zardoz-13 Rory Calhoun appears competent as well as convincing in "Six Gun Law" director Ray Nazarro's western "Apache Territory" with Barbara Bates, John Dehner, and Leo Gordon. Incidentally, "Apache Territory" is an adaptation of best selling western writer Louis L'Amour's novel "Last Stand at Papogo Wells." Earlier, in 1957, Calhoun starred his first L'Amour adaptation entitled "Utah Blaine. Calhoun and his partner Victor M. Orsatti produced this rugged but formulaic oater. If the John Wayne classic "Stagecoach" focused on an odd array of characters cramped within the confines of a stagecoach crossing through Indian infested terrain, "Apache Territory" isn't much different. In this Columbia Pictures release, everything takes place in the desert. We never see the standard-issue replica of a western town with false-fronted buildings. Instead, Nazarro stages all the action in the desert, with a little help from a sound stage. Logan Cates (Rory Calhoun of "Red Showdown") is riding for Yuma when he spots Apaches about to ambush some settlers. He uses his rifle to alert the horsemen about the presence of the redskins. Afterward, Cates discovers a teenage girl, Junie Hatchett (Carolyn Craig) bound by the Indians and left abandoned in a thicket. He cuts her bonds and takes her with him. Along the way, he encounters a young man, Lonnie Foreman (Thomas Pittman), who was one of the three men he warned about the Apaches. Cates and these two take up residence at a water hole, only to find another man who is seeking refuge there. Belong a detachment of U.S. Cavalry thunders into the enclosure, and finally an older-looking gentleman, Grant Kimbrough (John Dehner of "The Left-Handed Gun), arrives with a woman on horseback with him. Logan Cates is surprised to see Jennifer Fair (Barbara Bates of "Cheaper By The Dozen") because they were once in a relationship. Eventually, Cates asserts control over everybody in the dead end canyon because he knows more about fighting Indians than anybody. Similarly, when Grant objects to all of Logan's plans, Jennifer has to rethink her options. The Apaches keep them pinned down until a sandstorm strikes and Cates and company can attack the Indians with home-made explosives. "Apache Territory" boasts some arid scenery and a couple of good performances.

Uriah43 Rory Calhoun is a loner named "Logan Cates" who rides upon an Apache war party in the middle of the desert. Hampering his ability to escape is the fact that there are three other groups of whites (arriving at different times) who are also in trouble and need his help. So all of them seek refuge in a waterhole and take up as good a defensive posture as possible. Now, not wanting to spoil the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is not a bad western movie. Most of the actors did a decent job but Rory Calhoun basically carried this film with a very creditable performance. On the flip side though, the cavalry soldiers were some of the most indisciplined and inept bunch I've ever seen and seemed out-of-character. Be that as it may, in my opinion any western film that has a gila monster and the quote, "It's just a flesh wound" can't be that bad. Worth a watch for fans of this genre.

bkoganbing In a very tightly constructed and entertaining B Western that he produced as well as starred in, Rory Calhoun collects a motley crew of people to stand off hostile Apaches in Apache Territory. The title speaks for itself, but it begs the question as to what all these people were doing there?Circumstance bring Calhoun together with a former flame and her new fiancé, Barbara Bates and John Dehner, a young girl played by Carolyn Craig whom Calhoun rescues on the trail, Tom Pittman an amiable young drifting cowboy, Indian prospector Frank DeKova and a patrol of cavalry who are led by a sergeant from the adjutant general's office with no field experience in Frank DeSales. DeSales gladly cedes leadership to Calhoun who knows far more about Indian fighting than he does.DeSales has some malcontents among his troops, a homesick Myron Healey and a former sergeant in Leo Gordon who thinks he ought to be running things. I think you can see all the inherent conflicts and in the 70 minute running time they're all brought out.Actually Calhoun does have a plan to get them all out and it depends on the weather. The trick is to see how many of them survive. What it is you'll have to see Apache Territory for.If you didn't recognize it, Apache Territory is yet another reworking of John Ford's The Lost Patrol which was remade into Sahara and remade again as Last Of The Comanches. The last stand theme is enduringly popular and Columbia Pictures sure got a lot of use out of it.Two tragedies were in this cast. Both Tom Pittman and Carolyn Craig died way too young and too violently. Pittman in a car crash after this film was completed and Craig several years later by gunshot. In John Mitchum's book Them Ornery Mitchum Boys about he and brother Bob he became friends with Pittman and described him as a nice kid and promising young actor. Pittman was missing for several days before police found the car he had been driving at the bottom of a ravine with Pittman's body. Apache Territory is a good classic B western the kind that sadly Hollywood does not turn out any more.

lonniebealeusa Rory Calhoun never really made it to "A" star status as a movie actor,but the roles he played in 'B' movies such as Apache Territory suited him well.A handsome and capable actor he made it bearable to watch movies such as this especially when you needed to while away a couple of hours and forget the troubles of the world.This is your basic story of a group of people in the desert surrounded by a horde of Apache indians intent on doing them harm. John Dehner and Leo Gordon -two extremely competent character actors- add to the allure of Apache Territory. The only failure I found was the addition of two goodlooking females to add romantic interest,when the filmmakers could have concentrated more on the interaction between the attacking Indians and the U.S. calvary. The movie tends to drag in the middle stages,due I think to the female cast members ,but finally builds to an entertaining climax. Overall a nice movie to watch when its raining outside and you don't want to mow the lawn.