable as Hamish Bond: His second-to-last "big" epic before The Misfits.
- Yvonne De Carlo as Amantha Starr: A performance that proved she could handle more than just Technicolor spectacles.
- Sidney Poitier as Rau-Ru: The performance that arguably paved the way for his Oscar win a few years later.
- Torin Thatcher as Captain Canaye: He brought a much-needed villainous edge to the flashbacks.
The film was a bit of a box office disappointment. People wanted another Gone with the Wind, but Band of Angels was too dark. It was too focused on the ugly side of the South's "nobility." Today, it's mostly remembered by film historians and Gable completists.
Actionable Insights for Classic Film Fans
If you're planning to revisit this movie or watch it for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of the experience.
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Watch Poitier’s eyes. Seriously. In the scenes where he has to serve Gable or follow orders, his micro-expressions tell a completely different story than the dialogue. It’s a masterclass in "subtextual" acting. He was signaling to the audience that his character was never truly broken.
Compare it to the book. Robert Penn Warren’s novel is far more cynical. If you find the ending of the movie a bit too "neat," the book provides the psychological depth the film lacks. The movie softens Hamish Bond considerably. In the novel, he’s much more of a tragic, doomed figure.
Look at the costumes. Marjorie Best was the costume designer. She had to dress De Carlo in everything from high-society ballgowns to rags. The transition in her wardrobe mirrors her loss of status. It’s a subtle bit of storytelling that works better than some of the dialogue.
Check the filming locations. While much of it was done on the Warner Bros. lot, they did some location shooting in Baton Rouge and at the The Cottage Plantation. The heat and humidity of Louisiana actually seep into the film’s look, giving it a heavy, oppressive feel that fits the story.
To truly understand the Band of Angels 1957 cast, you have to see them as symbols of a changing Hollywood. Gable was the ending of an era. Poitier was the beginning of a new one. De Carlo was caught in the middle, trying to find her place in a system that didn't always know how to use her talent. It’s not a perfect movie, but as a historical artifact, it's indispensable.
For your next step, seek out the 2007 DVD release or the digital high-definition scans. The restoration work done on the Technicolor palette is stunning. It makes the New Orleans night scenes pop in a way that original television broadcasts never could. Witnessing the contrast between the vibrant scenery and the grim reality of the characters' lives is the best way to appreciate what Walsh and his cast were trying to achieve.