Fort Apache (1948)

The film was one of RKO's biggest successes in 1948, earning $445,000 at the box office.

Plot

John Wayne plays Capt. Kirby York, who is stationed at Fort Apache. His new commander is Col.Owen Thursday brilliantly played against type byHenry Fonda. Also arriving at the fort is the Colonel's daughter, Philadelphia, played by a grown up Shirley Temple. Philadelphia begins a romance with one of the soldiers, Lt. Michael O'Rourke, played by Shirley's real life husband, John Agar. Col. Thursday proves to be an obstinate man and opposes the romance. He also has no time or respect for Indians and the movie finishes with a bloodthirsty battle sequence where the Colonel frankly gets his just deserts.

Production

Many of the film's exterior locations were shot in John Ford's beloved Monument Valley in Arizona. The exterior shots which involved the fort itself were shot at the Corriganville Movie Ranch, in the Simi Valley of Southern California. The Fort Apache fort, built for this production, stood for years. It was reused in dozens of productions, most notably the 1954 TV series 'The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin'.

The film's original budget was $2.8 million, and for their work, Shirley Temple, John Wayne and Henry Fonda were each paid $100,000. Filming was completed twenty-five days under schedule and $700,000 under budget.

Shirley Temple, who appears in one of her first adult roles, was pregnant during shooting. One of her co-stars, John Agar, was her husband at the time.