Le poulain noir

It seems almost required to mention that Gypsy Colt is not even a disguised remake of Lassie Come Home so I won't break tradition. Being that this is America with a lot more wide open spaces the horse Gypsy has a bigger journey to travel to get back to his little mistress young Donna Corcoran.

Nothing original about this family picture. Donna has a thoroughbred colt and it's the most valuable asset on her dad's farm. Her parents are Ward Bond and Frances Dee. Economic necessity forces them to sell Gypsy to horse racing owner Larry Keating. But you can't separate a child and her horse any more than with a dog. You can take it from there you've seen it all before.

Perennial western heavy Lee Van Cleef is the bad guy once again, a cruel trainer who does get his and the audience cheers accordingly.

Gypsy Colt is a nice family film, one of the last MGM B film products, probably made as an afterthought at Leo the Lion's studio.

It's true what they've always said... this is the equine version of "Lassie Come Home," right down to the horse punctually collecting the kid at school. As with all animal movies, it seems, something dreadful happens to the family and the animal is put to the test as a result. This time out the lead is a young girl, earnestly played by one of the acting Corcoran family, Donna. Ward Bond is appropriately firm-handed as the father and lovely Frances Dee exudes understanding as the mother. Lee Van Cleef is menacing as the villain of the piece. The gorgeous black stallion, Beaut, that plays Gypsy is the same horse that played the title role in the 1950s TV series "Fury" (please observe a moment of silence for my treasured childhood TV show) and was Elizabeth Taylor's loving steed in "Giant." It's a B effort for sure, but it's nicely done for the young horsey set and others so inclined.

Gypsy is a horse and he is utterly devoted to his young owner Meg MacWade (Donna Corcoran). The family is forced to sell Gypsy for seeds to plant next year. Gypsy keeps escaping from angry horse trainer Hank (Lee Van Cleef). When he is sent faraway to race, he again makes a run for it.

See dog. See dog run. Replace dog with horse. See horse run. If you're willing to make the switch, this could appeal to the animal lover in you. There is one great looking chase in the desert with four motorcycles. This actually packs a good emotional final punch. It's good family fare and it's got Lee Van Cleef as the big bad.

I thought the horse looked awful familiar! I was also a "Fury" freak as a kid. "Beaut" was a gorgeous horse. He seemed to fill out quite a bit by the time he was in "Fury." Beaut was one of the talented animal actors I can recall. In some ways, his range was quite similar to the Lassies who have been with us over the years. The one scene were he was "obvious" was in the desert as he staggered along and finally dropped. A bit of the ham, there!! The theme of the youngster being able to relate to a horse in a special way was reinforced by the interaction between the young boy who found Gypsy in the desert. Like the young girl, the boy also felt that Gypsy shouldn't be sold to adults who didn't value him, which lead him to set Gypsy free. Seeing the young Cocoran was interesting. I recall seeing her as a teenager in some films. Her brother Kevin played in quite a few Disney films, as I recall.

Children will probably find something to appreciate in GYPSY COLT, but it's simply an uninspired remake of LASSIE COME HOME using a colt instead of a collie to tell the tale of an animal that can't stay away from its youthful owner. In this case, the owner is DONNA CORCORAN, a cute girl under contract to MGM at the time--but the acting and direction is a constant reminder that this is a B-film masquerading as an A-product.

Scenery is spectacular (of the American West), but the tale bears all the earmarks of the "Lassie" story--even down to the animal knowing when it's three o'clock and time to drop in at the school. Townspeople can set their watches at the sight of the colt racing down the street toward the schoolhouse.

WARD BOND and FRANCES DEE have very little to work with as the parents who have to sell the horse in order to make ends meet--and praying that it will rain so their crops will survive. The horse is a black beauty, sleek and proud and there are beautiful shots of it racing along highways and desert sands, pursued by cowboys at one time, motorcyclists at another, and finally taken care of briefly by a Mexican boy who finally lets the horse free from confinement after rescuing it in the desert. "Horse go home," he tells it reluctantly.

It's a simple little film that probably pleased the kiddies at Saturday matinees--but there's a tired look to the acting by all of the adults. Only the horse and the children seem to understand what this is all about.

Trivia note: Interesting to see LEE VAN CLEEF as the mean stable man, years before he joined Clint Eastwood for more villainy.