Well meaning but wooden story of how Geronimo, with fifty Apaches, came to stand off the U.S. Army. Chuck Conners gives a creditable performance as a wooden Indian, and his soon-to-be real life wife plays the woman who loves him. Most amusing for Ross Martin as a wise-cracking sidekick and Adam West, four years before he became a wooden Batman, as a sympathetic army officer.

I'm just about through the fourth season of "The Rifleman" on the Encore Western Channel, and I'm really starting to appreciate the work of Chuck Connors. So as I call up the TV cable listings yesterday, it's only about a minute to go before the movie "Geronimo" is set to play on Turner Classics. With no hesitation, I'm there.

With a film like this you've got to be able to get past the license taken with historical accuracy; this one is about one third true and the rest is Hollywood. But for fans of Connors, you've got a decent amount of story to work with in a movie populated by a number of his regularly appearing guests on the TV series. There's the reliable John Anderson as Jeremiah Burns, and a second half appearance by Denver Pyle as Senator Conrad. You might also be surprised to see Adam West as a cavalry officer, and Ross Martin as an Apache friend of Geronimo named Magnus.

I was surprised to see how authentic Connors looked as an Indian, probably even more so than Paul Newman as the title character in "Hombre". However I was taken aback at times where in size and appearance he resembled Arnold Schwarzenneger a bit. It's ironic actually that Connors plays the role of an Apache, when in Episode #1.37 of "The Rifleman" - 'The Raid' - Lucas McCain sets a personal high body count with seven Apaches killed in the story. He doesn't come nearly as close in this one against the white man, although one might argue they certainly had it coming.

The biggest surprise though coming out of this picture was seeing actress Kamala Devi portraying the Apache school teacher who Geronimo takes for a wife. The idea must have intrigued Connors because some time after filming, Devi became Connors' second wife for real. Not surprising, she was absolutely gorgeous.

Pay attention, and you'll catch a neat line that was a harbinger of things to come for Connors the actor. When he's on line at the San Carlos reservation to get his food rations for the first time, he's marked with a painted 'X' on his hand. In an eerily prophetic remark, Geronimo angrily tells the quartermaster - "I'm not an animal that has to be Branded"!

There's really nothing to distinguish GERONIMO from any standard Hollywood western about outlaws, except that this time it's a lone outlaw against the U.S. cavalry at a time when Indian treaties were being broken and the Indians wanted to fight over territorial rights. Nothing complex here, just a fictionalized account of Geronimo's love for an Indian woman who bears him a son before the fadeout and after the final battle.

Blond and blue-eyed CHUCK CONNORS isn't anyone's idea of an Indian so it's hard to tell what the casting director was thinking, but he does a commendable job of looking like one, thanks to make-up and costumes, except for the blue eyes. He makes no attempt at any sort of native accent but his stoic manner and steely-eyed gaze does help the characterization. KAMALA DEVI is good as the Indian woman who bears his child and ADAM WEST has a pivotal role as a sympathetic officer.

Nicely photographed but short on battle skirmishes, it makes passable entertainment but is hardly an outstanding western by any yardstick, dull in some stretches with a less than inspired script.