Charles Starrett plays Secret Service agent Steve Brent, alias The Durango Kid (a masked rider dressed in black), who is caught up in a range war between cattlemen and sheep men in Timber Rock, Montana. Lawyer Carl Buckley (Tristram Coffin) and his henchmen (which includes the Sheriff) started the war as a way to kill off the cattle herds, a deal with a syndicate to drive up the price of beef. The cattlemen have combined their herds in "Smokey Canyon" (hence the title).
Jack Mahoney (Jock Mahoney a/k/a Jack Mahoney) is a sheep man who was once engaged to a cattleman's daughter Roberta (Dani Sue Nolan). Buckeley killed her father and framed Jack for the murder.
Brent infiltrates the gang to discover the murderer. Smiley Burnette (also using his actual name) plays a goofy scenic tour operator who is supposed to provide some comic relief. There is one very funny dream sequence featuring Smiley and some talking sheep.
1952 was the last year of the highly successful "Durango" series, Starrett made 65 films as the masked rider. In the films his civilian identity was always Steve, but he would use a different last name in each feature. His job as a Secret Service agent allowed him to plausibly take on a different occupation in a different town with each film.
"The Durango Kid" films are a rare example of a series that actually improved as it went along. Even in his forties Starrett could handle the action scenes and Mahoney often doubled as the masked rider. The duel identity thing was a real asset as it allowed considerable variety in each storyline.
"Smokey Canyon" benefits a great deal from the presence of Dani Sue Nolan. Her character is almost a contemporary heroine. She rides well, carries a gun, and joins in the action. Nolan was a talented actress and her casting seems to have inspired the crew to insert some actual close-ups into the film. Most of these things were just a series of wide shots so the close-ups, flashbacks, and dream sequences give "Smokey Canyon" the feel of a more expensive and modern film.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
