Jasper Blystone Movies
- 1946
Smoky is a Technicolor adaptation of Will James' beloved horse story, first filmed in 1933. Fred MacMurray plays a cowboy who is intrigued by a wild black stallion which refuses to be tamed. MacMurray ropes the stallion and determines to train it. "Smoky" responds to MacMurray, and horse and man form a strong bond; both are mavericks in a sense, and neither wants to be tied down to responsibility. During a cattle raid, Smoky is stolen and sold to various cruel owners. MacMurray finally catches up with his horse during a parade, in which Smoky breaks free from the junk cart he's been forced to pull. A third version starring Fess Parker was filmed in 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Anne Baxter, (more)
- 1941
The very first Disney feature to include live-action footage, this behind-the-scenes documentary about the studio's animation process includes the cartoon short of the title, which in later years was often exhibited separately from this film. Robert Benchley stars as himself, a visitor to the Disney lot, where he intends to pitch an animated version of the children's fairy tale The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame to Walt Disney himself. Benchley wanders away from his studio-appointed guide and tours the facilities himself, where he sees various new cartoons in the process of being storyboarded, including a Baby Weems short. Benchley also meets Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, and a young animator (played by Alan Ladd) before being corralled to Disney's screening room, where he is shown the company's new short, none other than The Reluctant Dragon. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Benchley, Frances Gifford, (more)
- 1929
A murder trial provides the setting of this drama that presents, via flashback, three very different versions and motives of the killing. According to the prosecution, the deceased's sexy (and very much married) mistress is behind the murder. The defense asserts that the woman's lover killed himself because she would not give into his demands. Unfortunately, neither side is correct. Fortunately, the real culprit confesses in court at the very last minute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Duncan, Edmund Lowe, (more)
- 1925
Visiting his vast properties incognito, Hugh Nichols (Tom Mix) discovers that his land agent (Cyril Chadwick) is forcing Peggy Swain (Clara Bow) and her dad (Frank Beal) off their neighboring ranch. When decent-minded Nichols demands that the agent cease harassing the farmers, the nasty villain blows up the nearby dam, flooding the valley. Nichols heroically saves the lives of Peggy and her father and also manages, in the nick of time, to rescue his own priceless steed, Tony the Wonder Horse. Silent screen star Mix was at the height of his career and Clara Bow at the beginning of hers when the dynamic duo appeared together in The Best Bad Man. The result, alas, proved merely routine. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Mix, Buster Gardner, (more)
- 1925
Either you loved Tom Mix or you disapproved of his turning westerns into three-ring circuses. The Lucky Horseshoe presented Mix at his very best/worst in a story that was more Douglas Fairbanks than William S. Hart. Spurned by his employer's daughter, Elvira (Billie Dove, foreman Rand Foster turns the ranch into a tourist attraction. The girl returns with her fiancee, Denton (Malcolm Waite), an allegedly distinguished European whom she plans to wed on the property. Foster attempts to seduce the girl very much a la his hero Don Juan, and Denton orders his servant to kidnap the lovesick foreman until the upcoming nuptials. In captivity, Foster dreams he is Don Juan at the court of Barcelona, awakening to the realization that there is no time to waste. Escaping his captors, the foreman races to the altar, unmasks Denton as an imposter, and takes the bride for himself. Fox spent a fortune making sure this Mix vehicle became a winner, including having the dream sequences filmed in two-strip Technicolor and engaging Ziegfeld Follies star Ann Pennington as one of "Don Juan's" conquests. Leading lady Billie Dove enjoyed a reputation as one of America's most beautiful women at the time. As an actress, however, she was, according to former co-star Lon Chaney, "one of those 'blah' sorts." A young Gary Cooper, still using his real name, Frank Cooper, had a bit part as one of the ranch hands in this film. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Mix, Billie Dove, (more)
