The Red Pony

This is a well done television remake of The Red Pony that stars Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. It is well acted and well photographed and is easily accessible on infinity television. The chemistry and professionalism between Fonda and O'Hara is present and palpable and makes this for must see viewing for classic movie stars. The supporting cast is full of reliable supporting actors such as Ben Johnson, Jack Elam and Richard Jaeckel. Also, a young Clint Howard is the young boy in the tale and does a very nice job. This television movie also won two Emmy for Sound Editing and Music Composition and was well deserved. Check this out if you see on television.

The title of the film proudly calls it 'John Steinbeck's "The Red Pony"'...and I guess if you adore John Steinbeck, that's a big selling point for this remake. But it didn't mean a lot to me...and I realize he is a beloved 20th century writer...but the movie left me rather flat. It had its moments and featured some fine actors...but the film meant nothing more to me.

The story is that of a family, but particularly focuses on the stern and generally unlikable Carl (Henry Fonda) and his young son, Jody (Clint Howard). Carl has great difficulty showing emotion and rides his son awfully hard. The boy, as a result, is rather soft...and the story is how the two come to find a common bond through some horses. Whatever.

The bottom line is that despite Steinbeck's revered name, the weakest part of the film was the story. It was rather slow and took a meandering course...but at least the acting was very nice. In addition to the two above, Maureen O'Hara and Jack Elam (playing her father...though the two were born only about two months apart) star in this made for TV remake of the old Robert Mitchum film.