German Cobos plays Paul Driscoll, who’s looking to settle down in Arizona Territory after the Civil War.
During a stop in Tucson, he falls for a pretty red-headed saloon singer named Mary Donovan (Marta May) and convinces her to marry him.
She agrees, partly because she’s eager to escape her current surroundings, partly because she’s hoping to escape former lover Jeffrey Wall (Mariano Vidal Molino).
Driscoll heads out with a cavalry-led caravan to pave the way West, leaving Mary behind temporarily.
Of course, Jeffrey shows up, learns his girl is married and sets out after Driscoll to eliminate that problem.
He also has an ulterior motive for joining the caravan. He and his partner (Aldo Sambrell) have been selling rifles, ammunition and whiskey to the Indians.
Sure enough, Geronimo attacks, forcing the members of the caravan to take refuge in a deserted fort, where they’ll be forced to work together to survive.
But the well is dry in Fort Grant. And the Apache have another bargaining chip in their attempt to get the promised weapons. They’ve managed to take some white captives, including Mary.
German Cobos as Paul Driscoll in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Marta May (Martha Hyers) as Mary Donovan in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Review:
This film might have been made in Europe, but the plot is straight out of Hollywood.
At one point, the blue-clad troopers in the fort even have to put their war prejudices aside and take orders from a former Reb named Blake. You see, their lieutenant has been killed, and Blake’s the most experienced Indian fighter left alive.
Director Jose Maria Elorrieta serves up a pretty entertaining film, filled with pretty ladies, featuring a well-staged attack on the fort and opening with a theme song that sets the mood for a good old-fashioned cowboys vs. Indians tale.
One drawback: The story is told flashback style, with Driscoll on trial for shooting at troopers who arrived a bit too late at the scene of the massacre.
It’s been used as a clever plot device in some Hollywood Westerns — think “Sergeant Rutledge.” Here, it spoils much of the suspense because we know the fate of key characters long before they’re trapped in the fort.
Still, this is far superior to “Apache Fury,” released the same year and by the same director, another film in which his characters wind up trapped and trying for fend off a horde of Apache warriors.
Mariano Vidal Molina as Jeffrey Wall in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Ethel Rojo as Tabalee in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Directed by:
Jose Maria Elorrieta
as J. Douglas
Cast:
German Cobos …. Paul Driscoll
as Jerry Cobb/George Gordon
Marta May … Mary Donovan
as Martha Hyers
Mariano Vidal Molina … Jeffrey Wall
as Mariano Vial / William Mender
Hugo Pimintel … Sgt. Blake
as Hugh Pepper
Guillermo Mendez … Capt. Jeremy Nixon
Julio Perez Tabernero …. Lt. Irwin Anson
as Jim Perez / John Sullivan
Ethel Rojo … Tabalee
Maria Saavedra … Julie, saloon girl
Aldo Sambrell … James, smuggler
Rosario Royo … Lucy, storekeeper
as Roy Rogers
Santiago Rivero … Prosecutor
Rufino Ingles … Tribunal judge
Angel Mendendez … Tribunal officer
Runtime: 92 min.
aka:
Fuerte perdido
I rinnegati di Fort Grant
Renegade at Fort Grant
Doomed Fort
Massacre at Fort Perdition
Music: Fernando Garcia Morcillo
(as Fred Garcia)
Songs: Volvere
Caravana
Camino del sur
Hugo Pimintel (Hugh Pepper) as Sgt. Blake in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Julio Perez Tabernero as Lt. Irwin Anson in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Trivia:
Marta May, born June 14, 1939, appeared in five early Spaghetti Westerns, beginning with “Twins from Texas” in 1964. Fans of the genre are most likely to remember her as Audie Murphy’s girlfriend in “The Texican” (1966).
This marked one of two Spaghetti Westerns for Ethel Rojo, who also played bandit Fernando Sancho’s girl in “Minnesota Clay” (1964). Here, she’s an Indian girl named Tabalee, who’s rescued by the caravan after her village has been attacked by Apache. Wearing a spaghetti strap Indian maiden outfit to show off her curves, she later rescues Mary’s man in this film’s most groan-worthy scene.
Aldo Sambrell as James in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
Guillermo Mendez as Capt. Jeremy Nixon in Massacre at Fort Grant (1964)
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