Walk the Proud Land (1956) User Reviews

A Real Treat

[ashew · 8/10 · 1 October 2006]

I just caught this movie recently on AMC and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I am a big Audie Murphy fan, but even I am willing to admit that most of his movies rarely rise above mediocre. This movie, however, has Audie in the hands of a good director, with a competent script, and some very good supporting cast members.

There were a couple of moments when Ann Bancroft was on screen when my mouth dropped open at how utterly gorgeous she was. Simply breathtaking! Charles Drake and Morris Ankrum do nice work, and Jay Silverheels can do no wrong in my book (I could watch that noble face and listen to that great voice all day long).

I confess to not knowing the real story of Clum, so I was not distracted by how factually accurate this account was (or wasn't, as the case may be). I watched it purely for its entertainment value and walked away completely entertained. Yes, the script has some rather heavy-handed messages we are beaten over the head with throughout, but I feel most of society could stand to be beaten over the head with some positive messages regarding friendship, loyalty, family, and race relations, so that didn't bother me.

I feel Audie Murphy did some of his best acting work in this film, so if you get a chance to see it, I would highly recommend giving it a shot...it's good old fashioned entertainment.

Before Tombstone

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 15 July 2007]

In the various tellings of the tale of the OK Corral, the name John Clum comes up as a peripheral character. At that point in his life he was Mayor of Tombstone, Arizona and founder and editor of the Tombstone Epitaph which was in editorial support of the Earp brothers. But before that John Clum was an Indian agent, sent to the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona to reform the corrupt practices regarding same. Audie Murphy plays an eager and honest Clum in this film.

The poor Indians were caught between a rock and a hard place. Either it was the army who was going to govern them or as was argued the civilian Interior Department.

Clum has some interesting and novel ideas about giving the Apaches a large measure of self government. But the real story of Clum is hardly touched on. He stands out simply because he was honest. Sad to say Indian agents for the most part were hack politicians from the political machines back east. Whether they were hired by the War Department or the Interior Department, a lot of them robbed the poor Indians blind. Right at this time, one of the most notorious scandals of the Grant Administration was the Whiskey Ring which involved various trading posts and reached right up to the Secretary of War, a gentleman named William Belknap who resigned before he was impeached.

Murphy gets able support from two leading ladies, pretty and perky Pat Crowley who plays his eastern fiancé and Anne Bancroft who is the spectacularly beautiful Indian widow who's crushing out on him. Jay Silverheels who played Geronimo in Broken Arrow, plays him again in Walk the Proud Land. Charles Drake plays the former army sergeant who hires on as a blacksmith at the San Carlos Reservation and becomes Murphy's best pal and confidante.

Walk the Proud Land is one of the few western films to have a choreographer in the person of Tommy Rall. Rall, a well known Broadway dancer, plays a young Indian warrior who becomes Murphy's friend. There is a lengthy sequence involving the Apaches entertaining some white VIPs at Murphy's wedding to Crowley with some tribal dances. A nice mix between the real deal and what you might see in Rose Marie's Totem Tom Tom number.

Walk the Proud Land is definitely one of Audie Murphy's better westerns for Universal and a nice tribute to a real western figure.

Decent biography about John Clum who was an Indian agent for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in the Arizona Territory.

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 23 November 2016]

In 1870s , Arizona , an Indian agent called John Clum (Audie Murphy) sent from Washington to take charge of an Apache reservation , San Carlos , and he makes up peace between the stiff Union army and the rebel Apache tribes headed by the famous chief Geronimo (Jay Silverheels who played several times this role). He implemented a limited form of self-government on the reservation that was so successful that other reservations were closed and their residents moved to San Carlos . At the beginning , in 1874 , he wins over reservation leader , Chief Eskiminzin , (Robert Warwick) , it causes the Indians to have great respect for him ; but a bit later on , things go awry . Meanwhile , Clum befriends an Indian widow (a very young and attractive Anne Bancroft) given to him as a housekeeper . Then , there appears his Eastern bride (Pat Crowley) , but latter has a lot to learn . Clum tamed Apache war-lust with the power of his faith and conquered a savage warrior in a showdown of raw courage . Conflicts arise when Geronimo's uprising takes place and he crashes against the understanding John Clum .

