Western RoundUp: Apache Rifles (1964)

Western RoundUp: Apache Rifles (1964)

Over the
last few years I’ve periodically reviewed new-to-me Westerns with one of my
favorite Western stars, Audie Murphy.

Previous Murphy Westerns reviewed in this column are Destry (1954), Seven Ways From Sundown (1960), Hell Bent for Leather (1960), and Showdown (1963). I loved the first three and had mixed feelings about the last film on that list, Showdown.

This
month I’m taking a look at another Audie Murphy film, Apache Rifles (1964),
which has the latest release date of his films reviewed here to this point. It
was filmed in May 1964, when Audie was 39, and released the following November.

The film
is set in Arizona of the late 1870s. Audie plays Army officer Captain Jeff
Stanton, charged with the responsibility of returning Apache Indians to their
reservation.

Captain
Stanton feels animosity toward Indians, who killed his father years before, but
he’s also a responsible and ethical man and successfully negotiates a truce
with Victorio (Joseph A. Vitale) and his son Red Hawk (Michael Dante).

Some
local miners are upset about being forced off Apache land as part of the peace
agreement and complain to higher-ups in Washington. This results in Captain
Stanton being replaced by Colonel Perry (John Archer), who also dismantles the
patrol system set up by Captain Stanton to protect the Apaches from the miners.
Bloody conflicts ensue.

This is
a solid Western which runs a well-paced 92 minutes. The screenplay was written
by Charles Smith from a story by Kenneth Gamet and Richard Schayer.

It was
filmed by Arch R. Dalzell and directed by longtime Western specialist William
Witney, whose work in Westerns went back to the late ’30s. Witney directed
countless Roy Rogers films, among other Westerns, and also worked extensively
in television.

I’ve had
the pleasure of meeting Witney’s son at the Lone Pine Film Festival and hearing
some of his memories of his father’s career. William Witney wrote a uniquely
titled memoir, In a Door, Into a Fight, Out a Door, Into a Chase:
Moviemaking Remembered by the Guy at the Door.

I found the Apache Rifles story a little
top-heavy in battle sequences, but that’s balanced by fast-paced plotting and
interesting characters.

Murphy brings depth to Captain Jeff Stanton, as his
character wrestles with multiple conflicts: Wariness of Indians due to family
history vs. the fact he’s a good man at heart; loyalty to the army vs. dismay
when Col. Perry goes back on Jeff’s word to the Indians; love for a beautiful
half-breed missionary, Dawn (Linda Lawson), vs. his feelings about Indians.

Among these dilemmas, I especially liked the fact that Jeff
struggled a bit with his feelings for the spunky Dawn; she’s thoughtful, but no
shy and retiring miss, and I liked their repartee. In my opinion the film would
have benefited from a couple more minutes spent on their relationship, with a
little less action on the battlefield.

One of the most interesting characters in the film is the
doctor (J. Pat O’Malley) who reminds Captain Stanton that everyone is the same
on the inside. Archer also does well as Col. Perry, who initially comes across
as rather unpleasant but proves in the end to be more willing to recognize
Captain Stanton’s strengths than we might expect.

Peter Hansen, later a star of TV’s General Hospital for
decades, plays the captain Jeff relieves of duty at the beginning of the movie.
Hansen’s first film, back in 1950, was the Alan Ladd Western Branded (1950),
and as a producer Ladd cast Hansen in a trio of films in the ’50s, including
the Western Drum Beat (1954).

The cast also includes L.Q. Jones, Ken Lynch, Robert
Brubaker, Eugene Iglesias, and Robert Karnes.

The film benefits strongly from extensive location
shooting, mostly at Red Rock Canyon. The majority of the scenes are exteriors,
which contribute enormously to the movie’s feeling of authenticity. Moreover, I
don’t believe any of the exteriors were faked in a soundstage.

Over the decades countless Westerns, horror, and sci-film
movies filmed at Red Rock Canyon, which I’ve visited several times. Here’s a
selection of photos I took at Red Rock Canyon a couple of years ago.

The movie also shot at Bronson Canyon, which I wrote about here in a locations column in 2022.

I viewed Apache Rifles via a new Blu-ray I
purchased which was released by Kit Parker films. It’s a 4K transfer from the
original 35mm camera negative, and it looks terrific.

Apache Rifles is presented on the
Blu-ray with optional English subtitles, and it has an informative featurette
on the film’s background narrated by Westerns historian Toby Roan. The
featurette runs a little over six and a half minutes.

The film is part of a “Saddle Up Western Double Feature” disc with a similarly restored version of a favorite Rod Cameron Western, Panhandle (1948), which I wrote about here in Hidden Gems, Vol. 1. The double feature set is available in both Blu-ray and DVD editions.

Like Apache Rifles, Panhandle comes with an introduction by Toby Roan which runs just over six minutes. I’m looking forward to revisiting Panhandle soon and checking out the restored print.

…

– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns.  She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals.  Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.