''Apache Drums'' is a 1951 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Hugo Fregonese Hugo Geronimo Fregonese (April 8, 1908 in Mendoza – January 11, 1987 in Tigre) was an Argentine film director and screenwriter who worked both in Hollywood and his home country.''Cine Nacional''Hugo Fregonese filmography Cinenacional.com ...

and produced by

Val Lewton Val Lewton (May 7, 1904 – March 14, 1951) was a Russian-American novelist, film producer and screenwriter best known for a string of low-budget horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s. His son, also named Val Lewton, was a pain ...

. The drama features

Stephen McNally Stephen McNally (born Horace Vincent McNally; July 29, 1911 – June 4, 1994) was an American actor remembered mostly for his appearances in many Westerns and action films. He often played hard-hearted characters, criminals, bullies, and othe ...

Coleen Gray Coleen Gray (born Doris Bernice Jensen; October 23, 1922 – August 3, 2015) was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films '' Nightmare Alley'' (1947), '' Red River'' (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's '' The Killing'' ...

, and

Willard Parker Willard Parker (born Worster Van Eps; February 5, 1912 – December 4, 1996) was an American film and television actor. He was a leading man under contract to Columbia Pictures in the 1940s and starred in the TV series '' Tales of the Texas Ran ...

. The film was based on an original story: ''Stand at Spanish Boot'', by Harry Brown. ''Apache Drums'' was the last film Val Lewton produced before his death.

Plot

A notorious gambler is thrown out of a small town named Spanish Boot, but he quickly returns when he discovers the town is threatened by the Mescalero Apaches led by Chief Victorio.

Cast

as Sam Leeds *

as Sally *

as Joe Madden *

Arthur Shields Arthur Shields (15 February 1896 – 27 April 1970) was an Irish actor on television, stage and film. Early years Born into an Irish Protestant family in Portobello, Dublin, Shields started acting in the Abbey Theatre when he was 17 years old ...

as Reverend Griffin *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Education Griffith attended Santa Monica High School, where he was a classmate with Glenn Ford. Both were active in s ...

as Lt. Glidden *

Armando Silvestre Armando Silvestre Carrascosa (born January 28, 1926) is a Mexican-American actor. Life and career Silvestre was born on January 28, 1926 in San Diego, California, but he is originally from Tijuana, Mexico. He dropped out of college in order to ...

as Pedro-Peter * Georgia Backus as Mrs. Keon *

Clarence Muse Clarence Muse (October 14, 1889 – October 13, 1979) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, singer, and composer. He was the first African American to appear in a starring role in a film, 1929's ''Hearts in Dixie''. He acted for ...

as Jehu * Ruthelma Stevens as Betty Careless *

James Best Jewel Franklin Guy (July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015), known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. Duri ...

as Bert Keon * Chinto Guzman as Chacho * Ray Bennett as Mr. Keon

Reception

When the film was released ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' gave the film a mixed review and wrote, "''Apache Drums'' is tense and exciting fare when its green and red-painted Indians, yelping and keening, ride to attack or literally bite the dust with authentic thuds. When it is loquaciously appraising its principals, it is, to quote one of them, 'kind of dull and tame.'" Recently, film critic Dennis Schwartz reviewed the film favorably, writing, "It's the kind of effective kickass B western where the cavalry comes in the nick of time to rescue the white folks from the attacking Indians. Director Hugo Fregonese (''Untamed Frontier'') gives a nod to Lewton's eye for detail and shadowy photography...David Chandler turns in a crisp screenplay that's always tense and filled with exciting action sequences except when he keeps things too chatty, which tamps down the narrative with a dull soap opera romantic feud...Pretty darn good stuff for such a modest western, showing that it takes all kinds to be brave and that the worst situation might bring out the best in a man." '' Time Out Londons review was also complimentary, writing, "Beautifully staged by Fregonese, especially the climactic attack on the church where the survivors make their stand, with painted Apaches erupting through the high windows like demons from hell. Val Lewton's last production, it is full of touches instantly recognisable from his RKO series: the subtle ambivalence undermining attitudes and ethical principles, the generous stance against racism, the concern for childhood (the gambler distracts the frightened kids with an exhibition of sleight of hand), the love of traditional songs (the kids led into a chorus of ' Oranges and Lemons'; the minister countering the Apache chanting by launching into ' The Men of Harlech')."''Time Out London''
Film review. Last accessed: February 11, 2011

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Apache Drums 1951 films 1950s historical films 1951 Western (genre) films American historical films American Western (genre) films Western (genre) cavalry films Apache Wars films 1950s English-language films Films based on American novels Films based on Western (genre) novels Films directed by Hugo Fregonese Films produced by Val Lewton Films set in the 1880s Films shot in California Universal Pictures films Films scored by Hans J. Salter 1950s American films