Baker's Hawk (1976) - Once Upon a Time in a Western

Lee Montgomery plays Billy Baker, a young boy who finds an abandoned hawk — the runt of the litter — and rescues him.

But the hawk appears to have an injured wing. With no where else to turn, Billy ventures to the home of an aging hermit, a man believed to be crazy by the good folks in the town of Springer.

He quickly discovers that Mr. McGraw (Burl Ives) is far from crazy. He loves animals, nurses all sorts of wildlife back to health, and is more than willing to help out with the hawk.

Meanwhile, those good folks back in Springer are stirring up lots of trouble, forming a vigilante committee to deal with drifters who come through town when they think the county sheriff is too slow to do so.

Billy’s dad Dan (Clint Walker) winds up ostracized and finds his credit squeezed when he refuses to join the hood-wearing vigilantes.

Instead, Dan Baker becomes a deputy to Sheriff Sweeney, determined to deal with the riffraff in town and keep the vigilantes in their place.

The vigilantes’ new target: Mr. McGraw, the “crazy man” who lives in the hills outside of town.

Lee Montgomery as Billy Baker summons his hawk and wonder if it will return in Baker’s Hawk (1976)

Clint Walker as Dan Baker, who stands up to vigilante justice in Baker’s Hawk (1976)

Review:

Well-intentioned family film features likeable characters in Clint Walker and Burl Ives, but simply isn’t very memorable.

Of course, Billy learns a few important lessons along the way, and his strained relationship with his dad — who’s tired of his son bringing home pets instead of focusing on his chores — is eventually restored.

A bit more baffling is he vigilantes’ focus on a loner living in the hills when their stated goal was to rid the town of Springer of undesirables.

And you might notice Danny Bonaduce, former star of The Partridge Family (1970-74) in a supporting role as one of the trouble makers.

Burl Ives as Mr. McGraw, the hermit who proves not the least bit crazy in Baker’s Hawk (1976)

Alan Young as Paul Carson, the store owner in initially in favor of vigilante justice in Baker’s Hawk (1976)

Directed by:
Lyman Dayton

Cast:
Clint Walker … Dan Baker
Burl Ives … Mr. McGraw
Diane Baker … Jenny Baker
Lee Montgomery … Billy Baker
Alan Young … Paul Carson
Taylor Lacher … Sweeney
Bruce M. Fischer … Blacksmith
Cam Clarke … Morrie Carson
Phil Hoover … Sled
Danny Bonaduce … Robertson
Brian Williams … Jeremy
Burt Mustin … General
Marin Eric … Wattle

Runtime: 98 min.

Danny Bonaduce as Robertson, one of the youngsters making trouble for McGraw in Baker’s Hawk (1976)

Brian Williams as Jeremy, Billy’s young friend, getting to meet the hawk in Baker’s Hawk (1976)

Memorable lines:

Mr. McGraw: “You can call me Mac or Mr. McGraw, whichever one you like. I take exception to Crazy Man though, if you don’t mind.”

Billy Baker: “Well, how many bad men are you supposed to chase if you’re a deputy?”
Jeremy, his young friend: “I guess five a week or so.”
Billy Baker: “It seems like you’d run out of people in town to chase.”
Jeremy: “Nah, there’s always new ones to chase. My pa says decent people live on farms. Anybody who lives in town is a thief or makes their living off what they steal.”

Dan Baker: “You know, that old man, he’s different. They (the vigilantes) may go after him next. If they do, where’s that gonna leave Billy?”
Jenny Baker: “No worse off than here with us. Haven’t you heard? There’s a vicious rumor ’round town that you’re different too.”

Billy Baker: “Pa, they ain’t really gonna do all those things to Mr. McGraw are they? He ain’t hurt no one.”
Dan Baker: “Son, sometimes all you have to do to make people fear you and hate you is to be a little different.”

Dan Baker to his son: “Billy, you got to learn to control your own life. Folks can help you along and kind of point out the general direction sometimes, but nobody can really show you the way as such. Any man who says he can is either after votes, money or just plain don’t know what he’s talking about.”