Will James

So, you know, my dad, when he traveled around the West photographing for his book, he would send me notes and make phone calls, and I went with him to a couple of ranches.

And I was also reading Will James' books as a kid, who's a, you know, was a working cowboy and a great author about the cowboy life, and he was also a, a gifted artist, so he did his own artwork in all his books.

And I just really, you know, I would buy Will James' books every time I found one in a used bookstore.

I have a collection of them.

They're right up there, as a matter of fact.

[laughs]

He liked Will James.

You ever read Will James?

No.

I have not, no.

Will James.

Will James.

Will James.

On March 24th, 1947, Lux Radio Theater presented its 564th broadcast, Smoky.

Adapted from the 1946 20th Century Fox film, itself drawn from Will James' novel Smoky: The Cow Horse, it stars Joel McCrea and Constance Moore.

McCrea plays Clint Barkley, a solitary cowboy who comes to the Rocking R Ranch in Utah country and takes on the patient work of gaining the trust of a wild horse named Smoky.

As ranch owner Julie Richards and the ranch hands wonder about Clint's guarded past, the relationship between cowboy and horse moves to the center of the story.

[audience applauding]

Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen.

Some 20 years ago, Will James, one of the West's great writers, got out of the saddle long enough to pen a simple yet thrilling story about a horse.

As a result, from the rough and tumble country of cattle stampedes and gun-toting cowboys comes Smoky, an epic saga that has gone through many editions and been translated round the world.

And of course I went, "Shoot, who wouldn't be a huge fan of Charlie Russell's?" He was the real thing, you know, and that's what, you could tell by his horses and his paintings that he'd been there, done that, and still loved it.

And then in high school I got reading those Will James books, and he was all cow puncher too and that.

So there was a lot of that influence, and then you wanted to do it right when you do something.

I think more than anything, other cow punchers, like my friend Gary Morton, he was working there at The Bells.

Yep

... and those things, and those are the most important parts of a cowboy, right?

Well, I mentioned Will James.

If you read Will James books, what I got out of them, there was always that underlying thing without him having to come out and say it.

And it was right into coverage, deep downfield, for an easy interception.

By Will James.

And what happened next? Houston was able to respond.

Houston was able to continue to win on third down.

He was, he was making plays, he was spinning off checks, he was winning battles.

I didn't see this, but, uh, Will James, who writes for Philly Hockey Now, he said he saw a rep where, um, Kanube was battling with Sokolovsky in the corner and, like, handily won the battle.

Now, granted, Sokolovsky's 18 years old.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.