FULL SYNOPSIS
Some sources have indicated that Battles of Chief Pontiac was originally intended as the pilot for a TV series. Erstwhile Tarzan Lex Barker stars as 18th-century frontiersman Kent McIntyre, while Lon Chaney Jr. essays the title role of Chief Pontiac. On behalf of the British, McIntyre tries to negotiate a peace treaty with Pontiac, who is understandably wary of white-man promises. Sure enough, a fierce anti-Indian policy is placed into effect when McIntyre's commanding officer is replaced by bigoted Hessian colonel Von Weber (played with Fuehrer-like intensity by Berry Kroeger). Practicing a particularly insidious form of genocide, Von Weber tries to decimate the Indians with smallpox-infested blankets. Eventually, the cruel commandant is hoist on his own petard, and peace is restored for awhile. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi