Ride a Wild Pony

Last updated
Ride a Wild Pony
Ride a Wild Pony poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Don Chaffey
Written by Rosemary Anne Sisson
Based onA Sporting Proposition
by James Aldridge
Produced by Jerome Courtland
StarringRobert Bettles
Eva Griffith
Michael Craig
Cinematography Jack Cardiff
Edited byMike Campbell
Music by John Addison
Production
company
Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution (US) [1]
British Empire Films (Australia)
Release date
  • December 25, 1975 (1975-12-25) [2]
Running time
91 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Australia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetAU$1 million [3]

Ride a Wild Pony is a 1975 American-Australian family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Don Chaffey and based on the novel A Sporting Proposition (1973) by James Aldridge. [4] [5]

Contents

Plot

Set in a small Australian town during the interwar period, the film follows the battle between two children, Scott, a poor farm boy, and Josie, the handicapped daughter of a wealthy ranch owner, for ownership of a horse that both children love. [6] Scott requires a horse to ride seven miles to school and his father buys an unbroken pony, which Scott names Taff. Josie yearns to ride again but, having been afflicted with polio two years before, must settle for using a cart and pony. Scott's pony disappears, while a pony is eventually selected for Josie from her father's herd. When Scott sees the horse, which Josie named Bo, performing in the pony and cart competition at the township fair, he recognizes it as his horse and attempts to take it away. [7] The ensuing quarrel affects both the children as well as dividing the town. [8] The children eventually become friends and, while the ownership issue is legally resolved, they agree on a way of sharing the pony between them. [6]

Cast

Production

Although based on an Australian story, the film was originally intended to be rewritten to fit an American setting, but the producer, Jerome Courtland, determined that an Australian background would not detract from the film's potential for success in the US. As a result, the film was not only set in Australia, but employed a largely Australian-based cast. [9]

Shooting began in October 1974 and mostly took place in the small town of Chiltern, Victoria. [10] There was also some filming in the small country town of Bingara, New South Wales, where some of the cast and crew, including John Meillon, stayed at the Imperial Hotel for around 3 months. [3] Several different Welsh mountain ponies were used in the film's production. [11]

Reception

The film opened on Christmas Day, 1975 [2] at the Fine Arts theatre in Los Angeles and grossed $9,000 in its first week. [12]

In 1976, The New York Times criticized the film as a "fundamentally uneventful and somewhat padded story", [8] but a review for the film's video release in 1987 wrote that the film "was well acted, by adults, youngsters and pony...a film that children – and their parents – should certainly enjoy". [13] Also in 1976, The Blade wrote that the film "combines an intelligent script, a generally excellent cast, and good production values in a film with broad appeal". [6] The Daily Collegian also praised the film, saying that it contained "a refreshing amount of realism, and an emotional subtelty that is unusual for a Disney film". [14]

The film was released on VHS in April 1987. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Tall T</i> 1957 film by Budd Boetticher

The Tall T is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott, Richard Boone, and Maureen O'Sullivan. Adapted by Burt Kennedy from the 1955 short story "The Captives" by Elmore Leonard, the film is about an independent former ranch foreman who is kidnapped along with an heiress, who is being held for ransom by three ruthless outlaws. In 2000, The Tall T was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The Sundowners is a 1960 Technicolor comedy-drama film that tells the story of a 1920s Australian outback family torn between the father's desires to continue his nomadic sheep-herding ways and the wife and son's desire to settle in one place. The Sundowners was produced and directed by Fred Zinnemann, adapted by Isobel Lennart from Jon Cleary's 1952 novel of the same name, with Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, and Peter Ustinov, Glynis Johns, Mervyn Johns, Dina Merrill, Michael Anderson Jr., and Chips Rafferty.

<i>Darby OGill and the Little People</i> 1959 film by Robert Stevenson

Darby O'Gill and the Little People is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the Darby O'Gill stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrence Edward Watkin, the film stars Albert Sharpe as O'Gill alongside Janet Munro, Sean Connery, and Jimmy O'Dea. It was released on Walt Disney Home Video via video cassette in October 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Devine</span> American actor (1905–1977)

Andrew Vabre Devine was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in films such as Stagecoach (1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won. He is also remembered as Jingles on the TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958, as Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1937), and as the voice of Friar Tuck in the Disney Animation Studio film Robin Hood (1973).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marguerite Henry</span> American novelist

Marguerite Henry was an American writer of children's books, writing fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals. She won the Newbery Medal for King of the Wind, a 1948 book about horses, and she was a runner-up for two others. One of the latter, Misty of Chincoteague (1947), was the basis for several related titles and the 1961 movie Misty.

<i>Misty of Chincoteague</i> (novel) Childrens book by Marguerite Henry

Misty of Chincoteague is a children's novel written by pony book author Marguerite Henry, illustrated by Wesley Dennis, and published by Rand McNally in 1947. Set in the island town of Chincoteague, Virginia, the book was inspired by the real-life story of the Beebe family and their efforts to raise a Chincoteague Pony filly born to a wild horse, who would later become known as Misty of Chincoteague. It was one of the runners-up for the annual Newbery Medal, now called Newbery Honor Books. The 1961 film Misty was based on the book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiltern, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Chiltern is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the northeast of the state between Wangaratta and Wodonga, in the Shire of Indigo. At the 2021 census, Chiltern had a population of 1,580. It is the birthplace of Prime Minister John McEwen. The town is close to the Chiltern-Mount Pilot National Park. Chiltern was once on the main road between Melbourne and Sydney but is now bypassed by the Hume Freeway running one kilometre to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Aldridge</span> Australian-British writer and journalist

Harold Edward James Aldridge was an Australian-British writer and journalist. His World War II despatches were published worldwide and he was the author of over 30 books, both fiction and non-fiction works, including war and adventure novels and books for children.

