Smoky (1966 film)

Smoky
Directed by	George Sherman
Screenplay by	Harold Medford Lillie Hayward Dwight Cummins Dorothy Yost
Based on	Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James
Produced by	Aaron Rosenberg
Starring	Fess Parker Diana Hyland Katy Jurado Hoyt Axton
Cinematography	Jack Swain
Edited by	Joseph Silver
Music by	Leith Stevens
Color process	Color by DeLuxe
Production company	Arcola Pictures
Distributed by	20th Century-Fox
Release dates	August 3, 1966 (1966-08-03) (St. Louis, Missouri)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Smoky is a 1966 American Western film, directed by George Sherman and starring Fess Parker, Diana Hyland, Katy Jurado and Hoyt Axton. The third of three film adaptations of the 1926 novel Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James, it utilizes the screenplay from the 1946 film.

It earned rentals in the US and Canada of $4 million.^[1]

Plot

A cowboy finds, captures, and patiently trains a black wild stallion. They develop a bond that is ultimately unbreakable. The cowboy's brother, however, needing money to pay off gambling debts signed in his brother's name, tries to trade the horse sneakily. While trying to sneak him out of his pen at night, the horse senses something is wrong and struggles against the brother and in the process accidentally kills him, before running off. The cowboy goes looking for him, fearing others will kill the horse over its reputation. Sadly he does not find him. The cowboy joins the Marines shortly after and the horse eventually is sold to perform on the rodeo circuit and then to a junk dealer. After the cowboy returns from military service, he sets out to find his beloved horse and the pair is soon reunited. A love story between the cowboy and the female ranch owner plays out under the radar.

Cast

• Fess Parker as Clint
• Diana Hyland as Julie
• Katy Jurado as Maria
• Hoyt Axton as Fred
• Robert J. Wilke as Jeff
• Armando Silvestre as Gordon
• Jose Hector Galindo as Manuel
• Jorge Martínez de Hoyos as Pepe
• Ted White as Abbott
• Chuck Roberson as Cowboy
• Bob Terhune as Cowboy (as Robert Terhune)
• Jack Williams as Cowboy

Reception

According to Fox records, the film needed to earn $2,100,000 in rentals to break even and made $1,675,000, meaning it made a loss.^[2]

References

1. "All-time Film Rental Champs", Variety, 7 January 1976 p 50
2. Silverman, Stephen M (1988). The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox. L. Stuart. p. 325. ISBN 9780818404856.

External links

• Smoky at IMDb
• Smoky at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Smoky at the TCM Movie Database