Fort Courageous (1965)

Fred Beir plays Sgt. Lucas, a cavalry officer unfairly convicted of raping a colonel’s wife and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

He’s being taken to Fort Courageous as part of a patrol led by Capt. Howard, until they run into an Indian war party.

Howard is seriously wounded, leaving no one but Lucas to take command.

Worse, the troop has lost most of its horses and most of its water, and will have to travel through the desert to reach the fort.

Once there, they discover just one officer alive. He hid during an Indian attack that wiped out everyone else in the fort.

The one thing the small patrol has working in their favor: They managed to take an Indian prisoner, and he’s the son of a chief.

Review:

The silliest of endings spoils a fairly interesting little low-budget cavalry yarn.

In addition to the twist of having a court-martialed officer in command, there’s a pretty memorable torture scene, conducted in view of the fort in hopes of luring the surviving soldiers into the open.

Hanna Landry plays a middle-aged woman who views Sgt. Lucas as her chance at a new life. She’s witnessed her daughter Elizabeth being “spoiled” by the Indians.

Harry Lauter plays the cavalry scout who sympathizes with the sergeant; Don “Red” Barry is the cowardly officer determined to do his duty — as long as it doesn’t put his life at too much risk.

Directed by:
Lesley Selander

Cast:
Fred Beir … Sgt. Anthony Lucas
Don “Red” Barry … Major
Hanna Landy .. Ruth Tate
Harry Lauter … Joe
Walter Reed … Doc
Cheryl MacDonald … Elizabeth Tate (Ruth’s daughter)
Other credited cast: Michael Carr, Joe Patridge, Fred Krone, George Sawaya

Runtime: 75 min.

Memorable lines:

Joe, the cavalry scout, checking Capt. Howard’s wound: “I know this arrow. If you don’t pull it out just right, you pull all the guts out with it, just like you spear a fish.”

Ruth to the doctor, after her daughter’s rape: “Are you going to make her human again? A whole person? After what they did to her?”

Ruth to Sgt. Lucas, about her daughter’s rape at the hand of Indians: “I was taking her to a new way of life. A safe way of life.”
Sgt. Lucas: “What makes you think there’s a safe way of life in this world?”

Sgt. Lucas: “Doc, do you know how to shoot?”
Doc: “Not very well. If I run out of bullets, I’ll spit in their eyes. That ought to blind the gory, blasted beggars.”