Comanche Territory

This little-seen quasi-Western from 1950 stars McDonald Carey as Jim Bowie helping his friends, the Indians, from an army of marauding white men out to steal Indian land for its silver. The action is set well before the Civil War, so it is improper to call this a Western, although on the meager budget this was shot on, there are plenty of classic Western outfits on display throughout. Carey is at his prime here, and makes for a virile and resourceful Bowie. An absolutely stunning and very youthful Maureen O'Hara is his feisty love interest, who initially is all for white folks taking over Indian land. She wears some silly outfits that look like they came from a Roy Rogers flick, but she also gets to wear at least one formal dress that shows off her distinctive assets. She also gets to put on quite a brogue, enough so that you might think you're watching THE QUIET MAN from time to time. All in all, a fun "B" flick of a type now long forgotten.

While the movie itself is just a standard western, the locations are absolutely beautiful, well worth watching the movie just for the scenery.

Famous frontiersman Jim Bowie is sent by President Andrew Jackson to make sure the terms of a treaty with the Comanche is being carried out. But another emissary has been bushwacked and the Comanches never got the new treaty. It's up to Jim with his trusty knife to investigate what's going on. Nefarious villains are after the silver that's on the Comanche land.

Of all the American frontier characters in our history, Jim Bowie has had the biggest whitewash. In real life this man was a slavetrader, a land swindler and all around frontier scoundrel. The knife he is credited with inventing was made probably to his specifications, but by someone else. He had a certain amount of charm as MacDonald Carey plays him here with, but definitely was not of good character.

Andy Jackson might have bought a slave or three for the Hermitage from Jim Bowie, but never would have sent him on a diplomatic mission. And the Comanches who were not a blip on the American frontier radar yet, would not have made a deal with Jackson if they heard anything about what happened to the Cherokee.

Maureen O'Hara got to create another redheaded spitfire character that she was doing in picture after picture at this point of her career. Will Geer as the other Jackson emissary probably has the best part in this film.

Average Hollywood western which has absolutely nothing to do with reality. But the kiddies might like it.

Comanche Territory is directed by George Sherman and written by Oscar Brodney and Lewis Meltzer. It stars Maureen O'Hara, Macdonald Carey, Will Geer and Charles Drake. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Maury Gertsman.

A government treaty set up to protect sacred Comanche land is due to expire, just as silver has been found beneath the mountains on the land. James Bowie (Carey) has been sent to negotiate a new treaty with the Comanche leaders, thus allowing the silver to be mined without upsetting the Indians. But there are underhand plans being drawn up by settlers in the town of Crooked Tongue, a town run by feisty Katie Howard (O'Hara). Can Bowie prevent the pillaging of the sacred Indian land? Something that will inevitably lead to blood being shed…...

Good solid B Western that gets in and does its job without pretension or pointless filler. Shot in Technicolor and filmed impressively on location in Sedona, Arizona (Big & Little Parks/Red Rock), it's a film that offers an interesting story and a good sprinkling of action. Cast are mostly fine, Geer files in for the Arthur Hunnicut/Walter Brennan type role, O'Hara is spunky and a Technicolor picture (check out that gorgeous black and green frock sequence) and Carey, whilst hardly a convincing or robust Jim Bowie, plays it with restraint and works off of Geer and O'Hara rather well. The action is competently staged by old pro Sherman, who also doesn't let the pace sag, and Gertsman's photography of the landscapes (particularly Red Rock) is the high point of the production.

Problems? Well Charles Drake as Katie Howard's crooked brother turns him into a pretty tepid villain, while the big saloon punch-up is beset by amateurish punch throwing. There's also the issue of non Native American actors playing Indians, which once in a while in the 50s did throw up the odd good turn, however here isn't one of them. Though in fairness they aren't helped by the script, which doesn't exactly give the Comanche characters some telling dialogue to impact on proceedings. Good to report that Pegasus' DVD release contains a very good print, there's the odd moment of colour fluctuation, but by and large it's a neat transfer. Though you may want to slightly tone down your colour setting since Sherman and Gertsman have gone for the high contrast option for the Technicolor filters! 6.5/10

A handsome, good-humoured Technicolor western about Jim Bowie, this time played by a laconic Macdonald Carey aided by wily old chum Will Geer.

Feisty, buckskin-wearing female lead Maureen O'Hara later recalled it as "a fairly decent western and the film in which I mastered the American bullwhip. By the time the picture was over, I could snap a gigarette out of someone's mouth".