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:

Guns, Guts...Glory!

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Audie Murphy's fee for this film was $50,000.

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Goofs

At the film's climax, Doug rides to help Captain Coburn and as he rounds the top of the hill he is clearly riding with both hands on the reins with his rifle in its saddle holster, but seconds later as he dismounts, he has his rifle in his hand.

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Quotes

Cochise: A man who turns on his friends cannot be trusted by his enemies.

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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

Just Pass.

40 Guns to Apache Pass is directed by William Witney and written by Willard and Mary Willingham. It stars Audie Murphy and Kenneth Tobey. Music is by Richard LaShelle and Jaques R. Marquette photographs it in Pathe Color with location work coming at Lovejoy Buttes, Red Rock Canyon and North Ranch in California.

The Apaches, led by Cochise (Michael Keep), are on the warpath and vowing to kill all whites they come across. Captain Bruce Coburn (Murphy) is in charge of leading homesteaders out of harms way. But there is unrest in the band of men under his charge and mutiny is afoot.

This was the last but one film Murphy made before retiring, you feel that he hoped this would be a fitting swan song to his career. It wasn't. Saddled with a weak script and surrounded by wooden supporting actors, Murphy alone can't make this lacklustre, cliché riddled, Western work. There's some nice scenery shot by Witney and Marquette, but with LaShelle scoring it like an episode of Scooby Doo the impact is lost. It would be easy to blame director Witney, a man more than capable of stringing together an action based movie, but asking him to try and make this particular screenplay stretch to over an hour and half was asking for the impossible.

3/10 for Murphy's manful efforts to carry such a low-budget, routine and forgettable piece.

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 (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1