Whispering Smith

1948 Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Brenda Marshall, Donald Crisp, William Demarest 88 minutes

Trying to solve a rash of train robberies, railroad detective Luke "Whispering" Smith (Ladd) finds himself back in town with his best friend, Murray Sinclair (Preston) and his old girlfriend, Marian (Marshall), now Murray's wife. Before long, Luke sees that Murray has developed questionable taste in friends, especially Barney Rebstock (Crisp). When Murray is fired from his job with the railroad, he goes to work for Rebstock robbing trains. Luke, loyal to his best friend, tries to help Murray, but his help is unwelcome, making Luke choose between his loyalty to Murray and what he knows is right.

The novel this movie is based on was written by Frank Spearman, who loosely based the title character on Joe Lefors, a real-life lawman. Some speculate that the character of Murray is also based on another real person, Butch Cassidy. "Whispering Smith" was Ladd's first starring role in both a western (he'd been in small parts in "B" westerns early in his career) and a Technicolor movie (he had a bit part in the Disney sepiatone/color movie "The Reluctant Dragon" in 1941). The "Whispering Smith" set would later be seen in the "Bonanza" TV series, as well as other series and movies.

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