Tomahawk Trail

With Lesley Selander as director, I knew in advance that I would not lose my time, especially for a western made during the late fifties. Because during the early forties, and even later, Selander provided lousy and chain made movies, not that interesting, believe me. For this one, a very short one, you have the feeling to watch a longer length film, really. It is even strange that such a 1957 western from Lesley Selander is so short. I was really happy to have wached this western starring Chuck Connors. Not a masterpiece though, only a rare and worth the watch gem from Bel Air production, not the worst in Hollywood.

This is a hackneyed western with few faults. I found it more interesting than I expected. Chuck Connors plays a young Cavalry Sargent that must take over a unit led by an injured and temporarily demented Lieutenant. This action takes place in Apache territory...the boys in blue hope to find safety in a fort that has already been ravaged. Short, but action packed. Also in the cast are:John Smith, Robert Knapp, Susan Cummings and a young Harry Dean Stanton. Kind of feels like sitting in the Kiddie Matinee on Saturday morning.

Sgt. Wade McCoy (Chuck Connors) with a ragtag group of soldiers opens with, "Nothing is ever routine along the Tomahawk Trail." Lt. Jonathan Davenport (George N. Neise) begs to differ as he contests the sergeant at every turn. This sets the stage for a most contentious and dangerous adventure in Apache territory. Pvt. Miller ( Harry Dean Stanton) takes the lieutenant's side while Pvt. Reynolds (John Smith) supports the sergeant. In a bloody skirmish, they find the daughter of a deceased captain (Susan Cummings) and the Chief's daughter (Lisa Montell). There's great interplay here between Connors and Neise as they jockey for position with the troops. They are fighting the Apaches, each other and protecting the captive women on many fronts. Tomahawk Trail is all drama and suspense from start to finish with some fine acting performances.

This movie captures one's attention from the start with Chuck Connors' opening line of narration: "Lt. Merriman was dead; the brains cooked out of his skull over an Apache torture fire." From this point on the movie proceeds in a taut, terse fashion which is a model of economical story-telling. True, it doesn't add up to much but it knows its limitations and works within them with commendable assurance. "Tomahawk Trail" would be a good movie to study in Film-Making 101.

Its faults are obvious but not fatal. The soldiers' US Cavalry uniforms should be soiled and sweaty and yet, too often, they seem to have just come from the Costume Shop. Also, the two female characters are unconvincing. Susan Cummings has been dropped into the plot simply to give Chuck Connors a pretty girl to kiss at the fade-out, and Lisa Montell makes a very unpersuasive Indian.

Chuck Connors, playing yet another of his "Mc" characters, is in his physical prime here and one regrets he's given no chance to do a "beefcake" scene.

The location work around Kanab, Utah, (using black-and-white photography), adds an air of authenticity. There's not a studio-bound shot in the whole movie.

Assuming your expectations aren't unrealistically high, you may well be pleasantly surprised by "Tomahawk Trail."

A cavalry Sergeant pulls a "Caine Mutiny" and relieves an incompetant officer of command of a patrol in Apache territory. This otherwise routine oater is of interest mainly because it was an early vehicle for Conners. Look for a very young Harry Dean Stanton as the Lieutenant's Orderly.