Acceptable picture based on actual events about an authentic Indian agent , John Philip Clum , being adapted from the biography ¨Apache Agent¨ by Woodworth Clum . This role has appeared in several other films as ¨Wyatt Earp¨ by Laurence Kasdan , ¨Tombstone¨ (played by Terry O'Quinn) , ¨Hour of the Gun¨ (performed by Larry Gates) and ¨Gunfight at the O.K. Corral¨ (interpreted by Whit Bissell) . The film has an enjoyable message dealing with a pacifier who fights for the rights of the Apache tribe and based on mutual respect for independence rather than submission to Army , as well as demonstrations of religious faith . As Clum uses of diplomacy and trustworthy in Apache leaders , and then the reservation is put on the road to autonomy . The picture is spoiled by a ridiculous ending when John convinces leader Geronimo to surrender himself to the authorities by means of a ridiculous set-up . Passable acting by Audie Murphy as an Indian Agent sent to try new approach to peace with Apaches . The motion picture was professionally directed by Jesse Hibbs . He was an American director of second features , primarily westerns , at Universal in the 1950's . Being especially known for TV series as ¨Perry Mason¨ (1957) , ¨Gunsmoke¨ , ¨Laramie¨ and ¨F.B.I.¨ (1965) as well as Westerns and Thrillers . He directed various Audie Murphy vehicles such as¨: To hell and Back¨ (1955) , ¨World in My Corner¨ (1956) , ¨Ride a Crooked Trail¨ (1958) and ¨Medal of Honor¨ .

Based on facts , these are the following ones : President U.S Grant established the San Carlos Reservation . After an investigation of political abuses within the Office of Indian Affairs , the Dutch Reformed Church was given charge of the Reservation. They sought out a candidate at Clum , he knew that a number of Indian Agents had already come and gone . Some Indian agents sought the position only as a means to line their own pocket , selling government-supplied food and clothing and keeping the profits for themselves . Later on , Clum moved to Florence , Arizona Territory and bought a weekly newspaper , the Arizona Citizen then operating in Tucson , but he moved it to Florence . For the next two years he published editorials criticizing "the Army of Arizona and the political double-crossers in Washington". Following the great silver strike in Tombstone , in 1877 , Clum moved to Tombstone and after the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26 , 1881 , the Earps suffered losses to their family . Clum later became the first mayor of Tombstone , Arizona Territory , after its incorporation in 1881 . He also founded the still-operating The Tombstone Epitaph on May 1, 1880 . Ike Clanton filed murder charges and after a month-long preliminary hearing , Justice of the Peace ruled the men had acted within the law . He helped organize a "Vigilance Committee" to end lawlessness in Tombstone , and his association with that group helped get him elected as Tombstone's first mayor under the new city charter of 1881 . While mayor he became lifelong friends with Wyatt Earp and one of his greatest supporters . His friendship with Earp and loyalty to the business leadership made him a target for the outlaw Cowboys . On December 14 , Clum was on a stagecoach en route to Benson to catch a train for Washington, D.C., where he planned to spend Christmas with his parents and son. He and his newspaper had consistently supported the lawmen . The stagecoach was fired upon by unknown assailants and although the driver Jimmie Harrington was able to outrun the attackers , he had to stop to remove a lead horse that had been shot through and was bleeding to death . Clum was certain the hold-up was cover for an attempt to kill him , so didn't reboard the stage but walked until he found a horse he could borrow . He got to Benson the next day . Clum sold The Tombstone Epitaph and left Tombstone . The newspaper is still published today as a nationally distributed chronicle of the old west. He later served in various postal service positions across the United States .

freshness

[Vincentiu · 15 October 2014]

it is its basic virtue. for theme and for its inspired manner to present as biopic. for acting and for the mixture of innocence, courage, force and beautiful images. for realism and for Audie Murphy performance. a film about the image and the essence of relationship and about a form of heroism who has not ordinaries rules. a classic western. and more because it is not an idyllic picture about Far West but body for a noble message who preserves the measure at high level. touching and convincing, it has a special note of melancholy and poetic message. a film. real good. a homage. like remember source about the respect for the other, out of ordinary tolerance.

