''The Man from Button Willow'' is a 1965 American animated Western film about the adventures of Justin Eagle, the first U.S. government agent. It was released on April 3, 1965, in the United States.

Plot

During construction of the

first transcontinental railroad North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...

, unscrupulous

land grabbers Land grabbing is the contentious issue of large-scale land acquisitions: the buying or leasing of large pieces of land by domestic and transnational companies, governments, and individuals. While used broadly throughout history, land grabbing as ...

are buying up land on which the railroad is to be built, forcing the U.S. government to purchase it at inflated prices. The government has deployed

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

investigators to put a stop to this, and has assembled a team of men who work in secret to protect them. One such man is Justin Eagle, who operates from his ranch, the Eagle's Nest, near the town of Button Willow in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

foothills. Justin returns from business in San Francisco, reuniting with his adopted Japanese daughter Stormy and ranch hand Jeremiah "Sorry" Baker. Justin notes the presence in town of land grabber Montgomery Blaine and his henchman "the Whip". Justin's mare, Savannah, gives birth to a

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal i ...

sired by his

stallion A stallion is a male horse that has not been gelded (castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cresty" nec ...

, Rebel. The foal escapes the ranch and goes up a nearby mountain, accompanied by Justin's dog Shady and pet

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...

, Alfie. When the foal is attacked by a

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

, Rebel rushes to the rescue and fights the predator off; Shady is injured but survives. Justin learns from general store proprietor Abner Hawkins that several settlers have recently had their homes burned and been chased off their land, and that Senator Freeman is in San Francisco to investigate. The senator soon disappears; without his vote, the settlers will lose their land to land grabbers. Justin's contact sends word to him via

homing pigeon The homing pigeon, also called the mail pigeon or messenger pigeon, is a variety of domestic pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'') derived from the wild rock dove, selective breeding, selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over e ...

, summoning him to San Francisco. There, he informs Justin that Senator Freeman has proof that Blaine has cheated and driven hundreds of settlers off their lands. The senator has been kidnapped and is being held on a ship, but it is not known which one. Once the ship is at sea, the senator will be murdered. Following a tip to a saloon, Justin observes the proprietor, "Shanghai" Kelly, shanghai a sailor. Starting a fight as cover, Justin follows Kelly but falls through a trap door into a rowboat and is himself shanghaied by a ship captain. The ship sets sail, and Justin finds Senator Freeman captive aboard. With the help of kidnapped sailor Andy Svenson, Justin attacks the crew, knocking most of them overboard. They force the captain to sail the ship back to San Francisco. Returning home, Justin is welcomed by Stormy and Sorry. Blaine and the Whip are imprisoned for their crimes.

Voice cast

* Dale Robertson as Justin Eagle, and as himself in the live-action prologue * Edgar Buchanan as Jeremiah "Sorry" Baker * Howard Keel sings the theme song "The Man from Button Willow". *

Barbara Jean Wong Barbara Jean Wong (March 3, 1924 – November 13, 1999) was an American actress, primarily on the radio. Early life and career Wong was a fourth-generation Chinese-American born in Los Angeles, California, to produce market owners Thomas and Ma ...

as Stormy * Herschel Bernardi as the ship captain, and as a man in the saloon * Pinto Colvig as Abner Hawkins, as well as a man on a trolley, a man in the saloon, and various animals * Ross Martin as Andy Svenson * Cliff Edwards as Button Willow's doctor "Doc" Redland, and as "the Whip" * Verna Felton as Mrs. Pomeroy of Button Willow, as Doc's wife, and as a lady on a trolley * Thurl Ravenscroft as the Reverend of Button Willow, and as a man in the saloon *

Shep Menken Shepard Menken (November 2, 1921 – January 2, 1999) was an American film, television, voice, radio character actor. Early life Menken began his career at the age of 11, when he started appearing on children's radio programs. After high school, ...

as "Shanghai" Kelly, as the Chinese singer in the saloon, as a man in the saloon, and as a trolley conductor * John Hiestand as Montgomery Blaine, and as an

old salt An "old salt" is an old sailor or mariner who tells oral history and sea stories. Sometimes deemed a sage within their domain, and while sometimes a raconteur, much of the history and traditions of mariners are passed from generation to generation ...

who gives Justin a tip * Clarence Nash as Senator Freeman, and as the cougar * Edward Platt as "the man in the black cape", Justin's contact in San Francisco * Buck Buchanan as Doc's son, and as a

newspaper hawker A newspaper hawker, newsboy or newsie is a street vendor of newspapers without a fixed newsstand. Related jobs included paperboy, delivering newspapers to subscribers, and news butcher, selling papers on trains. Adults who sold newspapers from f ...

Production

According to the film's pressbook, Dale Robertson provided the original story, appears in the live-action prologue, and financed the film though his company, United Screen Arts.p.162 Beck, Jerry ''The Animated Movie Guide'' Chicago Review Press, 28 Oct 2005

Music

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Man From Button Willow 1965 Western (genre) films 1965 films 1960s American animated films American Western (genre) films Western (genre) animated films Films scored by Georgie Stoll 1965 animated films 1960s English-language films