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Smoke in the Wind
Smoke in the Wind
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Andy Brennan (uncredited); Joseph Kane
Written by	Eric Allen
Based on	story by Eric Allen
Produced by	Bill Hughes; Rob "Whitey" Hughes; executive; Jack Horton
Starring	John Ashley; Walter Brennan
Cinematography	Mario Tosi
Music by	Jaime Mendoza-Nava
Production; company	Frontier Productions
Release date	April 1, 1975;
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$200,000 or $400,000

Smoke in the Wind is a 1975 American Western film directed by Andy Brennan and Joseph Kane. It marked Walter Brennan's final film role as he died over six months before the film's release.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Plot

In 1865, the American Civil War has just ended as the action in this work begins, following five Union soldiers - Pa Mondier, his two sons, and Smoky - as they return to their homes in the Ozarks of northern Arkansas, matter-of-factly planning a resumption of their pre-War existences.

However, many residents from the village of Winslow and its surrounding region are averse to offering a helping hand to Yankees, Arkansas having been a member of the Confederate States of America.

Mort Fagan leads some ex-Confederate soldiers in an attack against the former Unionists, resulting in Pa Mondier being mortally wounded, triggering a feud.

Some Winslow citizens are working to close the nation's divisiveness and it is to them that the returning veterans must look for support.^[6]

Cast

John Ashley as Whipple Mondier
John Russell as Cagle Mondier
Myron Healey as Mort Fagan
Walter Brennan as H. P. Kingman
Susan Huston as Laurie Cullen
Linda Weld as Sarah Kimbrough
Henry Kingi as Smoky Harjo
Adair Jameson as Hannah Mondier
Dan White as Col. Joab Cullen
Lorna as Ma Mondier
Billy Hughes, Jr. as Till Mondier
Bill Coontz as Stapp Huckaby
Jack Horton as Gib
Bill McKenzie as The Bartender

Production

Smoke in the Wind was filmed in Winslow, Arkansas, and local Strawberry Henson played a preacher. The General Store and most of the town was not modified for the film. The script was by Eric Allen, a journalist and Western author.^[7]

The film was made by two stuntmen turned producers, Billy and White Hughes. They were from Arkansas and White Hughes had doubled for John Ashley a number of times. Ashley says the brothers "went back to Arkansas and promoted a bunch of turkey ranchers to put up some money, I think about $400,000. They did this on the basis of them being able to deliver Walter Brennan." Ashley says Brennan agreed to make the film if his son Andy would direct. John Ashley knew the Hugheses and agreed to be in it because he wanted to work with Brennan. " I'd do it for nothing, but if I committed to it and it turned out that they didn't have him I'd walk out," said Ashley. He says they got a gaffer, Mario Tosi, to work on the film by giving him the opportunity to be cinematographer. Ashley made it shortly after Beast of the Yellow Night.^[2]

According to Ashley filming was difficult and Andy Brennan "had some personal problems. And it was not going well". The Hughes brothers replaced him with Joe Kane. Walter Brennan stayed on the film even though he was ill with emphysema at the time. Ashley says the filmmakers ran out of money after filming was completed; Whitey Hughes eventually raised the money to complete it.^[2]

"I was so impressed with Walter, said Ashley. "He hung in there. He got to know these ranchers, and they would hang out at this trailer. He had done this movie for his son, but he wouldn't walk off the movie. ... Any moment that I had, that I wasn't in front of the camera, I would go sit in his trailer and ask him questions about the old days, he was a great story teller. That's the whole reason I did the movie. I would have paid them to hang out with this guy."^[2]

Ashley later said he was not happy being billed over Brennan.^[2]

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin called the film "lethargic".^[8]

References

^ Lamont, John (1990). "The John Ashley Filmography". Trash Compactor (Volume 2 No. 5 ed.). p. 26.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lamont, John (199). "The John Ashley Interview Part 2". Trash Compactor (Volume 2 No. 6 ed.).
^ "Smoke in the Wind". FilmAffinity. filmaffinity.com. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
^ "Smoke in the Wind". allmovie.com. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
^ Vagg, Stephen (December 2019). "A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley". Diabolique Magazine.
^ Brennan, Sandra (2016). "Smoke in the Wind (1975)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
^ Cochran, Robert; McCray, Suzanne (February 2, 2015). Lights! Camera! Arkansas!: From Broncho Billy to Billy Bob Thornton. University of Arkansas Press. p. 49. ISBN 9781557286727.
^ "SMOKE IN THE WIND". Monthly Film Bulletin. 42 (492). London: 87. January 1, 1975. ProQuest 1305844058.