Random attacks on Apache Indians leads to the threat of violence towards a fort community if the killer of these natives isn't turned over, with the threat of a violent death for everybody. Evidence seems to point to Mexican bandido Gilbert Roland, a charming, well dressed rogue whose glory days he intends to see go on forever. His very American looking son (Robert Horton) isn't quite sure of who the guilty party is, but he's determined to find out for sure before Roland is handed over. New to the fort are wealthy Gene Lockhart and his pretty daughter (Barbara Ruick) whom Horton falls in love with while protecting. Roland, meanwhile, courts the feisty Glenda Farrell whom native American fort resident Robert Blake refers to as "the old lady". Indeed, Farrell is made up to look older, kind of resembling Granny from "The Beverly Hillbillies" in certain outfits. She looked more youthful over a decade later when she appeared opposite Jerry Lewis in "The Disorderly Orderly", so the faults lies not with Farrell but the costume designer, hair stylist and make-up artist. It's predictable but fun, with young Blake standing out in a few scenes, especially admitting a crush on Ruick that she reluctantly has to gently let him down over. Harry Morgan also has a nice supporting role. Fast paced and excellent photography with tight editing makes this a decent B western with typical MGM gloss.
Review of Apache War Smoke
