Ernest Haycox wrote the story that became John Wayne's breakout western, "Stagecoach". Another one of Haycox's stories was filmed as "Apache War Smoke"...and the two films are very, very similar.
A group of travelers in the old west come to a stagecoach relay station. Once there, however, they cannot leave as the local Apache are in a rage...as apparently SOMEONE killed on of their people. Much of the film consists of the folks preparing for the worst...and the stage operator refuses to give in to the Apache demands.
This is an okay film...neither bad nor good. The acting is decent and it's always nice to see Gilbert Roland in a movie because his acting seems so natural and effortless. But the story, well it seems structurally too much like "Stagecoach" without the wonderful payoffs in the script.
A group of travelers in the old west come to a stagecoach relay station. Once there, however, they cannot leave as the local Apache are in a rage...as apparently SOMEONE killed on of their people. Much of the film consists of the folks preparing for the worst...and the stage operator refuses to give in to the Apache demands.
This is an okay film...neither bad nor good. The acting is decent and it's always nice to see Gilbert Roland in a movie because his acting seems so natural and effortless. But the story, well it seems structurally too much like "Stagecoach" without the wonderful payoffs in the script.