The Red Pony *** (1949, Myrna Loy, Robert Mitchum, Peter Miles, Louis Calhern, Shepperd Strudwick, Margaret Hamilton) – Classic Movie Review 11,488

Producer-director Lewis Milestone’s 1949 American rural drama children’s film The Red Pony is Republic Pictures’ version of John Steinbeck’s three stories (The Gift, Leader of the People, The Promise) about a boy called Tom Tiflin (Peter Miles), a sick pony and the problems of childhood, growing up on his parents Myrna Loy and Shepperd Strudwick’s farm where Robert Mitchum is the ranch hand the kid adores.

The Red Pony is a bit wobbly and sedate, but it is warm hearted, well handled, strongly cast, and attractively filmed by Tony Gaudio in Technicolor. It comes complete with a notable early starring role for Mitchum, the stalwart Milestone direction, the remarkable Gaudio cinematography and a rare Steinbeck screenplay plus a stirring Aaron Copland score, so you could hardly get posher, more iconic credits for a 1940s children’s film. Republic pulled all the stops out, and the whole series of iconic names involved makes it an iconic movie.

Also in the cast are Louis Calhern, Margaret Hamilton, Beau Bridges, Pattie King, Jackie Jackson, Nino Tempo, and Tommy Sheridan.

John Steinbeck’ wrote the screenplay from his 1937 novella The Red Pony, focusing on the three chapters of the book, The Gift, Leader of the People, and The Promise.

Aaron Copland composed  the original score, which he arranged and published as an orchestral suite. Copland conducted London’s New Philharmonia Orchestra in a recording of the music for Columbia Records, reissued on CD by Sony Records.

The credited cast are Myrna Loy as Alice Tiflin, Robert Mitchum as Billy Buck, Louis Calhern as Grandfather, Shepperd Strudwick as Fred Tiflin, Peter Miles as Tom Tiflin, Margaret Hamilton as Teacher, Patty King as Jinx Ingals, Jackie Jackson as Jackie, Beau Bridges as Beau, Little Brown Jug as Little Brown Jug, Nino Tempo as Nino, and Tommy Sheridan as Dale.

Wee Willie Davis, George Tyne, Poodles Hanneford, Eddie Borden, and Max Wagner also appear.

It is remade for TV in 1973 as The Red Pony by director Robert Totten, starring Henry Fonda, Maureen O’Hara, Ben Johnson and Jack Elam.

Peter Miles, the talented child star of the late 40s and early 50s, is best known for his film role in The Red Pony (1949) and did not enjoy an adult film career.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,488

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