1952·Adventure·2h 13m
7.0
★
Two tough Kentucky mountaineers join a trading expedition from St. Louis up the Missouri River to trade whisky for furs with the Blackfoot Indians. They soon discover that there is much more than the elements to contend with.
Directed by Howard Hawks
native american
riverboat
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Where to Watch
Cast
Kirk Douglas
Jim Deakins
Dewey Martin
Boone Caudill
Elizabeth Threatt
Teal Eye
Arthur Hunnicutt
Zeb Calloway
Buddy Baer
Romaine
Steven Geray
"Frenchy" Jourdonnais
Henri Letondal
La Badie
Hank Worden
Poordevil
Jim Davis
Streak
Frank De Kova
Moleface (uncredited)
John George
Passerby (uncredited)
Fred Graham
Sam Eggelston (uncredited)
Crew
Howard Hawks
Director
Dimitri Tiomkin
Original Music Composer
Christian Nyby
Editor
Russell Harlan
Director of Photography
Howard Hawks
Producer
Albert S. D'Agostino
Art Direction
Dorothy Jeakins
Costume Design
Popular Reviews
6 reviews
Erik Olsson
4.0★ · 11/10/25
I didn't really expect this to be up my alley, but man this was tedious to watch... It looks nice though, when the print is actually watchable. Otherwise, just ugh...
I didn't really expect this to be up my alley, but man this was tedious to watch... It looks nice though, when the print is actually watchable. Otherwise, just ugh...
Alfred HitchTOK
6.0★ · 09/14/23
Howard Hawks rugged macho western adventure with Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin as friends aboard a fur trading ship, competing for the affections of rescued Native American woman Tear Eye (Elizabeth Threatt) who the Ship's captain hopes to use as a bargaining chip for safe passage through Indian land.
Differs from your usual western, with some poignant reflections on race relations, such as Arthur Hunnicuts brilliant and succint summary of colonization:
'Grabs. White man don't see nothing pretty unless they want to grab it. The more they grab, the more they want to grab. It's like a fever and they can't get cured. The only thing for them to do is to keep on grabbin' until everything belongs to white men and then start grabbin' from each other. I reckon injuns got no reason to love nothing white.'
Of course it then belies all that goodwill by casting Hank 'Senior Droolcup in Twin Peaks' Worden in redface as drink happy 'Poordevil'.
Ahhh the '50s. Face palm.
The Big Sky was the one and only film of Elizabeth 'Betty' Threatt, a drop dead gorgeous model of Cherokee descent, who dated both director Hawks and lead Douglas (although not at the same time).
267/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Differs from your usual western, with some poignant reflections on race relations, such as Arthur Hunnicuts brilliant and succint summary of colonization:
'Grabs. White man don't see nothing pretty unless they want to grab it. The more they grab, the more they want to grab. It's like a fever and they can't get cured. The only thing for them to do is to keep on grabbin' until everything belongs to white men and then start grabbin' from each other. I reckon injuns got no reason to love nothing white.'
Of course it then belies all that goodwill by casting Hank 'Senior Droolcup in Twin Peaks' Worden in redface as drink happy 'Poordevil'.
Ahhh the '50s. Face palm.
The Big Sky was the one and only film of Elizabeth 'Betty' Threatt, a drop dead gorgeous model of Cherokee descent, who dated both director Hawks and lead Douglas (although not at the same time).
267/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Howard Hawks rugged macho western adventure with Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin as friends aboard a fur trading ship, competing for the affections of rescued Native American woman Tear Eye (Elizabeth Threatt) who the Ship's captain hopes to use as a bargaining chip for safe passage through Indian land.
Differs from your usual western, with some poignant reflections on race relations, such as Arthur Hunnicuts brilliant and succint summary of colonization:
'Grabs. White man don't see nothing pretty unless they want to grab it. The more they grab, the more they want to grab. It's like a fever and they can't get cured. The only thing for them to do is to keep on grabbin' until everything belongs to white men and then start grabbin' from each other. I reckon injuns got no reason to love nothing white.'
Of course it then belies all that goodwill by casting Hank 'Senior Droolcup in Twin Peaks' Worden in redface as drink happy 'Poordevil'.
Ahhh the '50s. Face palm.
The Big Sky was the one and only film of Elizabeth 'Betty' Threatt, a drop dead gorgeous model of Cherokee descent, who dated both director Hawks and lead Douglas (although not at the same time).
267/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Differs from your usual western, with some poignant reflections on race relations, such as Arthur Hunnicuts brilliant and succint summary of colonization:
'Grabs. White man don't see nothing pretty unless they want to grab it. The more they grab, the more they want to grab. It's like a fever and they can't get cured. The only thing for them to do is to keep on grabbin' until everything belongs to white men and then start grabbin' from each other. I reckon injuns got no reason to love nothing white.'
Of course it then belies all that goodwill by casting Hank 'Senior Droolcup in Twin Peaks' Worden in redface as drink happy 'Poordevil'.
Ahhh the '50s. Face palm.
The Big Sky was the one and only film of Elizabeth 'Betty' Threatt, a drop dead gorgeous model of Cherokee descent, who dated both director Hawks and lead Douglas (although not at the same time).
267/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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6.0★ · 06/10/26
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8.0★ · 10/18/25
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6.0★ · 10/03/25