
A 1969 release I’d never seen, a fine western starring Glenn Ford as the title character. He’s a western farmer raised by Indians, but now married with a son and trying to make a go of his farm. He’s the best friend of a local band of Indians, including Antoine (Chief Dan George), who raised him. His son adores him, but his wife Norah (Nancy Olson, from Pollyanna) finds his lax attitude to work and frequent gifts and support to the Indians aggravating. When Antoine harbors a young Indian man wanted for murder on Smith’s property, and he’s tracked down by an Indian-hating sheriff (Keenan Wynn), all kinds of trouble follows. This film may have problems for Native Americans, but at least it’s trying to show that prejudice against them is wrong, and the trial of Gabriel Jimmyboy (Frank Ramírez) includes wonderful testimony by Chief Dan George. Also appearing are Warren Oates, Dean Jagger, and Jay Silverheels. The running time is 102 minutes, and it made a little over one million dollars, so probably not a success, but I enjoyed watching it on Amazon Prime, and Glenn Ford and Chief Dan George are both great.
