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Thunderhead, Son of Flicka
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Wikipedia article
'Thunderhead, Son of Flicka' is a 1945 Technicolor family film directed by Louis King and starring Roddy McDowall, Preston Foster, and Rita Johnson. It is a sequel to the 1943 film 'My Friend Flicka' (parodied in 2006 as 'Flicka'). The film was adapted to screen by Dwight Cummins and Dorothy Yost from Mary O'Hara's novel, 'Thunderhead' (1943), second in a trilogy with 'My Friend Flicka' (1941) and 'Green Grass of Wyoming' (1946).
Plot
Ken McLaughlin's (Roddy McDowall) mustang mare Flicka gives birth to an all-white colt that, unknown to Ken's dad, Rob (Preston Foster), was actually sired by a neighboring rancher's thoroughbred racehorse, Appalachia, rather than Rob's own stallion, Banner. The colt, nicknamed "Goblin", proves to be difficult, but Ken trains him to race. Ken's mother, Nell (Rita Johnson), officially names the colt Thunderhead after the billowing white clouds she sees overhead. Thunderhead is entered into his first race with Ken as the jockey, but he suffers an injury, ending his racing career.
Meanwhile, the Albino, a wild mustang stallion that has been raiding local ranchers' herds for years, steals Rob's best mares and kills Banner, putting the family near bankruptcy. The Albino is also Thunderhead's grand-sire. Rob, Ken, and the ranch hands search for the mares, but during the night, Thunderhead gets loose and runs off.
Tracking Thunderhead on foot to a secluded valley, Ken discovers the Albino's herd, including his father's horses. The Albino attacks Ken, but Thunderhead fights and kills the Albino, saving Ken's life.
Rob and the others arrive as Thunderhead rounds up the Albino's herd, heading them to the McLaughlin ranch. But once there, Thunderhead is uneasy. Rob tells Ken that Thunderhead is a king now and wants to roam his realm. Ken removes Thunderhead's halter, freeing him.
Cast
*Roddy McDowall as Ken McLaughlin
*Preston Foster as Rob McLaughlin
*Rita Johnson as Nelle McLaughlin
*James Bell as Gus
*Patti Hale as Hildy
*Carleton Young as Maj. Harris
*Ralph Sanford as Charlie Sargent
*Al Bridge as Dr. Hicks
*Robert Filmer as Tim
Filming and production
The film was shot on location at various sites, including the following:
*Oregon: Bridal Veil Falls at Oneonta Gorge and the Multnomah County Fairgrounds near Gresham, Oregon
*California: Brent's Crags, Hidden Valley, and Hollywood Park Racetrack
*Utah: Zion National Park, Kanab, Bryce Canyon National Park, Red Rock Canyon, Navajo Lake, Glendale Gorge, Cedar City, and Cedar Breaks National Monument
*Additional scenes were shot in Duck Creek, Nevada
This was the first "Color by Technicolor" feature film to be photographed entirely on 35mm color film, in this case Technicolor (Monopack) motion picture film. Earlier Technicolor features used black and white negative film photographed behind color filters, or used Monopack only for certain sequences.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038172/trivia Trivia] IMDb. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
Release
The movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 22, 2005.
References
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