Land of Cochise

The popularity of the 1950 movie "Broken Arrow", a Twentieth Century Fox motion picture, paved the way for this television series from the same production company, though it took six more years to come to fruition. The name "Cochise" had by that time become nearly as well known to the American public as Geronimo or Sitting Bull, and the original movie role had won Jeff Chandler an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor in a Supporting Role -- and was also largely responsible for his future popularity as an actor. The producers of the television series had similar ambitions in mind for the actor they chose to fill Cochise's mocassins, who turned out to be a little known Syrian character actor with an Indian-like physiognomy named Michael Ansara. For Tom Jeffords, they chose John Lupton, another relatively unknown actor.

Their efforts paid off in a big way. The television series was an instant success, and Michael Ansara so perfectly characterized the role of a Native American that he soon "became" Cochise to American audiences everywhere. In fact, many people thought sure he was an American Indian (if that term is still "PC", it's always hard to tell). As for John Lupton, he acted the part of Jeffords with gusto and often acted like he was walking on eggs when around Cochise, definitely an over statement of the respect with which the real Jeffords viewed the real Cochise (but only in the sense that in reality, this respect was mutual). Strangely, the writing was so uneven in this series that there were times when nearly the opposite was true: There were many stories in which Cochise almost acts subservient to Jeffords.

Jason Betzinez (in his book "I Fought With Geronimo") relates a true story in which he was invited to Ft. Sill on very short notice. There he met "an actor who takes the part of Cochise on a television program". Though Jason does not name names, it is almost certain this was Michael Ansara. He writes that upon meeting the actor, he approached him and told him, "You are a good actor, and you take the part of Cochise almost as well as if you were an Apache. But there are a few incidents in the film that are not exactly the way things happened." It is a bit confusing that he phrased it that way, using the word film . . . but this was almost certainly an error in articulation as opposed to meaning that he had met Jeff Chandler (the film actor). If so, this was high praise indeed for Mr. Ansara!

I've already made reference to the fact that the scripts were uneven. Two stories, however, were supplied by Elliott Arnold himself, writer of the novel "Blood Brother" from which all forms of "Broken Arrow" evolved. These were titled, "The Assassin" and "Apache Girl". They would be worth finding if you can locate them.

One episode that enfuriated me was "Battle At Apache Pass". I expected some kind of dramatization of the historical battle of the same name. Instead we get a thoroughly inane tale, fictional in its entirely, that has nothing to do with the pivotal confrontation in 1862 that pitted the combined forces of Cochise and Mangas Coloradas against the California Volunteers. The episode should never have been given that title. Another bone I have to pick with the series is the way it ended. Rather than give us the unbeatable drama and poignance of Cochise's last moments with his friend Jeffords, the day before he died . . . we are told that Jeffords accepted a post elsewhere, at a distant fort, and the series ends with Cochise watching him ride off into the sunset, a resolute but somehow sad expression on his prideful face. It left a bad taste in my mouth, even though it seems it was simply an open ended device just in case the series might later be renewed for another season.

But overall, I believe Ansara's portrayal brought a good measure of dignity, austerity and inborn leadership to Cochise's role. Sometimes he played it a bit too over the top, bringing a two-dimensional aspect to the character, but I think this was often due to deficiencies inherent in some of the weaker scripts. Physically, Ansara was suitably imposing and the very image of robustness.

At the very least, American television viewers were shown that Cochise possessed a wise and indomitable spirit, a passion for honor and truth, and an uncanny ability to recognize the same attributes -- or the lack of them -- in others, whether friend or foe.