''The Red Stallion'' is a 1947 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Lesley Selander Lesley Selander (May 26, 1900 – December 5, 1979) was an American film director of Western (genre), Westerns and adventure film, adventure movies. His career as director, spanning 127 feature films and dozens of TV episodes, lasted from 1936 to ...

shot in

Cinecolor Cinecolor was an early subtractive color-model two-color motion picture process that was based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor system of the late 1920s and the 1930s. It was developed by William T. Crispinel and ...

. It is about a young boy who trains his beloved pet horse to be a racehorse in order to save his grandmother's farm from foreclosure. It was filmed at

Mount Shasta Mount Shasta ( Shasta: ''Waka-nunee-Tuki-wuki''; Karuk: ''Úytaahkoo'') is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California. At an elevation of , it is the second-highest peak in the Cascades ...

and the Shasta Starr Ranch in northern California.

Plot summary

Joel Curtis (

Ted Donaldson Ted Donaldson (born August 20, 1933 in New York City) is an American former child actor. Early years Born in Brooklyn, New York, Donaldson was the son of singer-composer Will Donaldson and Will's wife, Jo. His mother died when he was years old. ...

) is a young orphan who is living with his grandmother, Aggie Curtis (

Jane Darwell Jane Darwell (born Patti Woodard; October 15, 1879 – August 13, 1967) was an American actress of stage, film, and television. With appearances in more than 100 major movies spanning half a century, Darwell is perhaps best remembered for her p ...

), on her ranch. Joel finds an orphaned colt in the nearby woods, and names the horse Red. Joel learns that Grandma Curtis has extensive debts, and will be forced to sell her ranch to pay them off. Joel is friends with Andy McBride (

Robert Paige Robert Paige (born John Arthur Paige, December 2, 1911 – December 21, 1987) was an actor and a TV newscaster and political correspondent and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime: he was the only actor ever allowed t ...

), a ranch hand at the nearby Moresby Farms. Joel convinces Andy to help him train Red as a racehorse, with the intention of selling his beloved horse to pay off his grandmother's debts. Joel and Andy convinced Moresby Farms horse trainer Ellen Reynolds (

Noreen Nash Noreen Nash (born Norabelle Jean Roth; April 4, 1924) is an American retired film and television actress. In the beginning of her career, she had uncredited parts at MGM. In 1945, she appeared in '' The Southerner'', after which she had mostly l ...

) to race Red against the farm's best racehorse, Black Moor. But the untrained Red loses the race because he does not stay close to the inside rail. Joel next approaches Mr. Moresby (

Pierre Watkin Pierre Frank Watkin (December 29, 1887 – February 3, 1960) was an American character actor best known for playing distinguished authority figures throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood. He is best remembered for his roles of Mr. Skinner the b ...

) with an offer to sell horses from the Curtis ranch to Moresby Farms. Mr. Moresby agrees, but says he will buy only those horses which can outrace Black Moor. With the foreclosure auction on Grandma Curtis' farm approaching quickly, Joel and Ho-Na (

Robert Bice Robert Bice (March 14, 1914 – January 8, 1968), was an American television and film actor. Biography He was born on March 14, 1914, in Dallas, Texas. He died on January 8, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. Career Bice appeared in 199 films an ...

), a Native American working for Grandma Curtis, train Red on Moresby's racetrack nightly. Joel's dog, Curley, helps by barking at Red and forcing the horse against the rail whenever Red tries to stray. Moresby promises to see Red race one more time first thing in the morning on the day before the auction. But that night, Red escapes the barn and goes into the woods, where a bear attacks him. Red escapes, but is too exhausted to race. The next day, Joel races Red against Black Moor and beats Moresby's horse. Moresby purchases Red for a large sum, saving Grandma Curtis' ranch. At Grandma Curtis' suggestion, Moresby makes Joel co-owner of Red. Andy and Ellen reveal they are in love.

Cast

as Andy McBride *

as Ellen Reynolds *

as Joel Curtis *

as Mrs. Aggie Curtis * Ray Collins as Perry Barton *

Guy Kibbee Guy Bridges Kibbee (March 6, 1882 – May 24, 1956) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Kibbee was born in El Paso, Texas. His father was editor of the '' El Paso Herald-Post'' newspaper, and Kibbee learned how to set type at age ...

as Ed Thompson *

Willie Best William Best (May 27, 1913 – February 27, 1962), known professionally as Willie Best or Sleep n' Eat, was an American television and film actor. Best was one of the first African American film actors and comedians to become well kn ...

as Jackson *

as Ho-Na *

as Richard Moresby *Bill Cartledge as Johnny Stevens *Daisy as Curley the dog

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Stallion 1947 films 1940s English-language films 1947 Western (genre) films Films directed by Lesley Selander Films scored by Friedrich Hollaender Eagle-Lion Films films Cinecolor films Films about horses American Western (genre) films 1940s American films