One Little Indian

Synopsis of Movie

One Little Indian showed how one man with a big heart and an even bigger camel can make a difference in several lives. Part serious Western, part comedy (the camel part, that is), this Disney film brought former Maverick star James Garner back out West, bringing along familiar faces like Jay Silverheels (The Lone Ranger’s Tonto) for the ride.

Corporal Clint Keyes fights with the U.S. Cavalry, but when he sees a group of Indian women and children in peril during a raid, his humanity outweighs his loyalty to the troops. Keyes saves the Native Americans, but the Army declares him AWOL and sends Sgt. Raines to bring him back for a proper hanging.

Keyes flees through the New Mexican desert on a camel, where he meets a young white boy who was raised as an Indian and needs help finding his tribe. Keyes' heart once again overrules his head, and man and boy continue the trek together. The ex-soldier finds a safe haven with a ranch widow and her young daughter, but Sgt. Raines refuses to give up the pursuit.

Along with Garner and Silverheels, the film’s cast included veterans Vera Miles, Pat Hingle and Morgan Woodward, along with a very young Jodie Foster as the widow’s daughter. One Little Indian never achieved the same level of success as Disney’s fully comic Westerns (The Apple Dumpling Gang, et al), but if nothing else, this sincere morality tale demonstrated the power of one man with a conscience.

Movie Release History

1973 - One Little Indian

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
drama
comedy
disney

Movie Studio

Disney

Cast

Corporal Clint Keyes James Garner
Doris McIver Vera Miles
Captain Stewart Pat Hingle
Sergeant Raines Morgan Woodward
Sergeant Waller John Doucette
Mark Clay O'Brien
Lieutenant Cummins Robert Pine
Schrader Bruce Glover
Private Dixon Ken Swofford
Jimmy Wolf Jay Silverheels
Chaplain Andrew Prine
Martha McIver Jodie Foster
The Doctor Walter Brooke
The Apache Rudy Diaz
Cowboy John Flinn

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