"Man's heart must lead him. May yours be wise one".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 11 August 2016]

I'm sure I've run across the name of John Clum before in any number of Western film and TV series treatments, but it never made an impression. Researching the real John Clum's life reveals a fascinating career; besides being an Indian Agent as portrayed in this story, he was also the founder of the Tombstone Epitaph and first mayor of Tombstone, Arizona under a new city charter in 1881. I love it when a movie compels me to learn something new, this one obviously did the trick.

This isn't your typical shoot 'em up Western, in fact Clum (Audie Murphy) does as much as he can to banish the military from interfering in his ideas about Apache self governance. Winning over the respect and admiration of the San Carlos Reservation Apaches, he establishes a local police force and tribal court to deal directly with violations occurring within his jurisdiction. Even so, Clum seems to walk a tightrope between Indians and the white man, evidenced by the ubiquitous 'maybe' he contends with whenever dealing with situations that affect both sides.

The incident with Geronimo rather surprised me, a clever maneuver that tricked the Apache warrior into submission without a shot being fired. I always enjoy seeing Jay Silverheels turn up in a Western; he also appeared as Geronimo in a couple other films - 1950's "Broken Arrow" and 1952's "The Battle at Apache Pass". I haven't seen the latter film, but he was exceptionally convincing in "Broken Arrow" defying Apache Chief Cochise while favoring renewed hostilities against the Army.

Adding a personal dimension to the story here was the relationship Clum had with the Apache widow Tianay (Anne Bancroft) and his fiancé Mary Dennison (Pat Crowley). That dynamic held almost a certain prescription for disaster but the script handled it well, allowing for Clum's dedication and responsibility to the Apaches to win over his new wife's admiration. For Audie Murphy, I'd have to say this was one of his better performances, though I would have liked to see him put a little more emotion into it. As with most of his films, he seems to be holding back just enough that we don't get to see everything he's made of as an actor.

Better late than never.... a defeated people had his protector!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 14 April 2019]

There a few greatest star to have a enough charisma as much as Audie Murphy had, I did remember perfectly once around 1981 on TV "Audie Murphy's week" from monday to friday at 9.00 pm o'clock, l've been waiting for a long time a remastered official copy of this movie watched a couple times only, Murphy playing a legendary John Philip Clum a Indian agent with clear ideas handling with those natives, concerning their traditions and values, letting to them to decide for themselves, a real human treatment to those people who were the true and authentic owner of the those lands, they deserves more respect from us,this meaningful production gives back a slight concept how should be better spared them of such killing, treated by disproportionate forces, usually a cold blood, severely decimeted with no mercy, John Clum who shall be eternity remembered as "Indian's protector" few times we have this kind of approach on western movies, mostly of them show a opposite way, perhaps to confirm such saying " a thousand lies overcome a single true if said repeated" a defeated people have to stand such barbarism, this picture has my respect forever, still more with Audie Murphy!!

Resume:

First watch: 1985 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5

Apaches for the first time are allowed rifles to sustain the meat supplies

[rdpmd · 7/10 · 16 December 2006]

An enjoyable movie for a lazy afternoon. But there was a lot of schmaltz and predictable action, and the dialog was a little fake. But at times there was a nicely presented humorous edge to conversations as in the "maybe" style. I also enjoyed it for the typical Old Tuscon movie set location having been there a number of times myself. Being based on a true story the screen writer did a good job. I feel this movie is a good example of the style of westerns of which John Wayne was a good example. It remains simple in format, clear in style, and does not contain excessive goofs. One simple goof I noticed was how clean the Agent's suit was after he had just been rolling in the dirt. A nicely told story, enjoyable to watch, and the kind of movie experience I enjoy without the excessive violence, vulgar language, and smut contained in many modern works.

