Baker's Hawk
Baker's Hawk is a 1976 American western adventure film directed by Lyman D. Dayton and starring Clint Walker, Burl Ives, Diane Baker, Lee H. Montgomery and Alan Young. It is based on the novel of the same name by Jack Bickham.[2]
| Baker's Hawk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Lyman D. Dayton |
| Produced by | Lyman D. Dayton |
| Written by | Dan Greer Hal Harrison Jr. |
| Starring | Clint Walker Burl Ives Diane Baker Lee H. Montgomery Alan Young |
| Music by | Lex de Azevedo |
| Cinematography | Bernie Abramson |
| Edited by | Parkie Singh |
Production company | Doty-Dayton Production Baker's Hawk Ltd. |
| Distributed by | Doty-Dayton Releasing |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.3 million[1] |
Plot summary
During the summer of 1876, 12 year old Billy Baker finds an injured baby hawk and subsequently befriends an old hermit in hopes that he can heal the injured bird. Because the old man shares his remote mountain homestead with various sick or injured animals in need of attention, many of the townspeople have labelled him as "crazy". When the townspeople start assuming that he and certain other newcomers are a threat to the safety of the community, they begin an effort to oust these tramps.
In an attempt to prevent the vigilantes from getting out of control, Billy's father, Dan Baker, is persuaded by the local sheriff to volunteer as a temporary unpaid deputy, and Billy makes some important discoveries about prejudice, responsibility, courage and friendship.
Cast
- Clint Walker as Dan Baker
- Burl Ives as Mr. McGraw
- Diane Baker as Jenny Baker
- Lee H. Montgomery as Billy Baker
- Alan Young as Mr. Paul Carson
- Bruce M. Fischer as Blacksmith
- Cam Clarke as Morrie Carson
- Danny Bonaduce as Robertson
Production and release
Baker's Hawk began four weeks of location shooting in the mountains of Provo, Utah on July 19, 1976 and production continued in Burbank, California.
The film was released in 300 movie theaters across the United States and Canada on December 22, 1976.
Twenty years after the film's release, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused J.J. Dayton and Associates and Dayton Family Films of using Baker's Hawk and other Doty-Dayton films to misrepresent the company's film history to potential investors. The FTC also accused the companies of lying about Lyman D. Dayton's film awards, including the claim that Baker's Hawk won the Motion Picture Association of America's award for best picture of 1977.
References
- Baker's Hawk production details, American Film Institute Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- Baker's Hawk production details, American Film Institute Retrieved 2017-09-20.