Callaway Went Thataway (The Star Said No) (1951)
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20% of users liked it
(49 ratings)
Callaway Went Thataway is an amiable spoof of early television's "Hopalong Cassidy" craze. Fred MacMurray and Dorothy McGuire star as Mike Frye and Deborah Patterson, advertising copywriters who have pulled off quite a coup by purchasing the old "Smokey Callaway" Westerns for… More Callaway Went Thataway is an amiable spoof of early television's "Hopalong Cassidy" craze. Fred MacMurray and Dorothy McGuire star as Mike Frye and Deborah Patterson, advertising copywriters who have pulled off quite a coup by purchasing the old "Smokey Callaway" Westerns for TV. Trouble begins when the sponsor wants to meet up with Callaway (Howard Keel) and sign him to a long-term contract. But Smokey, a notorious boozer and womanizer, has dropped out of sight and left for parts unknown. In desperation, Mike and Debbie hire a Callaway look-alike named Stretch Barnes (also Howard Keel), whom they give a crash course in the art of being a boyhood idol ("You're a cowboy star. You have two expressions: hat on and hat off"). Barnes not only pulls off the ruse with the greatest of ease, but also takes his responsibilities to his young fans quite seriously. The plot thickens when the real Smoky Callaway emerges from a ten-year bender to demand a piece of the action. Callaway Went Thataway is full of wonderful moments, not least of which is a climactic fistfight between Callaway and Barnes, adroitly edited and photographed so as to make it appear that Howard Keel is actually punching out himself! The supporting cast includes future TV favorites Jesse White, Stan Freberg, and Hugh Beaumont (unbilled), while several MGM stars make surprise cameo appearances. Perhaps to avoid potential lawsuits, the film ends with a timorous disclaimer, stating that most Western stars are generous, upstanding individuals -- and not at all like the bibulous, mercenary Smoky Callaway. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Melvin Frank, Norman Panama
- Genres
- Western, Classics, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Nov 15, 1951 Wide
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Cast
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Fred MacMurray
as Mike Frye
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Dorothy McGuire
as Deborah Patterson
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Howard Keel
as "Stretch" Barnes/"Smoky" Callaway
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Jesse White
as George Markham
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Fay Roope
as Tom Lorrison
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Natalie Schafer
as Martha Lorrison
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Douglas Kennedy
as Drunk
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Elisabeth Fraser
as Marie
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John Indrisano
as Johnny Tarranto
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Stan Freberg
as Marvin
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Don Haggerty
as Director
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Gene Alsace
as Cowboy
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Dorothy Andre
as Girl
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John Banner
as Headwaiter
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Hugh Beaumont
as Mr. Adkins
- Paul Bryar
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Clark Gable
as Guest Star
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Mae Clarke
as Mother
- Billy Dix
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Helen Eby-Rock
as Phone Operator
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Paul Fierro
as Mexican Bartender
- Glen B. Gallagher
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Ned Glass
as Mailman
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Mickey Little
as Kid
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Emmett Lynn
as Desert Rat
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Paul Newlan
as Koch
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Ann Robin
as Hatcheck Girl
- Kay Scott
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Carl Sepulveda
as Heavy
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Glenn Strange
as Black Norton
- Elizabeth Taylor
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Douglas Fowley
as Gaffer
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Dick Powell
as Guest
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Roque Ybarra
as Native Fisherman
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Harold Cornsweet
as Salesman
- James Harrison
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Marjorie Liszt
as Phone Girl
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Carlos Conde
as Native
- Lynn Farr
- B.G. Norman
- Wayne Treadway
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Hank Weaver
as Announcer
