March 16, 1961 – The Special Short Film The Saga of Windwagon Smith is Released to Theaters
“The prairie is just like the ocean, only greener and drier, you see, and the billowing waves of buffalo grass make sailing quite easy to be.”
On March 16, 1961, the special short film The Saga of Windwagon Smith was released to theaters. The short was released near the end of the golden age of Disney short films, and at a time where the art was becoming more experimental. Jasper and Horace from One Hundred and One Dalmatians make a cameo appearance in this short. The short itself was directed by Charles Nichols, with story by Nichols and Lance Nolley. It features the voices of Rex Allen and the Sons of the Pioneers.
The story takes place in Westport, located at the start of both the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. Most of the town is seen sleeping in the Kansas sun, but they are startled awake by a strange cloud running down Main Street. They hear a strange voice bellowing from the cloud, and as an anchor is tied to a hitching post, the town sees a covered wagon with a deck and a mast with a tiller attached to it. The man inside steps down and greets the town, and when asked by Mayor Crum where he is from, the man explains his name is Captain Smith. He had sailed the seven seas, he continues, and wishes to sail the prairies. The town assumes that, as he has no oxen to pull his wagon, the wind must make it move, and Smith tells them that this is the case before hurrying into the nearest saloon for a bite to eat. When he takes a look at the waitress in the bar, the mayor’s daughter Molly, it’s love at first sight for Smith. Molly has also fallen for Smith, but her father soon sends her away so he and Smith can talk business.
Smith and the mayor talk business about the windwagon, with the mayor wondering if it can hold cargo
The mayor asks if Smith’s windwagon will haul freight, and Smith confirms this, as the hull can hold a full cargo. He then makes the grand claim that he can sail from Kansas to Santa Fe in only two weeks, as opposed to the two months it would take a regular covered wagon with oxen. The accountant of the town figures this would be a quarter of the time, with four times the profit. The town gets excited about the financial prospects of windwagon use, and decide to build a super windwagon with Smith’s help, creating a new company called The Prairie Clipper Company. Building soon begins, and every night after work, Smith and Molly meet on the unfinished deck to continue their romance. The mayor is furious at Molly’s romance with Smith, and warns her to stay away.
The day the windwagon is finished, everyone comes out to admire it before the roll it to the edge of town. Molly christens the ship, and everyone gets on inside, except for Molly, who is told by her father that this cruise was for men only. Smith climbs on board and gets ready to set sail. The windwagon heads off on the Santa Fe Trail, and the men inside start getting seasick. The men demand to be let out, and Smith begins to take them back to town, when the wheel gets stuck. As the windwagon passes town, the men jump out as fast as they can, leaving Smith all alone. As he vows to go down with the ship, he is surprised to find Molly on the deck. She had stowed herself away on the ship, and as a hurricane fast approaches the ship, Smith tries to convince her to leave, but she wishes to stay with him. The windwagon is swallowed by the hurricane, and after Smith fixes the tiller, the two sail on top of the hurricane, heading west, and the two are never heard from again. Legend has it when the sunset turns gold, you can see the wagon in the sky, with Smith steering the wagon with Molly by his side.
disneydetail 