Comanche Territory

Jim Bowie (MacDonald Carey) and government representative Will Geer try to retrieve a stolen Comanche land treaty, which may have been stolen from Geer by lady-boss Maureen O'Hara as a means of taking the Indian's land and it's precious silver deposits. Like all of Universal International's Technicolor B-westerns, this looks excellent, with nice use of color and picturesque locations. However, it's kind of bland, with action and suspense unimaginatively handled, though a compact running time helps keep it watchable. The best thing about it is the witty banter between Carey and Geer, who steals every scene he's in.

A handsome, good-humoured Technicolor western about Jim Bowie, this time played by a laconic Macdonald Carey aided by wily old chum Will Geer. Feisty, buckskin-wearing female lead Maureen O'Hara later recalled it as "a fairly decent western and the film in which I mastered the American bullwhip. By the time the picture was over, I could snap a gigarette out of someone's mouth".

Run-of-the-mill western. A fictional adventure of the legendary Jim Bowie(Macdonald Carey), who represents the government in keeping peace between the Comanches and whites. Silver has been found on Comanche land and a treaty has been stolen. It appears that a fiery redhead saloon keeper(Maureen O'Hara)and her brother(Charles Drake)know more about the situation than they let on. The 'white skins' plan on making a small fortune from mining the silver on the land they take from the Indians. O'Hara is the movie. Carey is just too wooden in his portrayal of an otherwise flamboyant Bowie. Other cast members: Will Geer, Parley Baer, James Best and Glenn Strange.

Comanche Territory is directed by George Sherman and written by Oscar Brodney and Lewis Meltzer. It stars Maureen O'Hara, Macdonald Carey, Will Geer and Charles Drake. Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Maury Gertsman. A government treaty set up to protect sacred Comanche land is due to expire, just as silver has been found beneath the mountains on the land. James Bowie (Carey) has been sent to negotiate a new treaty with the Comanche leaders, thus allowing the silver to be mined without upsetting the Indians. But there are underhand plans being drawn up by settlers in the town of Crooked Tongue, a town run by feisty Katie Howard (O'Hara). Can Bowie prevent the pillaging of the sacred Indian land? Something that will inevitably lead to blood being shed…... Good solid B Western that gets in and does its job without pretension or pointless filler. Shot in Technicolor and filmed impressively on location in Sedona, Arizona (Big & Little Parks/Red Rock), it's a film that offers an interesting story and a good sprinkling of action. Cast are mostly fine, Geer files in for the Arthur Hunnicut/Walter Brennan type role, O'Hara is spunky and a Technicolor picture (check out that gorgeous black and green frock sequence) and Carey, whilst hardly a convincing or robust Jim Bowie, plays it with restraint and works off of Geer and O'Hara rather well. The action is competently staged by old pro Sherman, who also doesn't let the pace sag, and Gertsman's photography of the landscapes (particularly Red Rock) is the high point of the production. Problems? Well Charles Drake as Katie Howard's crooked brother turns him into a pretty tepid villain, while the big saloon punch-up is beset by amateurish punch throwing. There's also the issue of non Native American actors playing Indians, which once in a while in the 50s did throw up the odd good turn, however here isn't one of them. Though in fairness they aren't helped by the script, which doesn't exactly give the Comanche characters some telling dialogue to impact on proceedings. Good to report that Pegasus' DVD release contains a very good print, there's the odd moment of colour fluctuation, but by and large it's a neat transfer. Though you may want to slightly tone down your colour setting since Sherman and Gertsman have gone for the high contrast option for the Technicolor filters! 6.5/10

