The Fairly Wonderful World of Fox Movie Channel: Smoky

Fox Movies isn't nearly as wonderful as The Greatest Cable Channel Known to This or Any Other Civilization, TCM, but it has its merits. Last week, I watched Smoky, the 1946 version of an oft-filmed tale of the love between a man and a horse. No, not this kind, the chaste kind.

It's a pleasant enough family-friendly flick, with Fred MacMurray showing his versatility by convincing us he shares a genuine affection for the titular equine. But the guy that steals the film is Burl Ives, who plays a ranch hand who works alongside Fred. Well, I think you'd call him a ranch hand. Is there a name for that guy on every cowboy ranch who sits around and strums a gee-tar and dispenses folksy witticisms and advice all day? That's him.

The cool thing about this Ives performance--well, apart from EVERYTHING--is his character is named "Willie." Granted, Burl Ives' parents already blessed him with the perfect name for who he would become, but Willie is a darned good runner-up.

He sings "On Top of Old Smoky" to open and close the picture, but the best scene in the whole movie comes when Burl is sitting around playing a guitar (naturally), while Fred is, uh, messing with his saddle or some other kind of cowboy business. When it comes to the Way of the West, I'm a hopeless landlubber. The point is, Burl's got his business and Fred has his, but for a few minutes, they come together as one awesome musical act.

Ives sings a ditty in which he wishes he were an apple in a tree, and so forth, and soon Fred joins in, echoing the last part of the line:

"Oh, I wish I were a squirrel with a big, long tail"
"Big, long, tail!"

You know, that kind of stuff.

It's mesmerizing--two pros with an innate knack for casual coolness. Watching this scene, oh, how I wish I were a young cowpoke at that ranch. I'd race through my chores, then wolf down my sarsaparilla and tumbleweed stew so I could go out and join the fellas in the barn. I'd grab a comfy pile of hay, pull it over in front of Burl and Fred, and sit rapt as they entertained me. The best thing is, they wouldn't be performing just to entertain me; they'd be performing just because.

The West must have been a magical place.