Pony Express Rider

I was 14 years old when I had the opportunity to watch part of this film being made in Kerrville, Texas. My cousins and I spent several weeks during the summer of 1976 at my grandfather's house that was used as the Nevada governor's mansion. All of the actors were great to be around. The only person who was not friendly was Maureen McCormick, but she had just finished the Brady Bunch and was the "star". At the party after the premiere I had a chance to talk with Ken Curtis about his acting career - he told me of the blessing and the cure of being "Festus". I ran into Buck Taylor about six years after the movie and not only did he remember me but for several years thereafter we hang out when he was in town.

Most of the rest of the film was shot in and around the Texas Hill Country. The Kingman XXX Ranch was shot at the YO Ranch in Mountain Home, Texas. The YO is still in operation as a ranch and is also an exotic game ranch.

The film has the feel of an episode of `Gunsmoke' because the director Bob Totten directed many shows of that series.

So, yes the acting is bad, the photography is dark but for me this film is a classic as it takes me back to that time in 1976 when all was still good in my world.

God did I hate this. How did I see it? You might ask? Happens that a school field trip was made to the movie theater which only has one screen, and the movie showing was rated R, so the principal put this on as a "history lesson". Now that's just plain weird considering IT HISTORICALLY INACCURATE, such as no California before Civil War, and other problems. Too violent to be rated a kids flick, even though that's what it's intended to be, but if you want your kids going around saying swear words, BE MY GUEST! And... Bad acting GALORE! Bad script, and I didn't know a town could be so barren! When I saw the governor's mansion, the question that came to mind was "Governor of WHAT?"

In conclusion, STAY AWAY.

Pony Express Rider is the story of vengeance quest by young Stewart Petersen who takes a job as a rider to get the man who shot down his father in cold blood. The only thing he knows is that his quarry is going west, so he'll take the mail west because it's in his general direction and Petersen gets paid besides.

Somebody tuning in on this film in the middle might have gotten a feeling that this was a Gunsmoke episode run totally amuck with mutiny in the marshal's office in Dodge City. Petersen's dad is Ken Curtis formerly Festus on Gunsmoke and the man he's seeking is Buck Taylor who was Matt Dillon's other deputy, Newly. Topping that all off is the director Robert Totten did many a Gunsmoke episode from television.

Taylor is the spoiled son of cattle baron Henry Wilcoxon who's just been appointed territorial governor of Nevada and after Taylor does the deed, he seeks refuge with his father.

Sad to say, here's where the plot gets a little dumb. For the life of me I can't understand why Ken Curtis wants to farm goats. He's leasing a small piece of Wilcoxon's land and Wilcoxon can toss him off any time he wants. Just that they go back aways is the only reason he hasn't up till now. I can't understand how Curtis got himself involved in such an arrangement or what his passion for goats was.

Also working here is the fact that Taylor does not think Petersen is fit company for his sister Maureen McCormick. And there's also a poorly developed secondary plot where some latent southern sympathizers have maneuvered Wilcoxon into that appointment in Nevada in order to grab off the west for the Confederacy to be.

Pony Express Rider would have been a lot better film if it had just stuck to the one plot line about revenge and not dragged a lot of extraneous elements into it. Makes for one big mess.

In 1861 East Texas, young farmer Stewart Petersen (as Jimmie D. Richardson) wants to marry maturing "Brady Bunch" daughter Maureen McCormick (as Rose of Sharon). Her big brother Buck Taylor (as Bovey Kingman) does not approve. The prospective couple also has trouble obtaining permission from Ms. McCormick father, wealthy rancher and politician Henry Wilcoxon (as Trevor Kingman). He has a rivalry with Mr. Petersen's poorer goat-herder father Ken Curtis (as Jed Richardson). A fatal gunshot triggers Petersen becoming a "Pony Express Rider" in search of justice...

This is mainly Petersen versus Mr. Taylor, with a series of "guest stars" acting expectedly. Dub Taylor (as Boomer Riley) was my pick for best. Petersen might have done well with a Disney contract. Director Robert Totten and the gang would have had more mileage if this were a CBS-TV Monday night movie special - grabbing some of the recently departed "Gunsmoke" audience, who were moving in droves to "Little House on the Prairie". Of course, they may have tried that…

**** Pony Express Rider (11/76) Robert Totten ~ Stewart Petersen, Buck Taylor, Henry Wilcoxon, Maureen McCormick

(1976) Pony Express Rider WESTERN FAMILY

Co-written and directed by Robert Totten which if viewers don't mind the first rough 3/4's into it since it's musical score and direction is similar to what one might expect from a made for TV movie, I think the final fourth act is very well done. Young teen, Jimmie D. Richardson (Stewart Peterson) has a sheepman as a father, Jed Richardson (Ken Curtis) whose about to lose his livelihood because the landowner,Trevor Kingman (Henry Wilcoxon) who also happens to be his best friend is going to be a governor of Nevada, leaving everything to be handled by his only immoral son, Bovey Kingman (Buck Taylor) . After the father leaves, the first thing Bovey does is that he decides to destroy Jed's only livelihood in an underhanded way, by forcing him as well as his family to move, since he wants to turn that small property as part of a cattle drive. And upon sending someone to fetch Jed, into the home, he tries to degrade his livelihood on front of others before being provoked for a fight. Jed the sheepman wins but upon going to the bar for a drink, the narcissistic son then shoots him dead by cowardly shooting him in the back and he takes off since their were witnesses. The teenager, Jeb then hears about this and vows revenge by going after him. Assuming that he's heading and while riding toward Nevada, he manages to get himself a job by delivering some mail, since the previous 'pony express rider' was found killed with an arrow on his back. And then the next thing you know, the narcissistic son, Buck hears about this and goes on an odyssey himself by going after him and to prevent his father from even knowing about this. Aforementioned, most of this is like a made for TV movie but the fourth act is worth seeing since not every Western should be solved by total vengeance.