Broken Arrow the TV Series

Native Americans did not fare well during the Golden Age of Hollywood. They did not fare particularly well in the early days of television either. Indeed, the most familiar Native American character to television viewers in the Fifties was probably The Lone Ranger's sidekick Tonto, who was something of a stereotype. Fortunately, things began to change in the late Forties with more sympathetic portrayals of Native Americans in films. Among the films with a more sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans was Broken Arrow (1950). It was the success of Broken Arrow (1950) that would lead to the television series Broken Arrow, one of two shows in the Fifties that centred on a Native American character (the other being Brave Eagle).

The movie Broken Arrow (1950) was based on the 1947 novel Blood Brother by Elliott Arnold. Like the novel, the movie was a fictionalized account of the friendship between Indian agent Tom Jeffords(James Stewart)  and  Chiricahua Apache chief Cochise (Jeff Chandler). While Cochise was played by a white actor (as were the other Native characters, with the exception of Geronimo, played by Jay Silverheels) , the movie was progressive for its time insofar as it presented a sympathetic view of both Cochise and the Apache. Not only was Broken Arrow nominated for three Oscars, but it also did very well at the box office. It was the eighth highest grossing film for 1950.

It was in 1955 that The 20th Century Fox Hour debuted on CBS. The 20th Century Fox Hour aired hour-long adaptation of 20th Century Fox movies. Among these movies was Broken Arrow, starring Ricardo Montalbán as Cochise and John Lupton as Tom Jeffords, which aired on May 2 1956. It was this episode of The 20th Century Fox Hour that led to the TV series Broken Arrow. Like the movie and the 20th Century Fox Hour before it, Cochise was once more played by someone who was not Native American. Michael Ansara was a Syrian American of Lebanese descent. Broken Arrow was not the first time he had played a Native American. He had played The Prophet in the 1952 Western Brave Warrior.  On television he had played a Native character on The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. For the role of Tom Jeffords, Broken Arrow retained John Lupton from the 20th Century Fox Hour episode.

Broken Arrow debuted on ABC on September 25 1956. It benefited from a particularly good time slot, following the hit Westerns Cheyenne (which rotated with the anthology show Conflict) and The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central. It then did well enough in the ratings to be renewed for a second season. That second season would be its last. Broken Arrow was rerun on ABC from April to September 1959 as a summer replacement series.

As stated earlier, Broken Arrow was a [progressive show for its time. Its Native American characters were treated sympathetically and they did not speak in the stereotypical broken English seen on many other Westerns. The first three episodes more or less followed the plot of the 1950 movie. For the most part the villains were corrupt white men. An exception to this rule was Geronimo, who appears as Cochise's opponent in a few episodes. Even as Cochise's opponent, Geronimo was treated sympathetically.

Of course, Broken Arrow is a product of its time. Like the movie, to a degree it offers a romanticized,  idealized view of Native Americans. If the show does not cling entirely to the noble savage stereotype, it comes close. A greater objection to the show is that the Native American characters are not played by Native American actors. Sadly, this would remain the norm well into the Sixties.

Broken Arrow would not be the last time Michael Ansara played a Native American. During the 1959-1960 season on the TV show Law of the Plainsman, he played U.S. Marshal Sam Buckhart, an Apache who was educated at Harvard after saving the life of a U.S. Cavalry officer. Although it might be better remembered than Broken Arrow, it only lasted one season.

Broken Arrow is not a well-remembered show, but it is a significant one as the one of the first to present a sympathetic view of Native Americans, as well as one of the first to feature a Native American character as one of the leads.