NR | 1h 25m | Western | 1952
It’s always fascinating to come across actors, for the very first time, whose careers are already considered to be in their waning days. In the follow-up to 1950’s highly entertaining “Broken Arrow,” starring James Stewart and Jeff Chandler, a 1952 companion film, “The Battle at Apache Pass,” trades Stewart as the main male lead with lesser-known actor John Lund.
Although Lund had previously starred opposite formidable heavyweights such as Olivia de Havilland, Marlene Dietrich, and Jean Arthur (in lead roles, no less), during the mid to late 1940s, his career was the epitome of burning brightly but briefly. By the dawn of the 1950s, his star was rapidly descending. Besides a small role in the 1956 film “High Society” with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, Lund faded into relative obscurity and retired from show business altogether by 1963.
Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why certain stars have such brief careers. He certainly still had the chops in 1952 as the main male lead in the taut Western “The Battle at Apache Pass.” Directed by George Sherman, the film is a fictionalized account of two real-life historical conflicts—the 1861 Bascom Massacre and the 1862 Battle of Apache Pass, both of which pitted the military forces of the United States against the battle-hardened Apache tribes. In this film, Jeff Chandler reprises his role as the great Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise, while Lund is introduced as United States Army officer Maj. Jim Colton.
The film begins with Cochise’s younger brother Little Elk (Tommy Cook) overlooking a burning U.S. Army camp, along with Geronimo (Jay Silverheels) and some of the latter’s warriors. Geronimo tells Little Elk that the Army is leaving their posts behind because they are afraid of the Apache, at least Geronimo’s band of Apaches, that is. The chief follows that up by saying that Cochise is too friendly with the Army and suggests that Little Elk should ride with him in his continuing battles with the whites.
Meanwhile, Cochise is busy back at his stronghold tending to his people and canoodling with his pregnant wife Nona (Susan Cabot). When Little Elk returns, he announces that Geronimo is scaring the whites away from their lands and is urging him to ride with Geronimo instead of Cochise. Of course, this angers Cochise, who restricts Little Elk’s movements and assigns him to mundane tasks around their camp.
Of course, there are certain elements on both sides that don’t want any peace at all. On the Apache side, this is manifested in the warlike Geronimo, who leads a rival band of Apaches from Cochise’s band. Geronimo considers Cochise’s peaceful ways to be those of a female, and therefore, in his eyes, weak.
On the other side, the hatred and aggression come in the form of government agent Neil Baylor (Bruce Cowling), a Machiavellian character who is sent out by the powers in Washington to Fort Buchanan as an “Indian adviser.” Colton immediately senses that Baylor has hostile intentions toward the Apache that could derail the peace he and Cochise have worked so hard to establish.
It doesn’t help that Baylor has linked up with a sleazeball tracker named Mescal Jack (Jack Elam), whom Colton previously booted out of Fort Apache for selling whiskey to the local Native Americans there. Unfortunately, Colton and his right-hand man, Sgt. Reuben Bernard (Richard Egan) have been ordered by the government to assist their unwelcome guests
Things start to fall apart when a wagon train traveling from Fort Buchanan gets ambushed by Geronimo’s forces and darn near completely annihilated. Geronimo travels to meet with Cochise, who is having a sit-down with tribal elders, and explains that he is responsible for the massacre and that Cochise is too cowardly to do anything against the “white-eyes.” But Cochise proves his martial prowess by besting one of Geronimo’s men in a man-to-man duel to the death in order to free the sole hostage of the massacre from Geronimo, auburn-haired school teacher Mary Kearney (Beverly Tyler).
Cochise visits Fort Buchanan again and delivers Kearney to Colton for safekeeping. But Colton, quickly smitten by Kearney, has more romantic plans for the pretty schoolteacher. Meanwhile, as Cochise departs, Baylor and Mescal Jack scheme in the background to foment ill will between the whites and Apaches, especially in light of the recent massacre. Will their nefarious plans be discovered in time or will a new era of hostilities erupt?
Tough Act to Follow
Although I might have been spoiled by watching James Stewart in this film’s predecessor, “Broken Arrow,” I’d be hard-pressed to find any actor who could fill those uber-talented boots. However, Lund does a great job of portraying an equally peace-loving man, who is struggling and striving to maintain good relations between the Apaches and whites. His ability to evoke a smoldering quiet-storm of aggression in his verbal duels with Bruce Cowling’s shady- character Baylor is something to see.“The Battle at Apache Pass” is not only a great follow-up to “Broken Arrow,” but it functions as an intriguing prequel that details events only alluded to in the latter film. It features strong acting, fascinating characters, and a few plot twists thrown in here and there. While not quite as impressive as “Arrow,” it is nonetheless an entertaining Western in its own right that stands out in a sea of the mostly mediocre genre titles from that era.
