''The Man from Button Willow'' is a 1965 American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

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, unscrupulous land grabbers 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 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 foothills. Justin returns from business in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

, 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 A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

, Savannah, gives birth to a foal sired by his stallion, Rebel. The foal escapes the ranch and goes up a nearby mountain, accompanied by Justin's dog Shady and pet skunk, Alfie. When the foal is attacked by a cougar, 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, 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 Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

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 Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' and railroad owner Ben ...

as Justin Eagle, and as himself in the live-action prologue *

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...

as Jeremiah "Sorry" Baker *

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

sings the theme song "The Man from Button Willow". * Barbara Jean Wong as Stormy *

Herschel Bernardi Herschel Bernardi (October 30, 1923 – May 9, 1986) was an American actor and singer. He is best known for his supporting role in the drama television series ''Peter Gunn'' (1958–1961) and his leading role in the comedy television serie ...

as the ship captain, and as a man in the saloon *

Pinto Colvig Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...

as Abner Hawkins, as well as a man on a trolley, a man in the saloon, and various animals *

Ross Martin Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...

as Andy Svenson *

Cliff Edwards Clifton Avon "Cliff" Edwards (June 14, 1895 – July 17, 1971), nicknamed "Ukulele Ike", was an American singer, musician and actor. He enjoyed considerable popularity in the 1920s and early 1930s, specializing in jazzy renditions of pop standar ...

as Button Willow's doctor "Doc" Redland, and as "the Whip" *

Verna Felton Verna Arline Felton (July 20, 1890December 14, 1966) was an American actress, best known for providing many voices in numerous Disney animated films. She also provided the voice for Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law, Pearl Slaghoople in Hanna-Bar ...

as Mrs. Pomeroy of Button Willow, as Doc's wife, and as a lady on a trolley *

Thurl Ravenscroft Thurl Arthur Ravenscroft (; February 6, 1914May 22, 2005) was an American actor and bass singer. He was known as one of the booming voices behind Kellogg's Frosted Flakes animated spokesman Tony the Tiger for more than five decades. He was also ...

the Reverend The Reverend is an honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. ''The Reverend'' is correctly ...

of Button Willow, and as a man in the saloon * Shep Menken 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 who gives Justin a tip *

Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor. He was best known as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of Watonga, Oklahoma, and ...

as Senator Freeman, and as the cougar *

Edward Platt Edward Cuthbert Platt (February 14, 1916 – March 19, 1974) was an American actor best known for his portrayal of the Chief in the 1965–70 NBC/ CBS television series: ''Get Smart''. With his deep voice and mature appearance, he played an ...

as "the man in the black cape", Justin's contact in San Francisco * Buck Buchanan as Doc's son, and as a newspaper hawker

Production

According to the film's

pressbook In the world of theatrical film exhibition, a pressbook was a promotional tool created and distributed by film distributors in order to market their films. Sometimes called "campaign manuals," most pressbooks took the form of large, multi-page broc ...

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