Chuck Connors is Sgt. Wade McCoy, who assumes leadership of a cavalry patrol through Apache country after he deems his commanding officer, Lt. Davenport (George Neise), unfit for command.
Davenport has managed to lead the patrol into an ambush, lose all the horses and chase away the pack horses in a fit of anger. McCoy takes command, knowing it may lead to a court-martial, but also knowing he’s the patrol’s only chance of making it back to Fort Bowie alive.
Along the way, the patrol picks up a pair of traveling companions — Ellen Carter, a white captive of the Apache; and Tula, daughter of an Apache chief who has somehow managed to save Ellen from an unthinkable fate at the hands of her captors.
McCoy sees Tula as an insurance policy; he quickly begins to fall for Ellen. And the small patrol makes it back to Fort Bowie, only to find the Apache have beaten them there and massacred everyone in the fort.
That sets the stage for a final showdown, with the small outnumbered band of soldiers trying to stave off an Indian attack while Davenport and McCoy wrestle for command.
Review:
Mediocre film, with Davenport’s character acting so incompetent, it hurts the film’s believability. Ellen falls for McCoy, naturally, and Tula saves the day by risking her life after the Apache have disowned her.
The film does feature a rousing Apache attack on an undermanned fort. It also pre-dates Connors claim to fame — a starring role in The Rifleman, a TV series that ran for five years, beginning in 1958.
Directed by:
Lesley Selander
Cast:
Chuck Connors … Sgt. Wade McCoy
John Smith … Pvt. Reynolds
Susan Cummings … Ellen Carter
Lisa Montell … Tula
George Neise … Lt. Davenport
Robert Knapp … Pvt. Barrow
Eddie Little Sky … Johnny Dogwood’
Frederick Ford … Pvt. Macy
Harry Dean Stanton … Pvt. Miller
Runtime: 60 min.
Memorable lines:
Trooper: “You know, West Point (the Lt.) will have your scalp for this?”
Sgt. McCoy: “Then I’ve got nothing to lose, have I?”
Ellen Carter: “We must stop this. This isn’t war. This is cold-blooded murder. There are so many of you. And so few of us.”
Tula: “And what about the times when there were so many blue coats, and so few of our people?”
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