Walk the proud land

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 23 March 2023]

Clum is an Indian agent sent to the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona in 1874 to prevent further bloodshed and stop the renegade chief Geronimo (Jay Silverheels) from encouraging young Indian braves to take up their weapons and fight once more. Clum s struggle is made worse by the townsfolk and cavalry who believe that the only good Indian is a scalped one. But whilst Clum makes enemies of the governor, cavalry officers and the more headstrong Apache braves, he begins to win the trust of the elders by talking of the government s new peace plan for Indian autonomy rather than submission and prevent the reservation from siding with Geronimo...

Based upon the true story of John Philip Clum (Audie Murphy), Walk the Proud Land is a Westerns that takes a sympathetic view of the Native American Indians fight with the white settlers. Audie Plays an Indian agent, John Clum,who led job is to bring peace between the whites and the Indians, and does a great job in a western that has more emphasis on character and story and less on action.

The cast and supporting cast (Charles Drake, Kathleen Crowley, and Jay Silverheels aka Tonto of the Lone ranger) are also excellent. Despite some drama, there's some humorous and touching side, and though the romance can mar the intensity of the story a bit, it's quite entertaining. Filmed in Old Tucson studio, the setting and photography is impeccable.

The tenderfoot is very brave

[daviddaphneredding · 9/10 · 1 July 2013]

In this true story about the Indian Agent John Clum, who went from the East to the Apache Indian reservation near Tucson, Arizona in 1874 to work with the mistreated Indians, Audie Murphy performs well in his role as a reserved man who is, nonetheless, bold toward the uncooperative U.S. Army and brave toward some Apaches who are mean with a killer's temper; he has to demonstrate his bravery more than once. The authentic Old Tuscon is, naturally, appropriate, and this movie set is very Old-West looking. The story can be provocative in a sense, for it begs a question concerning what our attitude should be toward Native Americans and any other minority group. Charlie Drake shows his acting prowess both as an army sergeant and as an occasional drunk. Pat Crowley is also capable in her role as Clum's wife, a lady herself from back East who must adjust to the situation into which her husband is thrown, if she can make such an adjustment. Anne Bancroft is very convincing as the lovely and tempting Indian widow who becomes so much in love with Clum. And Jay Silverheels shows what the mean Geronimo must have been like. It is not only a good western and a good biopic, but it does, again, challenge our thinking about our attitude toward minority races. The movie is worth the while for many reasons.

Real Honesty!

[davyd-02237 · 7/10 · 23 June 2021]

I was brought up to believe the "indian" was "the baddie"! At no point did anyone ever tell me that their land was being taken over by "white men" who were mainly full of lust for gold and other such things. The Indian was in the minority which is why today the land we know as the USA is run by "white men" This particular episode is about how 1 man managed to get the warmongering apaches to settle down in peace, although clearly there was very little in it for them! Historically, they like other Indian tribes have been badly treated and let down by "white mans law". Audie Murphy does well in his portrayal of a true story, ably supported by Anne Bancroft and other known faces. Those who invaded their land DO have much still to answer for!

Clum's story is worth more than this.

