Smoky

Macmurray owns Smoky. He is separated from him (it's been so long since I've seen it, I'm not sure how). I think Macmurray has an accident, and by the time he wakes up, Smoky has been sold. Macmurray searches for him. The tale tells of both man and horse's adventures apart. At the end, Macmurray inadvertently comes across a man beating his horse, and Macmurray comes to the horse's rescue. It's raining, the horse is harnessed to a cart on the city street, Macmurray suddenly realizes it's Smoky. Even through the rain, you know Macmurray is crying tears of joy. It almost seems as if Smoky is too. I love this movie and would love to find a vhs copy to watch over and over. It must be at least 35 years since I've seen it. It was made in 1946, but I think it was released in 1951, my birth year. Julie

"Smoky" is quintessential family fare, with no surprises or plot twists; As a reader remarked, "man finds horse, man loses horse, man finds horse". Is it my imagination or are many horse stories similar? "War Horse" and "Black Beauty" had much the same theme as "Smoky".

In this one, Fred MacMurray arrives at a ranch under a cloud of suspicion. His cowboy credentials are impeccable, but some ranch hands have heard stories. All goes well until Bruce Cabot shows up and pleads with Our Hero to get him a job. But it turns out that Cabot is his ne'er-do-well brother, and Fred took the rap for him in another state. Fred has, meanwhile, found and broken a wild horse that is the envy of the local horsemen. Cabot finds the horse 'ornery' and despises it. Naturally, things happen, Fred and the horse are separated, and the horse ends up with - you guessed it, Cabot. From here you can fill in the blanks.

The movie, filmed in and around Utah's Zion National Park, is gorgeous to look at while the movie itself has a very pedestrian feel. No new ground is broken in the story and co-star Anne Baxter has very little to do despite being the manager of the ranch. Burl Ives gets to sing some songs in the bunkhouse. Kids will like this picture more than adults will, and it is a pleasant way to spend 90 minutes.

I saw this movie as a pre-teen when it was first released and it has been one of my favorite films among the hundreds I have seen. Bring along the kleenex for this movie will bring tears to the eyes of everyone.

It's a funny, romantic, suspenseful, tearjerker all rolled up into one movie. I have been looking for a copy of this movie for a very long time. the one time that I found copies of it I did not have a credit card, so unfortunately i missed out. I would love to have this movie for my kids to watch.

I can still remember walking home in silence beside my mother after having seen Smokey at our local Loew's theater in Yonkers, New York. I was so moved by this film, that I have never forgotten it. That was over 50 years ago and I only wish that a VHS or DVD copy was available so that I would be able to share this movie with my children and grandchildren. I enjoyed Smokey far better than National Velvet or Black Beauty. Fred MacMurray is excellent as the lead who has to deal with the emotional upheaval of losing his beloved horse. What happens to this fine animal will cause you to get a few lumps in your throat before the finale. A keeper if we could manage to find a copy!