White Comanche (1968)

Twin brothers, half white and half Comanche, take different paths that overlap with Johnny Moon getting blamed for Notah's violent acts until the final confrontation in Rio Hondo.

Director:

José Briz Méndez (as Gilbert Lee Kay)

Writers:

Robert I. Holt, Frank Gruber

Stars:

Joseph Cotten, William Shatner, Rosanna Yanni

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joseph Cotten	...	Sheriff Logan
William Shatner	...	Johnny Moon / Notah
Rosanna Yanni	...	Kelly (as Rossana Yani)
Perla Cristal	...	White Fawn
Mariano Vidal Molina	...	Gen. Garcia (as Vidal Molina)
Luis Prendes	...	Grimes
Barta Barri	...	Mayor Bolker (as Bart Barry)
Vicente Roca	...	Ellis (as Vincent Rocca)
Luis Rivera	...	Kah To
Javier Maiza	...	Coor (as Xavier Maza)
Víctor Israel	...	Carter
Fernando Lewis	...	Quincy (as Ferdinand Lewis)
Héctor Quiroga	...	The Parson (as Hector Quiroga)
Gene Reyes	...	Comanche
Gian Castelli	...	The Boy (as Ian Castelli)

Storyline

William Shatner plays two roles: cowboy Johnny Moon and his ruthless Indian twin brother, Notah. Notah likes peyote and gets the crazy idea that he's the Comanche messiah sent to lead the Comanche nation against the white man but more specifically the dusty desert town of Rio Hondo. Moon, estranged from his brother, decides to stop Notah either by words or by bullets.

---

Plot Keywords:

whiskey | cigar | poker game | cowboy in tight pants | cowboy horse relationship | 

---

Genres:

Western

---

Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

23 December 1968 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Rio Hondo

Filming Locations:

Colmenar Viejo, Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Producciones Cinematográficas A.B.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (uncredited)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in Spain on a miniscule budget while William Shatner was on hiatus from playing Captain Kirk on Star Trek (1966), this film features him playing the dual role of half-breed twin brothers in the Old West.

---

Goofs

When Johnny is shown in the second-story window from the front, he holds his gun at his hip. From the rear, he is holding his gun up by this face.

---

Quotes

Johnny Moon: Next time, don't eat the peyote.

---

Connections

Featured in Top 10 Shitty Shatner Movies (2010)

User Reviews

Insipid western

During the 1960s, when Euro westerns were the rage, Spanish filmmakers often had great success making westerns during co- productions with Italy. However, when the Spaniards made westerns on their own, the results were usually dismal, "White Comanche" being no exception. While it's not the worst western I've seen, it's a flat and decidedly unentertaining experience for the most part. Oh, there is a little camp value seeing Shatner in the title role, whooping it up and overacting. However, despite what the title may suggest, the movie isn't really about the white Comanche character. In fact, after first showing up in a couple of brief scenes in the movie's first few minutes, the character doesn't appear again until almost an hour has passed! The movie is more about the white Comanache's twin brother instead. The movie could still have worked, but for the most part it's very boring, slow-moving, flatly directed (even the background scenery is bland), and burdened with an absolutely terrible musical score. Even more forgiving fans of Euro westerns will find this movie a chore to sit through.