Cochise

On February 4, 1861 (158 years ago tomorrow), U.S. Army Lt. George Bascom attempted to arrest Cochise, chief of the Chiricahua Apache tribe, believing him guilty of a raid on a ranch in southern Arizona.  He escaped.  Cochise, maintaining his innocence, felt betrayed by the Army over this incident.  Subsequent killings by both sides led to relentless warfare between the Apaches and the Army over the next 11 years.  

In 1950, James Stewart and Jeff Chandler starred in the movie Broken Arrow, which is based on the real life relationship of Cochise (Chandler) and a white man, Tom Jeffords (Stewart).

During the above conflict, the civilian mail service in the area had been stopped by the Apaches.  In an attempt to restart the service, Jeffords learns the Apache language in order to directly confront Cochise (whom he had never met) and ask for such a favor since this mail had nothing to do with the Army.

Jeffords enters the Apache stronghold alone.  Cochise's first words to him are, "How do you know you will leave here alive?"  Jeffords has no answer.

However, as the two men from two different worlds talk, they develop first a relationship and then a friendship.  

Cochise agrees to let the mail go through.  And it does because Cochise was a man of his word.  Eventually, a peace treaty between the two sides is agreed to.

"Broken Arrow is noteworthy for being one of the first post-war Westerns to portray Native Americans in a balanced, sympathetic way."  In the film, Cochise makes a joke.  What is more human than that?

Twentieth Century Fox employed about 240 Apaches from a nearby reservation in Arizona to be extras in the film.  However, for the principal Native American character of Cochise, it hired Brooklyn-born Jeff Chandler.  Producer Julius Blaustein recalled "We had a terrible time locating an actor with the proper voice and stature to play Cochise."  

Jeff Chandler (original name Ira Grossel) was born into a Jewish family on December 15, 1918.  After World War II, he tried to break into the movie business.  According to Chandler, Fox was "looking for a guy big enough physically to play the role and unfamiliar enough to moviegoers to lend authenticity."  

Jeff Chandler was almost perfect as Cochise and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won by George Sanders in All About Eve).  Perfection would have been hiring a Native American actor.