Incident At Phantom Hill (1966)

Shortly after the Civil War, an army captain (Robert Fuller) is given the assignment to take a Confederate prisoner (Dan Duryea overdoing the villain) to Texas to recover a shipment of gold worth a million dollars that was stolen during the war between the states. To do this, they must travel through hostile Comanche territory. Directed by Earl Bellamy (MUNSTER GO HOME), this is a routine B programmer western that benefits from location wide screen (Techniscope) shooting in Joshua Tree and Lake Piru (both in California) rather than the Universal backlot. It's not an enlightened western, the Comanches aren't humanized, just faceless killing machines. Fuller had made a name for himself in TV western series like LARAMIE and WAGON TRAIN and this was his first leading role in a movie. It did nothing for his career. Western fans should find it entertaining enough but non Western fans most likely will be bored. Jocelyn Lane as a prostitute traveling with the men provides some eye candy. With Linden Chiles, Claude Akins and Tom Simcox.