40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967)

The Apaches are on the warpath and the Army must defend them. Murphy's mission is to get a shipment of rifles, but it's stolen by greedy white traders with the help of mutinous soldiers.

Director:

William Witney

Writers:

Willard W. Willingham (as Willard Willingham), Mary Willingham

Stars:

Audie Murphy, Michael Burns, Kenneth Tobey

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Audie Murphy	...	Captain Coburn
Michael Burns	...	Doug
Kenneth Tobey	...	Corporal Bodine
Laraine Stephens	...	Ellen
Robert Brubaker	...	Sergeant Walker
Michael Blodgett	...	Mike
Michael Keep	...	Cochise
Kay Stewart	...	Kate Malone
Kenneth MacDonald	...	Harry Malone
Byron Morrow	...	Colonel Reed
Willard W. Willingham	...	Fuller (as Willard Willingham)
Ted Gehring	...	Barrett
James Beck	...	Higgins
Maurice Hart	...	Narrated by (voice)

Storyline

In 1868 Arizona the Apaches led by Cochise are on a warpath and U.S. Army Captain Bruce Coburn is tasked with protecting settlers on their way to Apache Wells. A group of undisciplined soldiers, led by corporal Bodine, make Coburn's task more difficult. When they're sent after a shipment of repeating rifles Bodine and four others steal the weapons and desert. Captain Coburn manages to return to Apache Wells where he vows to capture Bodine and his fellow deserters. Meanwhile, Bodine mets Cochise to negotiate the sale of the stolen repeating rifles without knowing that Captain Coburn has recovered the stolen weapons and has killed the other deserters. Cochise and Bodine chase after Captain Coburn in an attempt to recuperate the rifles which both the Apaches and the settlers need in order to prevail. A race against time ensues.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona territory | warpath | year 1868 | apache pass | reference te the battle of apache pass | 

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Taglines:

He had to get the guns through ... if he had to take on the whole Apache nation to do it !

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Audie Murphy's next-to-last film.

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Goofs

During the fight scene between Captain Coburn (Audie Murphy) & Corporal Bodine (red-headed Kenneth Tobey), there are obvious stand-ins for both characters. The brown haired Coburn now has much darker hair-almost black whilst the red haired Bodine has dark brown hair.

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Quotes

Col. Homer Reed: Captain, there are two ways to get men through a door; *kick* 'em through, or you can *lead* 'em through.
Capt. Bruce Coburn: That's right, sir. You'll wind up in the same place *anyway*.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: (on a book cover) THE APACHE WARS IN ARIZONA TERRITORY For years following the Civil War, the question was whether Indians or the United States Army would control Arizona Territory. Bands of hostile Apaches roamed the countryside. Only the courage and dedication of a few brave fighting men kept the Territory from being completely overrun.

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Connections

Referenced in Please, Hold the Spaghetti!: Apache Rifles and the End of the Conventional Western (2010)

User Reviews

Audie Murphy's last starring western proves a disappointment

40 GUNS TO APACHE PASS (1966) was the last starring western for war hero-turned-western star Audie Murphy, who had ended his fruitful 15-year association with Universal Pictures the previous year. Released by Columbia Pictures, it turned out to be an unfitting send-off, undercut by an extremely low budget, a talky script, and an undistinguished no-name cast (aside from Murphy and screen vet Kenneth Tobey).

The plot might have made a good western had it been accorded a bigger budget and a stronger cast. A beleaguered Arizona cavalry division harassed by Cochise and his Apache warriors is expecting a shipment of repeating rifles, which could mean the difference between life and death for Apache Wells, an outpost housing the army and surviving settlers. The weapons become the object of less-than-intense conflict involving the Cavalry, the Indians and, later, a renegade group of army deserters. Murphy plays Captain Coburn, a no-nonsense type who romances a settler's daughter (Laraine Stephens) and agrees to take her two younger brothers (Michael Blodgett, Michael Burns) into the undermanned regiment after their father is killed in an attack. A display of cowardice by the youngest brother (Burns) has dire consequences, resulting in a meandering subplot requiring his redemption.

The production values here are far less polished than one would find in a typical TV western of the time, such as "Wagon Train" or "The Virginian." The no-name performers overact and are given reams of unnecessary dialogue in order to pad out the film's running time. Frequent narration tells us things we can see for ourselves. Most of the film was shot at ordinary-looking Southern California ranch locations. All this is especially disappointing given the participation of director William Witney, a one-time action specialist at Republic Pictures, who'd been directing for 30 years at this point.

Things pick up, however, in the film's final third when Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey), a vengeful ex-sergeant with a grudge against Murphy, decides he has other plans for the 40 rifles and convinces four of the remaining soldiers from the escort to accompany him. Murphy, who'd been left for dead, has to get the rifles back while Burns, the cowardly brother, has to prove himself a man. This section of the film was shot in more remote California locations which actually pass for Arizona and features a larger band of Apaches on the prowl as Murphy undertakes a holding action, guarding a pass alone with a stack of fully loaded repeating rifles. Director Witney's considerable expertise kicks in during this stretch and gives a hint of what might have been. Composer Richard LaSalle pumps things up with a rousing, if clichéd, score

Audie Murphy only appeared in two more films, both little-seen. First was the international thriller, TRUNK TO CAIRO (1966), directed by future Cannon Films mogul Menahem Golan, while his final film was the Budd Boetticher western, A TIME FOR DYING (1969), which Murphy produced and appeared in briefly as Jesse James.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

40 Guns to Apache Pass

Filming Locations:

Lovejoy Buttes, Lancaster, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Admiral Pictures, Robert E. Kent Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1