War Arrow

Surely the best line of the film is when Jeff Chandler "forcibly" kisses Maureen O' Hara (after she tells him she doesn't love him) and she responds by telling him: "I'm genuinely impressed."

Very interesting Western, possibly overstating the lead character's sympathy for the native American, but this is ahead of its time for a 1953 movie. Note the scene in the fort commander's office, where he says "It's difficult to prove how many raiders you've killed." The implication here is that the lead character refuses to collect scalps - i.e. the "proof". There are lots of other little not so obvious details in this film which kept me hooked!

Major Howell Brady (Jeff Chandler) is sent to the Indian Territory (present Oklahoma) to get a handle on Kiowa raiders. His solution is to recruit a corps of fighting scouts from the now-domesticated reservation Seminoles, exiled to Oklahoma after their stand against U. S. authority in 1840's Florida.

Chandler took on many Western roles; here, a few years after WW II service as an officer, he might have been a convincing frontier soldier. But, his well-groomed and urbane persona makes him am imperfect fit for a plainsman's role. Likewise with Maureen O'Hara's Irish spitfire; she is best when playing against A-list leading men, and comes off as extravagant ornamentation for this Universal B-picture. She does get to join the boys' fun later on when she picks up a Henry rifle. More use should have been made of John McIntire as the fort's C. O. McIntire grew up in rural Montana at the tail end of the homestead era and always gives the vibe of having just walked out of a daguerreotype. Suzan Ball fills in as the envious and unobtainable Native American woman, and Dennis Weaver, a few years prior to his Chester years on "Gunsmoke," takes a mercifully brief and hopefully one-time turn as a Seminole scout.

As is the case with many Universal Westerns, authenticity efforts are an afterthought. The Kiowas were largely defeated as a side action of Col. Ranald Mackenzie's reduction of the Comanche prior to 1875, and not particularly noted for pitched battles on the plains; in "War Arrow" they are making full-fledged assaults on a stockade armed with artillery. (The Corps of Engineers must have outsourced this post - the gate is breached by pushing a runway wagon through it.)

There would have been little practicality in using Seminoles for plains warfare; by the mid-1870's the Oklahoma exiles were firmly ensconced in reservation lfe, and memories of swamp fighting skills acquired 30 years prior would prove of no real use in the Panhandle region. The story of an unreconstructed Confederate directing the tribal adversaries (occasionally trotted out in the 19th century by the popular press to explain Army setbacks) receives little development, and the filming location in Nogales, Arizona does little to evoke North Texas and Oklahoma. A better tale about the frontier army's Native auxiliaries would have depicted Frank North's Pawnee scout detachment.

McIntire gets the film's best line - "Here's to Brady's bunch!."

A nice action crescendo, but most of the film is pure stock-company filler.

The premise of this film is based on fact. During the Indian Wars of the late 1800s, the U.S. government hired Seminole Indians from Florida to help fight the Kiowa Indians of the Southwest. Using one group of Indians to fight another wasn't new even back then--it was, after all, how the Army finally managed to subdue the Apaches--and it would make a good film, but this one isn't it. Director George Sherman was an old hand at making westerns, having churned out dozens of them during his days at Republic, and Jeff Chandler and Maureen O'Hara had done more than their share of them. They all had an off-day here. Whatever failings Sherman's westerns may have had, he at least knew how to keep them moving. This one just pretty much sits there and nothing really happens. There are a few action scenes spread throughout the picture, and a fairly big one--an attack on a fort--at the end, but they are for the most part pretty listless affairs, lacking the energy that Sherman usually brought to them. O'Hara for some reason looks out of place here, and I can't quite put my finger on why she does, but she does. On the other hand, Suzan Ball is smokin' as a sexy Indian girl, so maybe that's why O'Hara looks uncomfortable. In any event, this is pretty much a below-average effort from all concerned. Henry Brandon, who did such a good job later on playing the evil Scar in "The Searchers," doesn't acquit himself nearly as well here--not that he's given all that much to work with--as a Seminole warrior, and Dennis Weaver is about the most un-Seminole-looking Seminole there is, with his bony frame, prominent nose and Missouri accent. Everyone involved with this had done better work previously, and would do better work later. You'd be better off watching any of those efforts than this one.