While this isn't an awful Western, there are clearly deficient aspects here that prevent greatness. The fight scenes don't thrill. The saloon brawl is poorly crafted, and nowhere near as funny as intended. The Comanches are depicted as 'injuns', with whites playing the only speaking parts. The central love/hate relationship between Carey and O'Hara is of the screwball comedy variety, but Carey is no Clark Gable. In addition to the desert scenery, the only other real value this has is historical -- a reminder of whence more recent movies extract their ideas. For example, the imposing presence of the Bowie knife would later be borrowed by the "Rambo" movies. O'Hara is probably the best single feature here, her two-fisted feisty redhead serving as a template for the Nicole Kidmans of the modern era. And the bull whip cracking and fight on the runaway wagon would become ingredients in "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

Famous frontiersman Jim Bowie is sent by President Andrew Jackson to make sure the terms of a treaty with the Comanche is being carried out. But another emissary has been bushwacked and the Comanches never got the new treaty. It's up to Jim with his trusty knife to investigate what's going on. Nefarious villains are after the silver that's on the Comanche land. Of all the American frontier characters in our history, Jim Bowie has had the biggest whitewash. In real life this man was a slavetrader, a land swindler and all around frontier scoundrel. The knife he is credited with inventing was made probably to his specifications, but by someone else. He had a certain amount of charm as MacDonald Carey plays him here with, but definitely was not of good character. Andy Jackson might have bought a slave or three for the Hermitage from Jim Bowie, but never would have sent him on a diplomatic mission. And the Comanches who were not a blip on the American frontier radar yet, would not have made a deal with Jackson if they heard anything about what happened to the Cherokee. Maureen O'Hara got to create another redheaded spitfire character that she was doing in picture after picture at this point of her career. Will Geer as the other Jackson emissary probably has the best part in this film. Average Hollywood western which has absolutely nothing to do with reality. But the kiddies might like it.

Silver has been found on Comanche territory and the government accomplished a peaceful agreement with the indians. When James 'Jim' Bowie comes into the scene he finds the white settlers living near by planning to attack the indians although they know about that agreement and the beautiful Katie seems to play a leading role in this intrigue. This Universal western is quite an enjoyable film, with plenty of humour and colourful characters. It has no pretensions to be anything but a action-packed romp with fine scenery to help it along. MacDonald Carey makes a good Jim Bowie with wry one liners ( when a Ute warrior says "come" four times, Bowie replies: "look's like that's the only vocabulary he knows")and he's quite athletic, and his comic interplay with Maureen O' Hara when they first meet is funny ( when Carey realises that O Hara is the saloon owner, banker etc!!! Is quite funny). A zestful little film.

While the movie itself is just a standard western, the locations are absolutely beautiful, well worth watching the movie just for the scenery.

Silver has been found in Comanche territory and the United States wants it badly. So "Jim Bowie" (MacDonald Carey) comes to talk with them and promises that they will get a fair deal with a new treaty that has just been written in Washington D.C. What he doesn't know is just how badly some other white men want to keep the treaty from being delivered so that they can obtain the silver for themselves. Anyway, one of the reasons this movie was filmed in color was to capture the beautiful scenery. But another interesting reason was because the red hair of Maureen O'Hara (playing "Katie Howard") was thought to actually enhance the film as well. True fact. Be that as it may, while she performed in an adequate manner it simply wasn't enough to improve this film into anything more than the Grade-B western that it actually is. Worth a watch for die-hard western fans or if nothing else is available. But that's about all.

This little-seen quasi-Western from 1950 stars McDonald Carey as Jim Bowie helping his friends, the Indians, from an army of marauding white men out to steal Indian land for its silver. The action is set well before the Civil War, so it is improper to call this a Western, although on the meager budget this was shot on, there are plenty of classic Western outfits on display throughout. Carey is at his prime here, and makes for a virile and resourceful Bowie. An absolutely stunning and very youthful Maureen O'Hara is his feisty love interest, who initially is all for white folks taking over Indian land. She wears some silly outfits that look like they came from a Roy Rogers flick, but she also gets to wear at least one formal dress that shows off her distinctive assets. She also gets to put on quite a brogue, enough so that you might think you're watching THE QUIET MAN from time to time. All in all, a fun "B" flick of a type now long forgotten.