Texas cowpoke Lincoln Costain (James Garner) washes ashore on the Hawaiian island of Kauai and helps the widowed owner of a potato plantation (Vera Miles) turn her ailing farm into a thriving cattle ranch, despite the machinations of a sneaky local merchant (Robert Culp). The Castaway Cowboy has all the qualities of Disney's other live-action movies from the 1970s: a clear, straightforward story; serviceable, unfussy acting; a dose of ethnic stereotypes (in this case, the simple, happy-go-lucky islanders); a mixture of sentiment, slapstick, and modest adventure; and a cute, spunky kid, for whom the hero becomes a substitute parent. Garner's easy charm makes the proceedings pleasant enough, though the cultural chauvinism doesn't date well. --Bret Fetzer
