It was shot at the Spandau Studios in Berlin and on location in Croatia, then part of Yugoslavia, near the city of Zadar.

Meanwhile the young chartered surveyor Charlie aka „Old Shatterhand“ (Lex Barker) discovers that the „Great Western Railway“ commits a breach of valid contracts by taking a shortcut through Apache land.

He is told that certain geological complications would leave the company no other choice but he can refute these allegations as a pretext to save money even at the costs of lives.

Chief Intshu-tshuna is deeply worried that even more villains like Santer will get to the Apache land and consequently kill his people if the „Great Western Railway“ can carry on.

He talks the aristocratic chief and his son Winnetou into setting up a meeting with a deputation of the Great Western Railway.

Proceedings are prepared and Old Shatterhand is chosen to convince the Indians that the company will respect the contracts after all.

Although this tribe is at the brink of civilisation and the leading family does already build houses, Nsho-tshi wants to attend a school in St. Louis before she marries Old Shatterhand.

Moreover, Chris Howland's appearances as a preposterous and naive English photojournalist have been dropped completely.

[7] In total, the film sold 78,126,887 tickets at the worldwide box office, including an estimated gross revenue of $36.7 million in Germany, France and the Soviet Union.

Released on a limited basis in the United States by Columbia Pictures, the film was aired on television in several cities.