Call of the Forest (1949)

Starring . . . 
Charlie Hughes
Ken Curtis
Robert Lowery
Chief Thundercloud
Martha Sherril
Tom Hanly 
Fred Gildart
Black Diamond, the horse
Jimmy, the crow
Beady, the racoon
Ripple, the deer

Directed by John F. Link
Produced by Edward Finney


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Storyline Roundup: (note: SPOILERS)


Call of the Forest is not your typical western.
In a way, it kind of wants to be—part of the plot revolves around rancher Bob Brand's (Curtis) search for a lost gold mine. He needs the money to save his ranch, and he has been searching the badlands for many years, trying to find the gold. But Brand isn't the only one who wants the mine, and just when he's getting close, hostile neighbor Sam Harrison (Lowery) interferes.

While this could make an interesting storyline, the movie is really about (and also narrated by) Brand's son, Bobbie (Hughes), who has a sort of uncanny knack with animals. Bobbie has just arrived on his father's ranch from the east, and his father gives him the famous "wild" horse, King. Wild or not, doesn't make any difference to Bobbie, who throughout the movie befriends a squirrel, a fawn, a possum, a bear, a coyote, and a racoon, as well as his horse and other critters. And then, young Bobbie makes friends with an Indian named Stormcloud (Thundercloud) who gives him a map to the lost gold mine.

Before the elder Brand has a chance to fetch the gold and save the ranch, tragedy strikes.

After singing his son to sleep one night, Brand hears a noise and goes to investigate---Harrison is looking for the map, and he shoots Brand down. The lantern Brand was carrying falls with him, and starts a fire that engulfs first the ranch house, and then the whole forest. 

Brand is dead, but Bobbie escapes riding on King; from there, it is a race against the fire and against the bad guys who are determined to kill Bobbie.   

Eventually, the fire dies out and Stormcloud rescues Bobbie from Harrison. Bobbie faces his future of running his father's ranch all by himself bravely, counting on his animal friends to help.





Highlights of the film include Ken Curtis' singing ("I Ride an Old Paint" and "The Old Chisholm Trail") and the gun twirling show "Bob" puts on for "Bobbie" . . . .

 

Call of the Forest is available on DVD,

and can also be viewed on YouTube.