Red Skies of Montana [Smoke Jumpers] ** (1952, Richard Widmark, Constance Smith, Jeffrey Hunter) – Classic Movie Review 9538

The three Richards – Richard Widmark, Richard Boone and Richard Crenna – star in director Joseph M Newman’s 1952 action adventure drama Red Skies of Montana [Smoke Jumpers], a run-of-the-mill tale of US Forest Service paratroop firefighters, who parachute into remote areas to combat wildfires.

Unfortunately, for the most part it is talky and soapy, and only really comes alight in its exciting fire sequences, illuminated with spectacular Technicolor cinematography on location in Montana, US, though now it is criticised for its lack of realism since in scenes where they are flying over and dropping into fires, no fires are to be seen.

The thin, drawn-out yarn centres on raw recruit fireman Ed Miller (Jeffrey Hunter)’s quest for revenge after his father’s accidental death in a mission led by old-hand Cliff Mason (Widmark), whom he charges with being a coward.

Harry Kleiner’s screenplay is based on Art Cohn’s story, and a novel by George R Stewart (uncredited).

Also in the cast are Constance Smith, Charles Bronson, Warren Stevens, James Griffith, Joe Sawyer, Gregory Walcott (in his film debut), Robert Adler, Robert Nichols, Ralph Reed, Lawrence Dobkin, Parley Baer, Harry Carter, Paul Dubov, William Murphy, Robert Osterloh, Charles Tannen, William Murphy, and Barbara Wooddell, .

Red Skies of Montana [Smoke Jumpers] is directed by Joseph M Newman, runs 99 minutes, is made and released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Harry Kleiner, based on Art Cohn’s story, and a novel by George R Stewart (uncredited), is shot in Technicolor by Charles G Clarke, is produced by Samuel G Engel and is scored by Sol Kaplan, with Art Direction by Chester Gore and Lyle R Wheeler.

Jeffrey Hunter was born Henry Herman McKinnies Jr on 25 November 1926. Darryl F Zanuck, the 20th Century-Fox boss, signed him to a contract on 1 June 1950, and changed his name to Jeffrey Hunter. He remained Hank to his friends. He died of a stroke and a fall at age 42 in 1969. He was cast as Christopher Pike, captain of the USS Enterprise, in the original Star Trek pilot in 1964. But he declined NBC’s request for a second pilot in early 1965.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9538

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