Gunsmoke: The Last Apache

This made for television movie has retired Marshall Matt Dillon (James Arness) picking up a letter from old flame Mike Yardner (Michael Learned.) This is accompanied with old footage between Matt and her.

Mike has something important to tell him, the paternity of her daughter Beth. However before Matt gets there, the ranch has been attacked by a renegade Indian called Wolf. He has taken Beth captive.

Now Matt learns that he had a daughter with Mike and she has been abducted. To help free her, Matt wants to exchange Beth for the two sons of Geronimo. They are held in jail by General Nelson Miles. A man of dubious honour.

Having never watched the long lasting television series. This television movie seemed to be a long line of television shows resurrected as TV movies. I recall something similar with The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man and even The Return of Elliot Ness.

There is a sense of revisionism about this with the treatment of Indians. General Miles is painted as a monster. Although Wolf is played by a non Native Indian actor.

At least Matt Dillon has something substantial here, some high stakes with him trying to retrieve his daughter.

In my view, this is the best of the three movie series that put the cap on the Gunsmoke franchise. The plot is well written and nuanced. As with many Gunsmoke series episodes, the affairs of the US government and the Indian nations are put forward as a core element of the narrative, and this movie perhaps went the deepest into that narrative.

Invoking the Apache surrender on 4 September 1886, the movie shows the forced resettlement of many Apache from western reservations to Florida. It also, at the end relates the treaty violation in incarcerating treaty signatory Geronimo, and his male warriors, at Fort Pickens, Florida, on the extreme outer banks chain forming the entrance to Pensacola Bay. This stockade was dilapidated at the time, and was an extremely cruel location for Apache, given the extreme heat and humidity, which none of them were acclimated to.

As the movie's end credits show, the treaty formally provided for the Apache men to be immediately reunited with their family already moved to Florida. This illegal incarceration lasted several months, after which the Apache were finally relocated a final time in what is today Western Oklahoma.

A stark difference in this movie is the clean break from any of the ensemble cast of the Gunsmoke TV series. It was the first effort produced after Amanda Blake's death one year prior. The only connection to the TV series was the character of "Mike Yardner," who, as with actor Michael Learned, was given a misleading male name, when, in fact, the character -- and actress -- was decidedly female.

Woven throughout the narrative is the traditional expose of courage and integrity amid strife. However, the way this episode plays out offers unique perspectives, plus a love interest that some consider controversial, but most considered fine drama.

Joe Lara turned in an especially strong performance as the true "Last Apache;" the warrior who refused to surrender, and who rode into the night without anyone knowing his ultimate fate. The cinematography that formed the final scene between Dillon and Lara's character, Wolf, was beautifully crafted, and was quite obviously filmed in actual weather conditions. That scene by itself put this movie well above standard made-for-TV movie fare.

James Arness and Richard Kiley and Michael Learned back on a Gunsmole setting is all you need if you are a fan - and, beyond that, if you miss Westerns, this is a strong walk down memory lane. Watch, soak it in and enjoy if you are a Gunsmole fan.

I didn't see all of this one, but the mix of old and new footage is a good device. The ending was pretty satisfying, and the update on the government's shameful subsequent treatment of the Apache (business as usual) lent a responsible note to the production.

When I first saw Joe Lara as Wolf, I thought-- ah, this is one of those white-guy-raised-by-Indians-and doesn't-belong-in-either-world things. Nope. He's an Apache. A blue-eyed Apache with wavy brown hair and white features. At least they could have dyed his hair and given him brown contacts. Evidently the producers couldn't credit the public with enough taste to find Wolf appealing unless he was a standard-issue Handsome Hunk. A sad loss to some qualified Indian actor, and a sad loss to the viewer, for it definitely compromises credibility.

The year before Gunsmoke: The Last Apache, Lara first played Tarzan-- the white guy who makes good in Africa. Sadly, Joe Lara was killed in a plane crash in 2021. He did a lot of good work, and one can't fault his acting-- but one can fault casting him in an inappropriate role.

As a huge fan of the Gunsmoke TV show, I really enjoyed this movie. In fact the episode where Matt met Mike was one of my favorites. The story itself was one we've all seen several times, but seeing James Arness as an older version of Matt Dillon was well worth it. Micheal Learned was great too, BUT to her credit she looked young enough to be Matt's daughter. Good watch especially for Gunsmoke fans