Callaway Went Thataway (1951)

In the flickering world of 1950s television, advertising masterminds Mike Frye (Fred MacMurray) and Deborah Patterson (Dorothy McGuire) stumble upon a golden opportunity. They secure the broadcasting rights to the dusty, forgotten films of the cowboy legend, "Smoky" Callaway (Howard Keel). With a skillful blend of nostalgia and novelty, they catapult the old movies back into the limelight, igniting a wildfire of popularity. Suddenly, the vanished star, Smoky, becomes a sensation the public craves. However, the charismatic cowboy is nowhere to be found. Mike and Deborah embark on a mission to locate their elusive star, only to find him drowning in a whirlpool of alcohol and women. Faced with a star who's fallen far from his screen persona, they are presented with an unexpected lifeline - a cowboy named "Stretch" Barnes (Howard Keel), whose uncanny resemblance to Smoky is more than skin deep. With a stroke of genius, they hire Stretch to impersonate the lost cowboy hero, hoping to keep the public none the wiser. The plan unfolds seamlessly, until the plot thickens and a twist of fate brings the real Smoky Callaway back into the picture. Now, a man once lost in oblivion wants a piece of the action, and the advertising duo finds their ingenious plan spiraling towards an unforeseen climax. As the lines between reality and fiction blur, "Callaway Went Thataway" takes viewers on a wild ride through the golden age of television, where the stakes are high, the cowboys are charming, and the plots are as unpredictable as a rodeo bull.

Callaway Went Thataway is a comedy movie featuring Ned Glass and directed by Melvin Frank.

Callaway Went Thataway is currently streaming on DIRECTV.