Captain Apache (1971)

A Native American born US Army officer, Captain Apache, investigating a murder, uncovers a presidential assassination plot.

Director:

Alexander Singer

Writers:

Philip Yordan (screenplay), Milton Sperling (screenplay)

Stars:

Lee Van Cleef, Carroll Baker, Stuart Whitman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lee Van Cleef	...	Capt. Apache
Carroll Baker	...	Maude
Stuart Whitman	...	Griffin
Percy Herbert	...	Moon
Elisa Montés	...	Rosita (as Elisa Montes)
Tony Vogel	...	Snake
Charles Stalmaker	...	O'Rourke (as Charles Stalnaker)
Charly Bravo	...	Sanchez (as Charlie Bravo)
Faith Clift	...	Abigail
Dee Pollock	...	Ben (as D. Pollock)
Dan van Husen	...	Al (as Dan Van Husen)
Hugh McDermott	...	Gen. Ryland
George Margo	...	Sheriff
José Bódalo	...	General (as Jose Bodalo)
Elsa Zabala	...	Witch

Storyline

During the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant, the full-blooded Native American US Army Cavalry officer, Captain Apache, finds himself entangled in a well-planned conspiracy, while on a mission to investigate the death of the Indian Commissioner, Harry Collier. With his sole clue being the victim's cryptic dying words, "April Morning", Captain Apache will soon cross paths with the tough arms-runner, Griffin, as everyone around him who knows something about the puzzling case, eventually, ends up murdered. Is there an intricate plot and an even greater scheme of corruption behind those hideous killings? As the bullets start flying, the inquisitive Captain will shortly find out how deep the conspiracy goes.

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Plot Keywords:

president | presidency | locomotive | native | indian | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the Wild West was murder.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller | Western

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

UK Spain

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 October 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Captain Apache

Filming Locations:

Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Scotia International, Benmar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second of two westerns in a row that Lee Van Cleef made for British production company Benmar Productions. Producers Irving Lerner, Bernard Gordon and Philip Yordan were involved with both movies.

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Goofs

After Captain Apache is captured by Griffin's men outside the telegraph office he's taken to a run down stone building. Behind the building, in the upper right corner of the screen you can see some sort flashing neon sign or billboard in the distance.

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Quotes

Capt. Apache: It's the spirit that dances, not the man - Indian proverb.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue:

"THE ONLY GOOD INDIAN IS A DEAD INDIAN" Paleface Saying

"THE ONLY GOOD PALEFACE IS A DEAD PALEFACE" Indian Saying

"LOVE THY NEIGHBOR" Source Forgotten

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Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma (2016)

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Soundtracks

April Morning
Sung by Lee Van Cleef
Music by Dolores Claman
Words by Richard Morris
Guitar solo Juan Márquez (as Juan Marquez)

User Reviews

Underrated golden nugget, not a classic - just fun.

Produced by America and Spain, this stars Lee Van Cleef as a Union Army... Apache Captain (!) He's out to discover the meaning behind "April Morning" , a dying agent's last words. With very few leads, he starts a tense alliance with a corrupt gun-runner named Griffin (Stuart Whitman), but finds he'll have to work quicker if he's to find out information as his contacts have a rather annoying habit of dying - and just before they tell him as well. The film also stars Carroll Baker (Giant, The Big Country) and Percy Herbert, a bit-part Brit-actor who featured in "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1962) and a couple of "Carry On..." films.

The action scenes here work well, and the humour (mostly intentional) is fairly amusing. Many of the scenes are filled with tension - and the mystery of April Morning is played out well enough to sustain interest and keep you gripped right 'till the end. The music is hardly in the traditional style most westerns follow, although saying that the soundtrack is fine as it includes the novelty of hearing Van Cleef sing "Captain Apache" and "April Morning" with whom, if the lyrics are to be believed, he apparently has a date.

I found this film really enjoyable and very entertaining. After viewing it, I can't get the title song out of my head, although that's most likely a negative point. With the right amount of action and suspense, and a dollop of good humour, this is a movie for little boys of all ages. Recommended.