Apache Rifles

Apache Rifles

Directed by William Witney
Produced by Grant Whytock
Robert E. Kent
Written by Charles B. Smith
Kenneth Gamet (story)
Richard Schayer (story)
Starring Audie Murphy
Linda Lawson
Music by Richard LaSalle
Cinematography Archie R. Dalzell
Distributed by Twentieth Century Fox
Release dates
 November 1964
Running time
 92 minutes
Country United States
Language English

Apache Rifles is a 1964 Western film in which Audie Murphy plays cavalry officer Jeff Station, charged with bringing in renegade Apaches in the Arizona Territory. Directed by William Witney the film was shot at Bronson Canyon and Red Rock Canyon State Park, California.

Plot

Captain Stanton is a renown Indian Fighter with his animosity stirred by the fact that his career officer father was forced to resign after trusting a group of Indians who broke their word to him. Stanton is sent to the field to relieve the commander of a troop unsuccessfully hunting Apaches who have fled their reservation. Stanton quickly meets with success by having his new troop drop their excess equipment to move faster and longer. He defeats a war party of Apache by luring them with an unescorted wagon loaded with hidden soldiers who engage the enemy until Stanton's mounted troop surround and defeat them. Stanton captures Red Hawk, the son of Chief Victorio and uses him to negoitate a truce with the Apaches promising to stay on their reservation in return for white miners not trespassing on their land to mine gold.

Though the territory remains peaceful, the economy of the settlers and miners faces a serious economic threat when the miners are unable to pay the business interests that advance them money for their mines in return for a percentage of the profits.

Captain Stanton's sympathies gradually change when the miners continue their trespassing. He also is attracted to Dawn Gillis, a courageous missionary teacher who is half Indian herself that teaches in an Indian school. Stanton ruins his military career by beating up a local troublemaker who makes racist taunts to Dawn, then later engages a group of whites who massacre a group of Indians at the school that leads Stanton to open fire on the whites killing several of them.

A delegation complains about Stanton's behaviour and the economic disaster to the Federal Government in Washington D.C. who send out a new commander named Colonel Perry. The Colonel not only relieves Stanton but dismantles his line of outposts to monitor white entry into the reservation that leads the miners to swarm in and hostilites to resume.

Victorio's Apaches lure the inexperienced Colonel and his men into an ambush but a messenger escapes to the remnants of the Colonel's command that Stanton takes charge of to straighten out the mess.[1]

Cast

References

  1. ↑ Apache Rifles at the Audie Murphy Memorial Site

External links