IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
Legendary railroad detective Whispering Smith becomes convinced that old friend and colleague Murray Sinclair has joined a criminal band to loot the railroad.Legendary railroad detective Whispering Smith becomes convinced that old friend and colleague Murray Sinclair has joined a criminal band to loot the railroad.Legendary railroad detective Whispering Smith becomes convinced that old friend and colleague Murray Sinclair has joined a criminal band to loot the railroad.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Ward Wood
- Leroy Barton
- (as Robert Wood)
Eddy Waller
- Conductor
- (as Eddy C. Waller)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe railhead town site was constructed on the Paramount lot adjacent to the neighboring RKO Pictures studio. It became the basis for what would go on to become Paramount's famous western town set as seen in TV's Bonanza (1959) and numerous other TV shows and movies. Prior to 1948, Paramount didn't have a western set on its studio lot. A short line of track was laid down that allowed a working period locomotive to pull into town.
- GoofsJust after 23 minutes into the film, Whispering Smith is given a harmonica, the box of which he drops to the ground, only to have it immediately reappear in his hand.
- Quotes
Murray Sinclair: Guys like Smitty they don't make anymore!
- ConnectionsEdited into Rails Into Laramie (1954)
- SoundtracksLaramie
Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Featured review
A Colorful Ladd Western
Two railroad buddies drift apart when one decides to join a local gang.
Good "buddy" western. The soft-spoken Ladd and the voluble Preston play off one another really well. Their friendship appears touchingly real, unusual for movie make-believe. Then too, the movie has a lot of colorful aspects, especially the train wreckage scene that's both well-written and well-mounted, and like no other western set-up I've seen. There's also some great Sierra scenery along with a fine supporting cast. I especially like Frank Faylen's droopy-eyed gunman and Donald Crisp's friendly bad guy. And catch the lovely Brenda Marshall, unusually soulful for a western heroine. In fact, each of the supporting players manages a distinctive personality.
Certainly, no one could ever accuse Ladd of over-acting. He was always best when asserting a kind of quiet authority as he does here. Actually, that's an effective way to compete with Preston's naturally big personality. So, when the two have a showdown, it's almost like two complementary personalities tragically splitting apart. Something should also be said of the skillfully thought-out script that manages to mesh the complex plot into a believable whole. Anyway, in my book, it's a colorfully done, generally underrated oater from Hollywood's golden period.
Good "buddy" western. The soft-spoken Ladd and the voluble Preston play off one another really well. Their friendship appears touchingly real, unusual for movie make-believe. Then too, the movie has a lot of colorful aspects, especially the train wreckage scene that's both well-written and well-mounted, and like no other western set-up I've seen. There's also some great Sierra scenery along with a fine supporting cast. I especially like Frank Faylen's droopy-eyed gunman and Donald Crisp's friendly bad guy. And catch the lovely Brenda Marshall, unusually soulful for a western heroine. In fact, each of the supporting players manages a distinctive personality.
Certainly, no one could ever accuse Ladd of over-acting. He was always best when asserting a kind of quiet authority as he does here. Actually, that's an effective way to compete with Preston's naturally big personality. So, when the two have a showdown, it's almost like two complementary personalities tragically splitting apart. Something should also be said of the skillfully thought-out script that manages to mesh the complex plot into a believable whole. Anyway, in my book, it's a colorfully done, generally underrated oater from Hollywood's golden period.
helpful•111
- dougdoepke
- Mar 5, 2012
- How long is Whispering Smith?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 28 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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