[rsoonsa · 5/10 · 26 August 2002]

The narrative of John P. Clum's broadly varied activities is one of the most dramatic in U.S. history, his tenure as Indian Agent at Arizona's San Carlos Reservation, 1874/77, being particularly noteworthy and forming the subject of this film starring war hero Audie Murphy as Clum. During his assignment to San Carlos, Clum established the first Indian tribal police and court system, using the former to capture the wily Geronimo, convincing the renegade that he was surrounded by a large group of warriors, far from the case. By accomplishing all of this and more, Clum eliminated any possible requirement for continued deployment of a United States Army cavalry regiment at San Carlos, which erased profits from provisioning for the Army and made Clum's presence less than heaven-sent for the mounted troopers. WALK THE PROUD LAND is based upon incidents to be found within Woodworth Clum's 1936 biography of his father, which is the principal source for the screenplay written by the capable pair of Gil Doud and Jack Sher. Unfortunately, Doud ("To Hell and Back") and Sher ("Shane") fail to utilize the most dramatic elements of Clum's story, replacing them with a collection of banal contrivances which serve only to dissipate the feature's impact. Filmed with the wide-screen Cinemascope process, and with sublime Technicolor, the work is delightful to the eye, and benefits as well from the stylish efforts of costumer Bill Thomas. A top-notch performance is given by Anne Bancroft as an Apache warrior's widow who is "given" by the tribe's chief to Clum and who becomes his strongest ally against the Agent's enemies from within both the cavalry and the tribe. Audie Murphy's native earnestness is very effective in his portrayal of Clum, with his palpable lack of emotive flexibility being of no consideration here, and he is well supported by Bancroft, sturdy Charles Drake as his closest comrade, winsome Pat Crowley as his wife, Tommy Rall as his Indian blood brother, and character actors Addison Richards and Morris Ankrum. Many good hands were not utilized properly during the creation of this film, and since Clum's travails were largely for nought, Geronimo being released by his successor, leading to nearly 15 years of unabated Indian wars, a bittersweet and indeed revelatory quality would have been more effective in lieu of numerous scenes depicting lamely comedic children and romantic frippery that have no basis in fact.

One of Murphy's best...

[gkhege · 8/10 · 28 July 2018]

Audie Murphy could never shake his " War Hero" status but this movie gave him a chance to just act. It was one of his many movies in which his shortness never stood in the way of his character. Though he was a badass in real life, his baby face, always made him appear as a soft little man from Texas. Good movie...

And you call them savages?

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 8 December 2011]

Walk the Proud Land is directed by Jesse Hibbs and adapted to screenplay by Gil Doud and Jack Sher from the biography of John Philip Clum, Apache Agent, written by his son Woodworth Clum. It stars Audie Murphy, Anne Bancroft, Pat Crowley, Charles Drake, Tommy Rall and Robert Warwick. A Technicolor/CinemaScope production out of UIP, music is supervised by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Harold Lipstein.

1874, San Carlos, Arizona, and John Philip Clum (Murphy) arrives and attempts to broker peace with the Apache by way of letting them have autonomy away from army government.

Don't turn your back on him. No matter what it says in the Bible.

Colourful character driven Western that's based on a real Indian agent, it portrays his determination and faith to get the Apache to agree to peace whilst affording them dignity and honesty. As everyone who as seen it will attest, this is no action packed Audie Murphy Oater, but although it was met with indifference at the box office and by Western critics, film is never less than enjoyable or interesting. John Clum is a peaceable man, a humanitarian, film's strength lies in his driven will to succeed against many odds. Bigotry and stubbornness surrounds him, but his approach is infectious and as a man his efforts laid a firm foundation for a bit of history to be made. Not least that he was the man who captured Geronimo (here played by Jay Silverheels) without a shot being fired in anger. He was a man worthy of a film, and even though this is obviously condensed down and dressed up for Hollywood, it's worth watching to catch the essence of a special type of man, a man splendidly essayed by Audie Murphy. Harold Lipstein captures some beautiful Old Tucson scenery to add evocative flavours, and Hibbs' direction is unobtrusive.

A domestic problem played out in the plot is a touch too saggy, and nearly pointless, and the all too familiar problem of white actors playing lead Native Americans is all too evident. But this is a very tidy production with a very worthwhile story being told. 7/10

A pacifist walks proud

[jarrodmcdonald-1 · 19 May 2023]

This Universal picture made money at the box office, but not enough money to be profitable for the studio. It was an "A" budget production with an expensive star, Audie Murphy, who had proven himself in a slew of other westerns and action adventure yarns that appealed to conservative audiences. Why they decided to put him into a biographical role as an Indian agent who sympathized with the Apaches is somewhat baffling.

