Details

Release year: 1948

Storyline

At Fort Apache, an honorable and veteran war captain finds conflict when his regime is placed under the command of a young, glory hungry lieutenant colonel with no respect for the local Indian tribe.

Top credits

Directors

John Ford

Writers

Cast

John Wayne — Capt. Kirby York
Henry Fonda — Lt. Col. Owen Thursday
Shirley Temple — Philadelphia Thursday
Pedro Armendáriz — Sgt. Beaufort

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Did you know

• The cast member who had the hardest time with John Ford was John Agar, making his film debut. Whether it was because Agar was newly married to Ford's beloved Shirley Temple or because he wanted to test him, the director rode him mercilessly, calling him "Mr. Temple" in front of everyone, criticizing the way he delivered lines, chastising him for his lack of expert horsemanship. One day Agar stormed off, vowing to quit the picture, but John Wayne took him aside and helped him with some of the more difficult aspects of his job.

• Movie censor Joseph Breen had some problems with the script. He was concerned about a scene of the men working at a manure pile as possibly offensive and insisted that a shot of two dead troopers be handled discreetly without any overt gruesomeness. He also gave orders that no toilet should be shown on screen and that drinking scenes be kept to a minimum. Breen also instructed John Ford to keep constant contact with Mel Morse, regional director of the American Humane Society, regarding any scenes involving horses or other animals.

• Although John Ford would not allow wives and girlfriends onto his locations, John Wayne was allowed to bring his son Michael Wayne with him to Monument Valley. He later described the rugged conditions and the long, six-days-per-week working hours: "The only thing people could do in Monument Valley was work; there was no other diversion. But the rougher it was, the more Ford seemed to like it."