This is not JUNIOR BONNER, in matter of modern western drama or comedy, it may be lousy, run of the mill but agreeable if you watch closely and interesting enough to keep you in the theater or in your coach. It shows things not so far from reality, actually. Jock Mahoney is good in this unusual role for him and Julie Adams brings her charm to the whole. The relation between the cow boy and the young orphan is also worth watching. But not on the same scale as SHANE.
5 Reviews
The anonymous stunt boy
bossfrog-546-8687915 October 2009
I was Timmy Hovey's stunt double in the movie. It was filmed at Universal International studios and I had the time of my life working on that picture. I was only 8 years old and I was chosen to do the riding for the child star of the movie. I did what was called a "Crouper" running up behind the horse and jumping on from the rear. They actually did a screen test with me, but I had no idea what was going on so I had a very short career in the movies. I never saw the movie when it came out, but about 15 years later I caught it on the late show on TV. If you sneeze you will miss me so watch closely for the kid jumping on the back of the horse, riding up a hill and then back down again. That's me, the anonymous stunt boy.
Fun to watch stuntman Jock Mahoney sing
bianca-1315 August 1999
While this film has a wonderful supporting cast of familiar Western and TV regulars (including Oscar-winning Ben Johnson and Paul Drake of the TV "Perry Mason", William Hopper), the most entertaining part of it is watching Jock Mahoney playing a singing cowboy and REALLY singing the songs. It goes without saying - although the credits do list it - that the master did his own stunts. Don't expect the next Citizen Kane or plan on hearing Jocko compete with Caruso, but get a kick out of the sappy plotline and watching the star display his varied abilities. You have to find it on TV, it's not on video to my knowledge.
Julie Adams strikes a blow for decent women everywhere!
mark.waltz5 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As I memorialize the passing of the beautiful Julie Adams, a Universal contract player for a good portion of the 1950's, I get to revisit or see for the first time the variety of films that she made, many of them in gorgeous Technicolor, and see the versatility of a cult film star that certainly deserved much more credit than she got. As my first view of her was as the grasping Paula Denning on the daytime soap opera "Capitol", I got to see the mature actress who while still gorgeous could truly command your attention in a dramatic scene and certain moments that could be viewed in some ways as camp. having gone from colorful westerns throughout the early to mid 50's to a variety of comedies and dramas in the late 50's, I was delighted to find this spoof of the Hollywood Western that is somewhat clever in spite of being a bit cloying in spots.
As a Hollywood publicity woman, Adams discovers the hunky Jock Mahoney singing country and western songs at a going away party for retiring country star William Hopper. Mahoney's real life personality isn't as clean cut as Hopper's, so it's up to Adams to bring a little light onto his image by having a young orphan fan Tim Hovey come just stay with him for a month. It's instantly clear that Mahoney's image is in so much who he is or who he keeps company with, and that happens to be blonde starlet Joanna Moore whom Adams guest to show a thing or two in some hysterical caddy scenes including one that results in Moore realizing that she's met her match, and it's a real shiner. Hovey ends up playing fairy godfather for Mahoney and Adams who begin to spend a lot of time together which has Mahoney desperately wanting to adopt the young kid and marry Julie in spite of the fact that his past seems to stand in that way.
It's cute but corny, showing in several scenes how westerns were made and ironically presenting the actors playing the natives exposing themselves obviously as Caucasian in dark makeup and disguise. While Mahoney is hunky and Hovey is cute, for me the best performances come from Adams, Moore and Hopper who obviously has more than just a passing interest in his PR lady. This was the second film that Adams did with little Tim Hovey (the other being "The Private War of Major Benson" with Charlton Heston) and is just as family-oriented as the previous one. So overlooked the same and enjoy it for the presence of a leading lady and supporting cast and a sweetness that is rarely found in films today.
As a Hollywood publicity woman, Adams discovers the hunky Jock Mahoney singing country and western songs at a going away party for retiring country star William Hopper. Mahoney's real life personality isn't as clean cut as Hopper's, so it's up to Adams to bring a little light onto his image by having a young orphan fan Tim Hovey come just stay with him for a month. It's instantly clear that Mahoney's image is in so much who he is or who he keeps company with, and that happens to be blonde starlet Joanna Moore whom Adams guest to show a thing or two in some hysterical caddy scenes including one that results in Moore realizing that she's met her match, and it's a real shiner. Hovey ends up playing fairy godfather for Mahoney and Adams who begin to spend a lot of time together which has Mahoney desperately wanting to adopt the young kid and marry Julie in spite of the fact that his past seems to stand in that way.
It's cute but corny, showing in several scenes how westerns were made and ironically presenting the actors playing the natives exposing themselves obviously as Caucasian in dark makeup and disguise. While Mahoney is hunky and Hovey is cute, for me the best performances come from Adams, Moore and Hopper who obviously has more than just a passing interest in his PR lady. This was the second film that Adams did with little Tim Hovey (the other being "The Private War of Major Benson" with Charlton Heston) and is just as family-oriented as the previous one. So overlooked the same and enjoy it for the presence of a leading lady and supporting cast and a sweetness that is rarely found in films today.
Jock Mahoney is one of the Greatest of all time
milwhitt70216 July 2008
This is one of my mom's favorite Westerns..and she doesn't like too much gunsmoke, but this was a great movie as you watched a man change because of a kid. I looked up Tim Hovey and am so sorry that that kid died of drugs. I have seen him in other movies, another of Jock's and he was a great little actor. I learned later in life that old Jock was a great stuntman and did the stunts for the Durango Kid before his face was ever seen. I first saw him in "Hoedown" with Eddie Arnold in 1950, where he played a broken down cowboy actor who couldn't even drive a car. In Slim Carter, he played a movie cowboy afraid of heights. I don't think Jock Mahoney was really afraid of anything. He worked with Dick Jones and they could fall off a horse at full gallop and not get hurt. Impossible to say enough about this great star.
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