Murphy's fans were accustomed to him playing white-centric roles, where he usually went up against the natives who were on the other side of civilization and the law. In these pictures, Murphy's characters were meant to uphold the ideologies of European Americans in the west, not to make concessions to Indians, least of all warring Apaches. WALK THE PROUD LAND is a story which seems the antithesis of all that.

Adapting the real-life story of government agent John Clum, this is undoubtedly a more 'enlightened' look at the relationships between whites and native people during a contentious time in U. S. history. But Murphy doesn't fit the part, given the persona that was associated with him in his previous films, not to mention his status as a hero during World War II.

Indeed, the role of a pacifist would have worked better with a liberal actor like Henry Fonda or Burt Lancaster. Perhaps Murphy was anxious to spread his wings and show people what he could do with a different sort of heroic character, but contemporary audiences did not buy it.

Another problem is the casting of the two lead actresses. Piper Laurie was intended to play Murphy's wife on screen in this effort, but she decided to cancel her contract with Universal and study method acting in New York. That would turn out to be a good decision for her, as she would bounce back later in THE HUSTLER alongside Paul Newman.

With Piper Laurie suddenly not available, the role of Murphy's wife was given to Patricia Crowley who was more identified with romantic comedies at her home studio Paramount. Unfortunately, Crowley doesn't register much in the story and she is not given anything significant to do in her limited scenes.

The other main female presence is Anne Bancroft, miscast as a native girl who has designs on Murphy and wants to take the place of his wife. Interestingly, Miss Bancroft would also study method acting in the late 50s and refine her performance techniques like Miss Laurie did.

I am not saying Bancroft is an amateur in WALK THE PROUD LAND; on the contrary, she provides a very engaging performance. But I still found her attempt to play an Indian problematic, and she is not portraying a sympathetic character, which seems at odds with the story's thesis, that we are supposed to give Apaches a chance.

In the hands of other performers, the story might have come across better. Also, if it had been filmed as an independent production that was allowed to take a few substantial risks, they might have been able to overcome the studio formula and turn out an insightful motion picture.

As it stands, the whole thing feels like experimental play-acting and experimental storytelling by a company that usually gave audiences conservative western fare...fare that didn't make too much of a difference or try to masquerade as a think-piece. Ultimately, this is hollow piece of entertainment which despite its good intentions, fails to connect with viewers on a meaningful level.

Good script, pedestrian direction!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 25 July 2017]

Copyright 1956 by Universal. New York opening at the Palace: 7 September 1956. U.S. release: 1 September 1956. U.K. release: 3 September 1956. Australian release: 1 November 1956. Sydney opening on a double bill at the Capitol (ran one week). 7,925 feet. 88 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: John Philip Clum is appointed Indian Agent at the San Carlos Apache Reservation, where he finds the Army using violent means to suppress the Indians. Clum asserts his authority to help the Apaches, thus earning the displeasure of the people of Tucson. In gratitude, the Indians send Tianay to keep house for him. This arouses the jealousy of Clum's fiancée, Mary Dennison.

COMMENT: In the present=day climate of racial tolerance, integration and understanding, it's a big surprise that this screen biography of a true-life Indian agent who blazed this particular trail, is not constantly revived. Admittedly, next to its patent earnestness, the picture's main virtue is its expansive CinemaScope location cinematography.

However, regard for a movie's artistic scope has never stopped TV managers dead in their tracks before. So why now? Maybe the film lacks excitement. That it does, though those who decry Hollywood for distorting reality will certainly have cause to rejoice in this exception. No doubt the nagging wife is pretty close to the essence of what really happened too.

It's a pity that the direction of this worthy script should be so flatly pedestrian. Less than talented directors like Jesse Hibbs (former football star) welcomed CinemaScope because it relieved them of the burden of having to think in terms of visual excitement. Now simply the scope itself is the thing. No dramatic compositions, no effective cutting, no pointed camera movement necessary.

