Smoky (1946)

Drama about the strong bond between a cowpoke and a wild bronco set during the 1940s.

Director:

Louis King

Writers:

Lillie Hayward (screenplay), Dwight Cummins (screenplay)

Stars:

Fred MacMurray, Anne Baxter, Burl Ives

Cast

Cast overview:
Fred MacMurray	...	Clint Barkley
Anne Baxter	...	Julie Richards
Burl Ives	...	Willie
Bruce Cabot	...	Frank Denton
Esther Dale	...	Gram
Roy Roberts	...	Jeff
J. Farrell MacDonald	...	Jim

Storyline

Clint Barkley (MacMurray) first sees Smoky as a runaway, and drives him back to the ranch where he meets the owner, Julie Richards (Anne Baxter). He is given a job on her ranch, but the head cowhand is doubtful about Clint and fears that since he refuses to talk about himself, he must have some dreadful secret in his past. Clint and Smoky become close to each other, weathering the hardships of Western life and the suspicions of others together, until one day, Smoky tragically vanishes. Will Clint ever see him again?

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Plot Keywords:

cow | guitarist | iou | animal character name as title | one word title | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Music | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 June 1946 (USA)

Also Known As:

Will James' Smoky

Filming Locations:

Kanab, Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Horse trainer Jack Lindell found and trained the horse who played Smoky for three months. He would stand behind the camera and use a series of signals with sticks, somewhat like semaphore, to control the horse's behavior.

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Goofs

When Smoky is dragging a wounded Clint, the horse is plainly dragging a dummy, as evidenced by the stiffness of the 'body' and, in one instance, by the dummy's hand getting caught on the stirrup, leaving the crooked arm poking up into the air in an extremely unnatural position.

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Quotes

Clint Barkley: [as Julie prepares to untape his ribs] Oh, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't!
Julie Richards: I haven't even started!
Clint Barkley: Yes, but you were going to.

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Connections

Version of Smoky (1966)

User Reviews

SENSATIONAL!

This is Fred MacMurray's BEST movie! It is awesome! It makes you laugh, cry, and rejoice at the end. The music is outstanding. The actors are great! The horse is beautiful. It is such a heartwarming story, one you will never forget once you have seen it. i don't understand why it is not available on vhs or dvd. There is another version with different actors available of this movie, i have it, but it's not near as good, doesn't rate compared to this movie version. PLEASE make it available to purchase! i'd buy it in a heartbeat! Thanks! GOD BLESS! : )