''Wild Horse Hank'' is a 1979 Canadian

adventure drama film An adventure film is a form of adventure fiction, and is a genre of film. Subgenres of adventure films include swashbuckler films, pirate films, and survival films. Adventure films may also be combined with other film genres such as action, anim ...

directed by Eric Till and starring

Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...

Michael Wincott Michael Anthony Claudio Wincott (born January 21, 1958) is a Canadian actor. His deep, raspy voice has often led to his being cast in villainous roles. Some of his best-known roles include Guy of Gisborne in '' Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' ( ...

and

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...

. It is based on the 1978 teen novel ''The Wild Horse Killers'' written by Mel Ellis.

Plot

''Wild Horse Hank'' is the adventure of a brave young cowgirl named Hank (

), who is independent and has been around horses all her life. One day while out searching for her prized stallion, Hank happens upon some horse hunters who are rounding up a herd of

mustangs The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticated animals, they ...

to sell for pet food. Hank follows the hunters into town and releases the horses. If Hank is to save these wild animals, they must reach the protection of federal land, but the nearest such area lies across a desert, through a river, and over a mountain range, altogether some 150 miles away. Pace, Hank's father (

), objects to Hank's plan to save the horses, but finally agrees to let her go. Hank begins her adventure, herding the horses toward the Rantan Game Preserve, but the epic drive soon becomes a contest of wills with the poachers, who are trying to outwit Hank whenever possible.

Cast

as Hank Bradford *

as Charlie Connors *

as Pace Bradford *

Al Waxman Albert Samuel Waxman, (March 2, 1935 – January 18, 2001) was a Canadian actor and director of over 1,000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series '' King of Kensingto ...

as Jay Conors *Lloyd Berry as Foreman *Richard Fitzpatrick as Clay *

Barbara Gordon Barbara Gordon is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by television producer William Dozier, editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardne ...

as Marlene Connors * Helen Hughes as Mrs Webley *Stephen E. Miller as Harper *James D. Morris as Sheriff Walter Mack *Richard J. Reynolds as Rankin

Production

The film was shot on location at

Dinosaur Provincial Park Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated a two hour drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or , about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks. The park is situated in the Red Deer River valley, which is noted for its strik ...

and

Waterton Lakes National Park Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. It borders Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterto ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

between August and October 1978 and was broadcast in 1982 as a television network premiere. It is also known under the alternate titles: ''Hard Ride Hank'', ''Hard Ride to Rantan'', ''Long Shot'' in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

DVD release

''Wild Horse Hank'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

on September 16, 2008 for the 1st time.Linda Blair - Official Website
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References

External links

* * 1979 films 1970s adventure drama films Canadian adventure drama films Canadian independent films English-language Canadian films Films directed by Eric Till Films shot in Alberta Canadian drama television films 1979 independent films 1979 drama films 1970s English-language films 1970s Canadian films {{adventure-film-stub