Smith! Un cowboy per gli indiani

In his only venture with the Magic Kingdom, Glenn Ford stars in the title role as Smith a rancher with an indulgence for the local Indian population. The Indians squat on his range, occasionally help themselves to a steer or two for food and Ford puts up with it and it exasperates wife Nancy Olson no end. But when young Frank Ramirez takes refuge on his land being wanted on a murder charge that's stretching things a bit.

Your sympathies are with Ramirez especially after seeing hateful deputy sheriff Keenan Wynn in pursuit of him. In the end Ramirez has to stand trial in Dean Jagger's courtroom and its quite a scene with Chief Dan George as Ramirez's chief witness.

I'm surprised that Glenn Ford did not do more films for the Disney Studios, his generally placid image would seem to work well as a Disney type protagonist just as Fred MacMurray's did. Smith who like Columbo we never learn the first name of is a role that fits Ford perfectly. He also gets a nice courtroom scene as an interpreter his first since Trial during the middle Fifties.

Disney Studios did not give this one a whole lot of care, it's indifferently photographed and edited and I remember it being in and out of theaters in 1969 really fast. That's a pity because this easy going modern western with a bit more care could have been a classic for the Magic Kingdom.