Callaway Went Thataway (1951)

This movie is a lot of fun. Smokey Callaway is a cowboy movie star, whose TV movie program is sponsored by Corkies. He was a smash hit, and got tons of fan mail. Fred MacMurray and Dorothy McGuire have bought up the rights to the movies, but they cannot find Callaway. Jesse White, a promotion man, saw him several years ago, and they send him to find Callaway. White pursues him into Mexico. Fay Roope is the Chairman of the Board of Corkies, and he calls demanding to meet Callaway. Then they get a letter from a Stretch Barnes (Howard Keel), who is complaining because he looks just like Callaway and his friends are making fun of him. They talk Barnes into impersonating Callaway. "All you have do is two expressions - hat on and hat off."

In the meantime, White has located Callaway. He has his hijacked and put on a boat, but Callaway's temper is growing short. Back in the States, MacMurray and McGuire are prepping Barnes, trying to teach him all the names of the big movie stars he is supposed to know. (He looks at a picture of Cary Grant and calls him Mickey Rooney.) At the Mocambo night club he slaps Clark Gable on the back. Roope tells MacMurray that they have a screen test set up for Barnes, so MacMurray and McGuire start training him. At the screen test, all stunt men, etc., who have it in for the real Callaway make things tough on him. The screen test is a flop, but before it Barnes has heard a casual conversation saying he is terrible, so he leaves a note with McGuire and heads home. Roope has approved going ahead with the movie, but Barnes cannot be persuaded to continue, saying he is destroying the memory of Callaway. MacMurray asks him to do one favor before he leaves - going by the children's hospital. Barnes is great with the kids, and changes his mind about leaving.

They start their publicity tour. Barnes and McGuire are spending a lot of time together. MacMurray is back at the office selling a ton of merchandise with Callaway's name and picture. Barnes is having a great time, but feels guilty about stealing Callaway's spot. But McGuire is falling for him and kisses him that evening. The next day he asks her to marry him. Back in the office, White brings in Callaway, who is an ill-tempered drunk. He demands his rightful spot. At a gathering for children, one of the mothers rebukes Barnes for never having done anything with all his money to help children. He begins to brood. Then he goes to a lawyer to set up a trust for the children, so that he can never touch his money again. McGuire talks him out of it, and they have dinner with the sponsor to celebrate the signing of the contract. During dinner White calls to say that the real Callaway has skipped town with a dame. MacMurray finds him at the bar, but Callaway spots Barnes across the room and heads out to meet him. Barnes finds out that MacMurray and McGuire have been riding him along, telling him that Callaway was dead. Barnes is hurt, and leaves. MacMurray tries to get to play Callaway one more time, since the one they have is useless, but Barnes refuses.

Then a lawyer shows up with the papers for the foundation he had envisioned. McGuire is thrilled, but MacMurray and White rush out to try to stop it. Callaway comes to Barnes' room to tell him to stop. They fight. MacMurray comes in and tries to stop it, but since they are dressed alike, he does not know which is which. Barnes finally knocks out both of them. Callaway heads back to South America, and McGuire tells Barnes that he can take over from this point. He rides into the arena to the cheers of thousands of fans.





McGuire


Keel