1 9 5 5 – 1 9 5 6 (USA)
In a turnabout from the normal pattern of TV Westerns, Brave Eagle presented the white man’s expansion into the American Southwest during the middle of the 19th century from the Indian point of view.
Brave Eagle was the young chief of a peaceful tribe of Cheyenne in the Black Mountain region of Wyoming. He accepted all men as his brothers and had made peace with the white man – specifically, the men of the US Cavalry, who had established Fort Wilson near the Cheyenne land.
Keena (Keena Numkena) was his foster son. As a papoose, Keena was the only survivor of a small band of Lota Indians that were attacked by the Comanche and Brave Eagle took him to be his son.
Morning Star (Kim Winona) was the attractive young Indian girl in whom Brave Eagle showed some romantic interest, and Smokey Joe (Bert Wheeler) was an old half-breed who had served with the US Cavalry (he wore a jacket with his sergeant’s stripes) and was now the tribal sage.
Stories told in this CBS series detailed their struggles with nature, other Indian tribes, and the ever-encroaching white man.
The series was made by Roy Rogers Productions and filmed mostly on Rogers’ own 130-acre ranch in Chatsworth, California.
Brave Eagle
Keith Larsen
Keena
Keena Numkena
Morning Star
Kim Winona
Smokey Joe
Bert Wheeler