War Arrow is directed by George Sherman and written by John Michael Hayes. It stars Jeff Chandler, Maureen O'Hara, Suzan Ball, Noah Beery, Charles Drake, John McIntire and Henry Brandon. A Technicolor production with exterior location work at Agoura, California, it features cinematography by William Daniels and music by Joseph Gershenson. Story is based on real events and sees Chandler as Cavalry officer Major Howell Brady, who is dispatched by Washington to end the Kiowa Indian uprising in Texas. But his mission is made doubly difficult by the obstinate commander of the post Colonel Meade (McIntire), and his feelings towards Elaine Corwin (O'Hara), whose officer husband disappeared after a scouting mission.

Brady's Bunch

A pleasant surprise, although mired in the formula than ran through many a B Western that featured Cavalry and Indians, War Arrow packs an intelligent punch and features acting to match. The strength in the narrative comes from Brady's coercing of the peaceful Seminole Indians to fight alongside the white man against the rampaging Kiowa. Having had to flee their Florida homes, the Seminole are willing to be trained by Brady and his crew on the promise of land and supplies from the government. With Brady meeting resistance from stuffy Colonel Meade, these promises are on shaky ground, but the training sequences are most interesting for their tactical value and the Seminole are nicely drawn as a race of people. The latter of which, unsurprisingly, is not afforded the Kiowa who are rank and file blood thirsty marauders, but the balance is right, and with the Henry Repeating Rifle the weapon of choice, the action and stunt work, particularly for the siege on the fort finale, is high on excitement.

They say that a wild plant doesn't live too long indoors

Into the mix is a romantic triangle, which isn't overplayed and creates a number of jealousies from both male and female characters. Either side of Brady is Elaine and Avis (Ball), with curmudgeon Meade pacing the edges of the triangle. Also enjoyable is the light relief that comes from the Sergeants played by Beery (Red River/Decision at Sundown) and Drake (Winchester '73/No Name on the Bullet), who are both excellent. Chandler offers up a big presence, while turning in one of his more committed Western performances, and O'Hara brings the class while Ball brings the smoulder. McIntire is suitably mean yet still giving Meade an elegant officious quality, and Brandon turns in a good one too. In named back up support are Dennis Weaver and Jay Silverheels. Daniels' (The Far Country/Night Passage) Agoura exteriors are pleasing, though the print of the film isn't doing it justice, and the prolific Gershenson (the go-to guy for Cavalry Vs Indians flavouring) scores it in standard, but easy listening, thematic beats.

With Sherman's (Chief Crazy Horse/Big Jake) direction unfussy, War Arrow, in spite of mixed reviews on the internet, is a B Western I personally recommend to like minded Western fans. 7.5/10

This is the kind of western that was turned out often, to satisfy the many fans of outdoor films, back in the day, and is not to be confused with the big ones. It's just a regular, everyday western, but with good acting, Technicolor, the solid direction of George Sherman, and a fine screenplay by the effective John Michael Hayes (of Hitchcock fame), it delivers enjoyable entertainment for the length of its running time, and should keep you hooked until the action-packed ending.

The premise is an interesting one, and the relationships of the characters - especially Chandler's with his commanding officer, John MacIntyre, and his sweetheart, Maureen O'Hara, are more interesting than in the usual standard western.

Also interesting is the way Chandler, as an Army officer, tends not so much to defy authority as to ignore it, when it doesn't suit his (and what he perceives as the Government's) purpose.

I thought Chandler and O'Hara were excellent leads, with good chemistry - with MacIntyre, Charles Drake, Noah Beery, Jr., and (cast as Indians) Suzan Ball, Henry Brandon, and Dennis Weaver extremely effective, as well.

A drawback was that some of the dialogue was difficult to pick up (though that could have to do with the DVD transfer, not the film itself), and the denouement was kind of sudden and the ending rushed.

And, as usual with some of these films, the whole thing seems a little bit modern, with well-lit (supposedly by candlelight and oil lamps), perfectly decorated rooms at the fort (plenty of fresh flowers everywhere) - and Miss Ball in a dress she supposedly constructed herself - her first try at dressmaking - which fits her as if it was executed by Universal's dressmakers (it was). But you have to figure they did their best on a typical budget and with the usual time constraints. Their best is pretty good.

The action is good, the story is interesting, the relationships are well-developed, and the plot keeps you guessing. So I recommend this film, for western fans.