. . . of Western Do-Gooders providing Modern Medicine enabling population explosions in Developing Countries, but then failing to follow up by supplying the food and peace-keeping forces necessary to keep these unprecedented Hordes of Humanity Safe and Happy. 'NEATH THE ARIZONA SKIES tackles a similar Moral Dilemma. Is it Ethical to provide Native Americans with staggering sums of mineral royalties, endangering Traditional Life Styles and Culture? Half-indigenous "Nina" stands to be awarded $50,000 as SKIES begins (about twice Donald Trump's current net worth, adjusted for inflation). Around eight years old, this causes Nina nothing but trouble, as she's kidnapped or shot around again and again by typical Red State Greedheads. Anyone who currently lives near an "Indian Reservation" knows that many are awash in European-mode money, thanks to mineral royalties or gambling casinos foisted upon them by Government Do-Gooders. Most of these so-called "Sovereign Nations" are consequently roiled up in a perpetual state of Civil War, as the Illusion of Western Wealth causes continual factional in-fighting, often resulting in the one-sixteenths or Grandfathered-in White Tribal Members "Disenrolling" wholes and half-bloods from their Tribes. A close viewing of SKIES suggests that these hundreds of tribes should be combined into one, and given a region such as the Alleghenies, Great Lakes, or Southwest for an ACTUAL independent Homeland on which to revive their Traditional Culture. Then all Current or Past Enrollees could decide whether to be Native OR American (including U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren).

Neath the Arizona skies is one of the better early John Wayne efforts. It is clear watching this film that he was growing in stature as an actor since the very early efforts where he was often a bit wooden. It's quite crisply filmed and has a more interesting if still quite clumsy plot than many of his early efforts. Here he attempts to keep safe a little Indian girl ( a cute Shirley Jean Rickett) who who a price on her head. There are the familiar stunts including one great one near the end, the obligatory shootout and of course his usual sidekick Gabby Hughes manages to get involved as well. This is another one that is really just for John Wayne fans only but if you are one this is worth watching.

I'm not necessarily a fan of the 'Duke' but I do enjoy a good Western - and this one isn't. Technically, it's rough and ready and I suppose typical for an unrestored print that's nearly 80 years old.At least there's some action - quite a lot of it but is essentially Wayne either singly on horseback, chasing after someone, or having fisty-cuffs with someone. And, yes, there's a shoot-out.The other reviewer of this title did a fine job pointing out the plot, for what it is.The half Native American girl is quite sparky, the Duke speaks in monotones and is rather wooden but the love interest (she finds him wounded by a river) Clara, (Sheila Terry) is more natural and a welcome diversion.However despite all this, it's quite watchable, in a rudimentary sort of way and if it wasn't John Wayne, we wouldn't even be watching it and nor would have TCM bothered to air it, which is where I saw the movie.

This Lone Star Pictures feature from 1934 doesn't seem to hold up as well as many of John Wayne's other early pictures. The technical quality is a little less pristine, and the plot is a little less enjoyable. 'Neath Arizona Skies a little different from many westerns in that a child lies at the heart of this story. John Wayne is "Daddy Chris" Morrell to a little Indian girl named Nina; Nina's mother is dead, and no one knows where her white father is or if he is dead or alive. Thanks to the discovery of oil on Indian lands, little Nina is suddenly worth fifty thousand dollars; this fact does not go unnoticed by desperadoes such as Sam Black (Yakima Canutt) and his gang. Morrell manages to escape town with Nina, but he is forced to send her ahead in order to slow down Black and his gang. The place of safety he sends her to ends up putting her in even more danger, and Morrell's troubles only increase when another bad guy tries to frame him for robbery. There is a decent amount of action, but it is your basic shoot-out, fisticuffs, and horse chase scenario that plays out. There is nothing really wrong with 'Neath Arizona Skies, but it just fails to excite me the way some of The Duke's other early