Callaway Went Thataway

Mike Frye and Deborah Patterson ride a big hit by recycling old Smoky Callaway Westerns for a new television audience. The success convinces sponsor Tom Lorrison to back more Smoky projects. Smoky hasn’t been seen in ten years, which puts pressure on the team to revive the star.

Tom Lorrison pushes to produce more Smoky content to capitalize on the revival. With Smoky missing for a decade, finding a suitable star becomes a top priority. The advertising firm must locate the elusive Smoky to satisfy the sponsor.

Frye and Patterson enlist Georgie Markham, Smoky’s agent, to track him down. They believe Markham can lure Smoky back into the public eye. The search is on for a reluctant star who can carry the comeback.

The team receives a letter from Stretch Barnes, a real cowboy who bears a striking resemblance to Smoky. One look at the enclosed photo convinces them to go meet him. Stretch is wary, and skeptical about the plan.

Frye and Patterson persuade Stretch to impersonate Smoky, telling him Smoky is dead. They outline a nationwide publicity strategy around the disguise. Stretch agrees, hoping to gain fame and influence.

A dinner with Tom Lorrison and his wife Martha seals the go-ahead for the campaign. Frye, Patterson, and Stretch begin shaping Smoky’s return. The plan turns into an ambitious marketing push.

Patterson heads out on a nationwide publicity tour with Stretch in Smoky’s guise. As they spend time together, Stretch falls in love with her. He even gives her an engagement ring, which she vows to wear only if she truly loves him.

Georgie Markham locates Smoky in a Mexican bar, a selfish, hard-drinking man who shows no interest in returning to work. Markham kidnaps him and convinces him, during the boat trip back, to go along with the comeback. Smoky’s reluctance grows, but the money talks.

Smoky shows up in Frye’s office against his wishes, prompting Frye to send him to a health farm to get back in shape. Despite strict supervision, Smoky hides bottles of liquor everywhere. The attempt to reform him is undermined by his old habits.

A street encounter with Stretch on charges of not helping needy children moves him to action. He secretly hires a lawyer to set up a foundation that will receive his earnings, with only a modest allowance for himself and a wife. The charity plan reshapes his motivations and ties his fate to the Smoky project.

Stretch learns he’s been duped by Markham and the Smoky ruse. He resolves to return home rather than continue the deception. The ethical conflict intensifies as the foundation plan looms over the campaign.

The West Coast representative of the law firm arrives with the legal document for the foundation. Stretch plans to sign the document in front of 90,000 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Smoky objects to the plan, setting up a confrontation that could derail everything.

At the Coliseum, a clash erupts as Stretch presses forward with the plan and Smoky refuses to cooperate. Smoky is knocked out, and Frye and Markham suffer the same fate. Later, Stretch encounters Patterson in the arena; she approves of the plan and is wearing his engagement ring, signaling a reluctant reconciliation and the campaign’s uncertain future.