Apache Country (1952)

Intro.
Encore Westerns had a great Gene Autry double feature today: Melody Ranch and Apache Country.  I watched both, even though I had already seen Melody Ranch (but the second viewing was just as good!).  I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive about Apache Country.  As a fan of Westerns, I am painfully aware of sometimes awful treatment of Native Americans in motion pictures.  I haven't seen many films where they are not the bad guys, and fewer still where they have been portrayed as complex, important characters.  This picture struck me because the Apaches are the very people Gene is protecting, and they are respected.  The main Apaches in the film are not main characters, but important to the plot.  In a timeline sense, this film came after Gene had already been on his TV show for about 2 years.  He's a bit older than his early classics, but he can still pull a few punches (and sing a few melodies!).

Overview
This film reminds me of a longer, more polished version of one of Gene's TV episodes.  The plot is fairly simple - Gene is chief of scouts for the Army, and his latest assignment is to go undercover in the town of Apache Springs to find out who's been inciting Apache uprisings to cover up real train robbers.  The easy part is finding out the couple behind the outlaw ring - the hard part is proving it.  Lucky for Gene and his sidekick Pat Buttram, they run into Carolina Cotton (playing herself), a gal who runs her late father's medicine show.  Carolina can out shoot and out yodel everyone in the territory, and she and Gene become fast friends.  He entrusts her with a coded report that will expose the outlaw leaders, but the leaders get wind and try to ambush her when she joins a wagon train to the nearest fort.  Gene and Pat ride in just as the bullets start flying, and of course they all get the bad guys.

Highlights
What this film lacks in plot, it makes up for in the character of Carolina Cotton.  She is unstoppable!  Not only is she running her own business, but she's joining up with Gene and Pat to help them in a pretty dangerous situation.  Gene pays her quite a compliment too when he says that next to her father, she's the best they could have asked for.  It's so refreshing to see a woman in a Western who is her own person, not dependant on anyone, able to shoot and fight better than any man.  And she's not the usual old, bitter spinster with a gun - she's gorgeous!

Carolina sounds great when she sings too, and just as terrific when she and Gene sing together.  He doesn't sing as much in this picture, probably because he's too busy chasing train robbers and punching out bad guys.  But he does manage to sing a beautiful version of "Cold, Cold Heart."  The Cass County boys are also along for the ride, providing some nice backup for both Gene and Carolina (although they really should have had more screen time).

Finally, the Apaches that tour with Carolina perform some traditional dances for us, and Gene narrates their actions.  He pays respect to their traditions and helps those around him understand the symbolism of the Eagle Dance and the Buffalo Hunt.  It's very different from other cowboy-and-Indian movies, and makes me happy Gene did it.

Review and Recommendation
There are a few reviews out there that say this film is only mediocre.  It really is a usual, run-of-the-mill oater, but still entertaining.  There are a few good reasons to see it.  If you think that Native Americans are never portrayed well, you should see this picture.  If you think women are never strong Western characters, then this film will prove you wrong.  All in all, not Gene's best, but far from his worst either.