No need to draw fine performances either, because for most of the time the actors are lost in the landscape. When studio scenes take over, why that's a good time for patrons to duck out to the candy bar. Unless of course you're such a rabid fan of Audie Murphy, you don't care a fig what long speeches he gets off his chest, or how stiffly he stands, just so long as his magnified pudgy face is right up there in front of you!

Give us hunting rifles, or give us starvation

[weezeralfalfa · 8/10 · 18 July 2018]

I would say this is the best western/biopic starring Audie Murphy that I have seen. It's based on the story of John Clum, during his appointment as Indian Agent at Arizona's Apache San Carlos Reservation, some distance north of Tucson. We might think of Clum as a messiah of sorts, having a vision of a reservation in which the native inhabitants govern themselves, supplying their own police force, and electing their officials, instead of being governed by the US Army, and officials of the Department of Interior, who were often corrupt, stealing from the largess due the Indians. Of course, this was a revolutionary idea, especially when applied to the frequently belligerent Apache.......I can understand why some viewers don't like Murphy as a leading man. Especially when he is arguing a point, as he often does in this film, his facial expression often comes across as condescending.......Clum has to try to achieve a delicate balance between reservation Apache, renegade Apache, and Army personnel, along with other local whites. He also becomes involved in a very delicate love triangle involving a beautiful Apache widow( Anne Bancroft as Tianay) whom the chief has given to Clum as a present, and his fiancé from back east: Mary(Pat Crowley). Tianay tells Clum that she would be satisfied being a cowife, if that's what he wants. She points out that that would make the women's jobs easier. Besides, her small son, Tono, thinks of Clum as his father, to teach him the way of the Apache in the future. Of course, The beautiful and stylish Mary, when she arrives, is horrified at this prospect, and wants Tianay removed from the house at once, as she realizes that she is in love with Clum. Eventually, Mary comes to the realization that her husband, in part, belongs to the Apache, and they to him. Tianay likens the relationship as like that of a father to his children. Clum prefers to liken it to the relationship between a minister and his 'flock'. Thus, Mary finally accepts that she should be less possessive of Clum, and more considerate of his relations with the Apache.......Charles Drake plays Tom Sweeny: an ex-soldier and sometimes drunk. who is appointed the reservation blacksmith, and Clum also charges him with training the Apache police force of the future. He and Tianay become his closest allies in the reservation......Morris Ankrum plays General Wade: military leader of the reservation, who is often at odds with Clum over policy. Jay Silverheels plays Geronimo, who leads a renegade band, but finally is captured and taken to the reservation guard house. .....Dancer Tommy Rall plays the Apache Taglite, who is often Clum's ally in disputes among the Apache. He even kills his brother, who was about to kill Clum. If the above sounds interesting, you can see the film at YouTube

Only heard of John Clum before in Wyatt Earp movies.

[milwhitt70 · 10/10 · 25 September 2006]

Saw this movie years ago and recently taped it for my collection as a worthwhile Western movie. It took me a long time to catch on that this was the same John P. Clum that you hear mentioned in the many, many TV shows and movies in all western movies relating to Wyatt Earp, as Editor of the Tombstone Epitaph. I think I can name about 10, starting with Richard Dix "The Town Too Tough to Die" about 1939. John Clum must have been a very intelligent man to be chosen as an Indian agent, and then later have the ability to run a newspaper in Tombstone. The end of the movie gave the impression, after the old Indian Chief had a talk with him, that he might stay but he did not. We were not told the year this Agent was active at San Carlos, but we know Clum was established in Tombstone by 1880, so there is nothing on his life in between. Clum made history when he wrote of the Gunfight at the OK Corral on October 27, 1881. Copies of the original newspaper can still be purchased in Tombstone. I got mine Oct 2001 on a trip, and some extras for my old fogy buddies who still play "cowboys".