''Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion'' is a television movie starring

Leif Garrett Leif Garrett (born Leif Per Nervik; November 8, 1961) is an American singer, actor, and television personality. He worked as a child actor, then in the 1970s became famous as a teen idol in music. He later received much publicity for his drug ...

which aired November 6, 1977 on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

. It is based on the novel ''San Domingo, The Medicine Hat Stallion'' by

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

award winner

Marguerite Henry Marguerite Henry (' Breithaupt; April 13, 1902 – November 26, 1997) 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 19 ...

. The movie was developed and produced by

Ed Friendly Edwin "Ed" Samson Friendly Jr. (April 8, 1922 – June 17, 2007) was an American television producer. He was responsible for creating the television programs ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'', ''Little House on the Prairie'', and ''Backstairs at ...

and directed by

Michael O'Herlihy Michael O'Herlihy (1 April 1929 – 16 June 1997) was an Irish television producer and director who directed shows like ''Gunsmoke'' (1955), ''Maverick'' (1957), ''Star Trek'' (1965), ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968), ''M*A*S*H'' (1972) and ''The A-T ...

from a teleplay by Jack Turley. In 1978 ''Peter Lundy'' was awarded the

Bronze Wrangler The Bronze Wrangler is an award presented annually by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum to honor the top works in Western music, film, television and literature. The awards were first presented in 1961. The Wrangler is a bronze sculpt ...

for Outstanding Western Fictional Television Program by the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

Summary

Peter Lundy (

) is a 15-year-old boy growing up in pre-

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

with his father Jethro (played by

Mitchell Ryan Mitchell Ryan (January 11, 1934 – March 4, 2022) was an American film, television, and stage actor, who in his six decades of television is known for playing Burke Devlin in the 1960s gothic soap opera ''Dark Shadows'', and later for his co- ...

), mother Emily (played by

Bibi Besch Bibi Besch (born Bibiana Maria Köchert; February 1, 1942 – September 7, 1996) was an Austrian-American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Dr. Carol Marcus in the science fiction film '' Star Trek II: T ...

), and Grandma Lundy (played by

Ann Doran Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress, possibly best known as the mother of Jim Stark ( James Dean) in ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955). She was an early member of the Screen Actors Guild and ser ...

). Peter resents the tyrannical way his father treats him and hates the bleak life at their prairie trading post. He raises a foal that was left at the trading post as a payment until it becomes old enough to ride. Peter and his horse then win a job with the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

to carry correspondence and messages between the East and West coasts. It is a rough, hard, and dangerous job but Peter learns what he is made of and earns the respect of his father.

Cast

as Peter Lundy *

Milo O'Shea Milo Donal O'Shea (2 June 1926 – 2 April 2013) was an Irish people, Irish actor. He was twice nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in ''Staircase (play), Staircase'' (1968) and ''Mass Appeal (play), Mass A ...

as Brisly *

as Emily Lundy *

John Quade John William Saunders III (April 1, 1938 – August 9, 2009), better known by the stage name John Quade, was an American character actor who starred in film and in television. He was best known for his role as Cholla, the leader of the mot ...

as Adam *

as Grandma Lundy * Brad Rearden as Jim Baxter *

as Jethro Lundy *

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

as Alexander Majors *

Charles Tyner Charles Tyner (June 8, 1923 – November 8, 2017) was an American film, television and stage character actor best known, principally, for his performances in the films ''Harold and Maude'' (1971), '' Emperor of the North Pole'' (1973), '' The Long ...

as Lefty Slade *

Ned Romero Ned Romero (December 4, 1926 – November 4, 2017) was an American actor and opera singer who appeared in television and film. Early childhood and education Romero was born on December 4, 1926 in Franklin, Louisiana, the seat of St. Mary Pa ...

as Red Cloud *

Jimmy Lydon James Joseph Lydon (May 30, 1923 – March 9, 2022) was an American actor and television producer whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenager during the 1930s. Early life Lydon was born in Harrington Park, New Jersey on May 3 ...

as Muggeridge * Phil Mead as Hugo Rummelholf * Bill Hicks as Bolivar Roberts * Robert Tzudiker as Pee Wee

Awards

Won * Western Heritage Awards Bronze Wrangler (1978) for Fictional Television Drama - Film/Television **

, Producer **

, Director **Jack Turley, Writer **

, Actor **

, Actor Nomination *

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

(1978) ** Outstanding Children's Special –

(producer) Other Awards * Film Advisory Board Award of Excellence * Southern California Motion Picture Council Golden Halo *

American Humane Association American Humane (AH) is an organization founded in 1877 committed to ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals. It was previously called the International Humane Association before changing its name in 1878. In 1940, it became t ...

Award for outstanding contribution to the production of a motion picture with animals.“‘Peter Lundy’ Repeat Set.” ''The Tampa Tribune-Times'', 6 August 1978.

References

{{reflist

External links

Peter Lundy and the Medicine Hat Stallion, Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com)

San Domingo, The Medicine Hat Stallion, Archive.org

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

Southern California Motion Picture Council Golden Halo Awards

Ed Friendly's Life and Legacy (littlehouseontheprairie.com)
Films directed by Michael O'Herlihy