The Sky Pilot

When a preacher is sent to a godforsaken northern town and holds services in a saloon, he has to use his boxing skills to be accepted as a friend by ranch foreman Bill. But after the initial dust-up, the cowboy and the “sky pilot” become the best of friends; it turns out the padre has a deft hand at cattle herding as well. The two soon have to deal with a neighbour who is plotting to steal his employer’s cattle. Then they have to watch as Bill’s girlfriend, cowgirl Gwen, is badly injured in a stampede. A trusty Colt takes care of the cattle rustler, but healing the crippled cowgirl will require faith in God … Produced by Cathrine Curtis, one of Hollywood’s first female producers, The Sky Pilot combines action with serious soul-searching. King Vidor contrasted the natural beauty of the California locations with dramatic images of a cattle stampede and, in the end, the young cowgirl and a Native American servant emerge as the true heroes of this unusual snowbound western. During the shoot, the director ran through a lot of table salt, which served as cheap fake snow, and then his own money, before he and the actors were paid.