John Ford's Masterpiece of the Frontier!

Starring: John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, John Agar, Ward Bond, Irene Rich, Anna Lee, George O'Brien, Guy Kibbee, Ray Hyke, Mae Marsh, Victor McLaglen, Dick Foran, Pedro Armendariz, Jack Pennick

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"And then it began: whiskey but no beef; trinkets instead of blankets; the women degraded; the children sickly; and the men turning into drunken animals. So Cochise did the only thing a decent man could do... he left. Took most of his people and crossed the Rio Bravo into Mexico." – Captain York

Why watch this? This is the first of three John Ford/John Wayne cavalry films, and it is a great one.

Plot Summary: At the remote Arizona outpost Fort Apache, Captain Kirby York receives word that the new commanding officer will be Lieutenant Colonel Owen Thursday. When Thursday arrives, the West Pointer is arrogant and abrasive with this officers. In tow is his beautiful and kind daughter, Philadelphia. Thursday extends his rude egotism towards the Native Americans with which treaties have been struck. Cap. York, who knows the natives and has their trust, counsels Thursday to work with them, only to fall on deaf ears.

Dad's Preview:  This great epic film educates viewers on the life of our nation's cavalrymen, and it also gives us insights into Thursday, a man similar to the real-life George A. Custer, whose ambition and arrogance cost him his life at Little Bighorn. It is a pleasure to watch Fonda and Wayne square off in one of the only films they starred in together. The next Ford-Wayne cavalry film, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949) would be equally as exciting as this fine effort. 

Argosy Pictures; RKO Radio Pictures