Callaway Went Thataway (1951)

A washed up cowboy star (Howard Keel) becomes famous again when his old movies show up on television. But he disappeared ten years ago and no one knows where he is! So the head (Fred MacMurray) of the advertising agency that promoted the idea of resurrecting the old cowboy movies discovers a lookalike (Howard Keel) and trains him to pass as the faded cowboy star. But it's only a matter of time until the real cowboy shows up. Written and directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama (THE COURT JESTER), this spoof of TV cowboys starts off promisingly before it runs out of steam around its last quarter. Keel gets a chance to show off his acting chops instead of his bass baritone playing a dual role. The nasty drunken Callaway and the wholesome sweet natured Calloway and does it well. Dorothy McGuire as MacMurray's advertising partner and Keel's romantic interest brings a bit of class to the proceedings. With Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Esther Williams, Natalie Schafer and Jesse White.