Apache Rifles **½ (1964, Audie Murphy, Michael Dante, Linda Lawson) – Classic Movie Review 10,484

Director William Witney’s 1964 Apache Rifles is a reasonably decent, traditional, par-for-the-course Audie Murphy Western about a racially prejudiced cavalry officer, Captain Jeff Stanton (Audie Murphy), who falls for an Indian woman (Linda Lawson) of mixed race when he is sent to round up renegade Apaches.

Captain Stanton takes command of a cavalry unit ordered to take the Apaches, led by chief Victorio (Joseph Vitale), back to their reservation after they have left and attacked the farmers, gold miners and settlers who have trespassed on their lands. Stanton captures the chief’s son Red Hawk (Michael Dante) during a skirmish and uses him to bargain for a truce.

Apache Rifles is slightly conventionally made with little extra flair or special imagination. But it is quite well written by Charles B Smith and nicely shot in Deluxe Color by Arch R Dalzell on location in Bronson Canyon and Red Rock Canyon State Park in California, as well as at Universal Studios, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California. Murphy is seen at around at his best and the rest of the cast give fairly lively turns, especially Lawson and Dante.

Admiral Pictures, aka Robert E Kent Productions, eke out the small budget with some stock footage.

Also in the cast are Michael Dante, L Q Jones, Ken Lynch, Joseph Vitale, Robert Brubaker, Eugene Iglesias, J. Pat O’Malley, John Archer, Charles Watts, Howard Wright, Peter Hansen, Robert Karnes, and Hugh Sanders.

Apache Rifles is directed by William Witney, runs 92 minutes, is made by Robert E Kent Productions (Admiral Pictures), is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Charles B Smith, based on a story by Kenneth Gamet and Richard Schayer, is shot by Archie R Dalzell, is produced by Grant Whytock, is scored by Richard LaSalle and designed by Frank Paul Sylos.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,484

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