"Fort Dobbs" is not an entirely original film, but, frankly, there really aren't that many stories you'll see in most westerns. The story here is very similar to John Wayne's film, "Hondo"....and that's good because it's one of Wayne's best.
When the story begins, Gar Davis (Clint Walker) comes to town. When the sheriff confronts him, Gar's comment is short and to the point...he's there to kill a man! Well, you assume he must have because in the next scene a posse is chasing him across the desert. Along the way, Gar finds a man who was recently killed by Comanche Indians. He trades jackets with the dead man and tosses the body off a small cliff. Later, the posse sees the body and assumes Gar was killed and they head back to town.
Soon after this, Gar comes upon a homestead...with a woman (Virginia Mayo) and her little boy (played by the excellent child actor, Richard Eyer). Soon, the Comanche attack them...and they just manage to escape. Now they could head into town...or go to Fort Dobbs. Not suprisingly, Gar tells them they are going to Dobbs...as he could get hung if he heads back to town. So did Gar kill a man? Did the guy deserve it? And what about the 'friend' (Brian Keith) they meet up with along the way?
There is little about this film to dislike apart from the fact that American Indian tribes only rarely attacked settlers (though the Comanche were more likely to do so than most other tribes). Solid acting, action and a nice script all work together to make it a dandy film.
When the story begins, Gar Davis (Clint Walker) comes to town. When the sheriff confronts him, Gar's comment is short and to the point...he's there to kill a man! Well, you assume he must have because in the next scene a posse is chasing him across the desert. Along the way, Gar finds a man who was recently killed by Comanche Indians. He trades jackets with the dead man and tosses the body off a small cliff. Later, the posse sees the body and assumes Gar was killed and they head back to town.
Soon after this, Gar comes upon a homestead...with a woman (Virginia Mayo) and her little boy (played by the excellent child actor, Richard Eyer). Soon, the Comanche attack them...and they just manage to escape. Now they could head into town...or go to Fort Dobbs. Not suprisingly, Gar tells them they are going to Dobbs...as he could get hung if he heads back to town. So did Gar kill a man? Did the guy deserve it? And what about the 'friend' (Brian Keith) they meet up with along the way?
There is little about this film to dislike apart from the fact that American Indian tribes only rarely attacked settlers (though the Comanche were more likely to do so than most other tribes). Solid acting, action and a nice script all work together to make it a dandy film.