The Naked Hills (1956): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1956, The Naked Hills is a western film directed by Josef Shaftel, running about 72 minutes.

What it’s about. Tracy Powell, an Indiana farmer, gets the gold fever and heads for Stockton, California in 1849. There, he abandons his first partner, Bert Killian, and teams up with Sam Wilkins, a claim jumper employed by Willis Haver. Six years later, Powell returns to Indiana and his sweetheart, Julie. They marry and he tries farming again but, on the night their son is born, he takes off again searching for gold. This time he heads for the hills with an inveterate prospector, Jimmo McCann. A decade later, the two are still hunting for their big strike when McCann is killed in an accident. Powell returns home with news of a big strike but the deserted Julie will have nothing to do with him. His friend Killian will not believe him but Haver, now a banker gives him a small loan and then beats him out of his claim. Many years pass before he comes home, now sixty-years-old, and this time, his wife and son open their home to him. But he vows to go prospecting come next spring.

Who’s in it. The Naked Hills stars David Wayne as Tracy Powell, Keenan Wynn as Sam Wilkins, James Barton as Jimmo McCann and Marcia Henderson as Julie, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.8/10, The Naked Hills has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo and MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Naked Hills page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Naked Hills tend to enjoy The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Django Unchained, Once Upon a Time in the West and For a Few Dollars More.