<i>Career Opportunities</i> (film) 1991 film by Bryan Gordon

Career Opportunities is a 1991 American romantic comedy film starring Frank Whaley in his first lead role and co-starring Jennifer Connelly. It was written and co-produced by John Hughes and directed by Bryan Gordon. In the film, Jim Dodge (Whaley) is a persuasive but irresponsible young man who lands a job as an overnight janitor at a local Target store. One evening after hours, he finds himself alone with the affluent but mistreated Josie McClellan (Connelly).

<i>The Man from Snowy River II</i> 1988 Australian drama film

The Man from Snowy River II is a 1988 Australian drama film, the sequel to the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River, which was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Michael Francis Gregson, known professionally as Michael Craig, is a British actor and screenwriter, known for his work in theatre, film and television both in the United Kingdom and in Australia.

<i>The Plainsman</i> 1936 film

The Plainsman is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, and General George Custer, with a gun-runner named Lattimer as the main villain. The film is notorious for mixing timelines and even has an opening scene with Abraham Lincoln setting the stage for Hickok's adventures. Anthony Quinn has an early acting role as an Indian. A remake using the same title was released in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pony Club Association of Victoria</span> State Sporting Organisation

The Pony Club Association of Victoria, commonly abbreviated as PCAV, is the recognised State Sporting Organisation and controlling body for Pony Club in Victoria where young people can ride and learn all disciplines of equestrian sports. The Association co-ordinates, develops and promotes horsemanship in Victoria and instruction for its members. The Association is a member of Pony Club Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal theme park</span> Combination of a theme park and a zoo

An animal theme park, also known as a zoological theme park, is a combination of an amusement park and a zoo, mainly for entertainment, amusement, and commercial purposes. Many animal theme parks combine classic theme park elements, such as themed entertainment and amusement rides, with classic zoo elements such as live animals confined within enclosures for display. Many times, live animals are utilized and featured as part of amusement rides and attractions found at animal theme parks.

<i>Wolves of the Range</i> 1943 film by Sam Newfield

Wolves of the Range is a 1943 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Joseph O'Donnell. The film stars Robert Livingston as the Lone Rider and Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy" Jones, with Frances Gladwin, I. Stanford Jolley, Karl Hackett and Ed Cassidy. The film was released on June 21, 1943, by Producers Releasing Corporation.

The Stranger Wore a Gun is a 1953 American Western film directed by Andre de Toth and starring Randolph Scott and Claire Trevor. Based on the short story "Yankee Gold" by John W. Cunningham, the film is about a war criminal wanted for the slaughter of women and children who moves to Arizona to join a gold robbery but reconsiders and decides to change his life. The film is one of the first 3-D western movies; it earned an estimated $1.6 million at the North American box office in 1953. The supporting cast includes Joan Weldon, George Macready, Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin, and Ernest Borgnine.

<i>Smoky</i> (1946 film) Western film by Louis King

Smoky is a 1946 American Western film directed by Louis King and starring Fred MacMurray, Anne Baxter and Bruce Cabot. The film was produced and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the second of three film adaptations of the 1926 novel Smoky the Cowhorse by Will James; others were made in 1933 and 1966.

The Rogue Stallion is a 1990 Australian television film about a wild horse. It was part of the South Pacific Adventure Series. It was also released in the United States by Feature Films for Families.

<i>Wild Horse Rustlers</i> 1943 American Western film

Wild Horse Rustlers is a 1943 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Joseph O'Donnell. The film stars Robert Livingston as the Lone Rider and Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy Jones", with Lane Chandler, Linda Leighton, Frank Ellis and Stanley Price. The film was released on February 12, 1943, by Producers Releasing Corporation.

References

  1. https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55622
  2. 1 2 Ride a Wild Pony at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  3. 1 2 Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 296
  4. "Ride a Wild Pony (1976)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
  5. "Tale of a pony transforms a town". The Australian Women's Weekly . National Library of Australia. 5 February 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Dresser, Norman (16 April 1976). "'Ride a Wild Pony' Is Appealing to All". Toldedo Blade. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  7. Waxse, Bennett F. (April 21, 1976). "Justice Triumphs in 'Wild Pony'". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 72. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  8. 1 2 "Screen: Newest Disney:'Ride a Wild Pony' at the Neighborhoods". The New York Times. July 17, 1976. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
  9. "Insight with a boy and his pony". The Sydney Morning Herald. December 22, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  10. Bone, Pamela (May 15, 1986). "Chiltern lives again – just for television". The Age. p. 37. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  11. Bennett, Colin (January 5, 1976). "No prizes if you can guess whodunnit". The Age. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  12. "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety . January 14, 1976. p. 9.
  13. Rothstein, Mervyn (April 12, 1987). "Home Video: Children – Ride a Wild Pony". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  14. Charles, Larry (April 30, 1976). "Kids' film won't bore older folks". The Daily Collegian. p. 6. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  15. Mervyn Rothstein (April 12, 1987). "Home Video: Children". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015.