The Big Sky

US (1952): Western

Howard Hawks directs this Dudley Nichols adaptation of the A.B. Guthrie Jr., novel. Frontiersmen Boone Cardell (Dewey Martin) and Jim Deakins (Kirk Douglas) join up with Boone's Uncle Zeb (Arthur Hunnicutt) on a fur-trading expedition into the uncharted Blackfoot territory. The expedition's leader, the Frenchman Jourdonnais (Steven Geray), has a plan for succeeding where no white man has traded before: he plans to return a kidnapped Blackfoot princess, Teal Eye (Elizabeth Threatt), to her people and thus to win their gratitude and trade. Guided by Teal Eye and a crazy warrior named Poordevil (Hank Worden), the trappers travel upriver, only to find their greatest obstacle is not Indians, but a ruthless pack of fur traders led by MacMasters (Paul Frees) and his henchman Streak (Jim Davis). Along the way, Boone and Jim both fall under the spell of the beautiful Teal Eye, and their friendship begins to crack. (Winchester Pictures/RKO Radio) (Jim Beaver, IMDb)

 Use this link to view the trailer for the theatrical re-issue of The Big Sky on TCM.com.