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Ride a Wild Pony
Ride a Wild Pony
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Don Chaffey
Written by	Rosemary Anne Sisson
Based on	A Sporting Proposition ; by James Aldridge
Produced by	Jerome Courtland
Starring	Robert Bettles; Eva Griffith; Michael Craig
Cinematography	Jack Cardiff
Edited by	Mike Campbell
Music by	John Addison
Production; company	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution (US); British Empire Films (Australia)
Release date	December 25, 1975;
Running time	91 minutes
Countries	United States; Australia
Language	English
Budget	AU$1 million

Ride a Wild Pony is a 1975 American-Australian family adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Don Chaffey and based on the novel A Sporting Proposition (1973) by James Aldridge.^[4]^[5]

Plot

Set in a small Australian town during the interwar period, the film follows the battle between two children, Scott, a poor farm boy, and Josie, the handicapped daughter of a wealthy ranch owner, for ownership of a horse that both children love.^[6] Scott requires a horse to ride seven miles to school and his father buys an unbroken pony, which Scott names Taff. Josie yearns to ride again but, having been afflicted with polio two years before, must settle for using a cart and pony. Scott's pony disappears, while a pony is eventually selected for Josie from her father's herd. When Scott sees the horse, which Josie named Bo, performing in the pony and cart competition at the township fair, he recognizes it as his horse and attempts to take it away.^[7] The ensuing quarrel affects both the children as well as dividing the town.^[8] The children eventually become friends and, while the ownership issue is legally resolved, they agree on a way of sharing the pony between them.^[6]

Cast

Robert Bettles as Scott Pirie
Eva Griffith as Josie Ellison
Michael Craig as James Ellison
John Meillon as Charles Quayle
Andrew McFarlane as Doone Boyd
Alfred Bell as Angus Pirie
Roy Haddrick as J.C. Strapp
Peter Gwynne as Sgt. Collins
Melissa Jaffer as Mrs. Pirie
Lorraine Bayly as Mrs. Ellison
Wendy Playfair as Mrs. Quayle
Kate Clarkson as Jeannie Quayle
Jessica Noad as Miss Elsie
Neva Carr Glyn as Miss Gwen
Julieanne Newbould as Cathy Castle
Gerry Duggan as Train Engineer
Elizabeth Alexander as Miss Hildebrand (teacher)
Aileen Britton as Susannah
Wynn Roberts as McGinnis
Kevin Manser
John Fegan
Martin Vaughan

Production

Although based on an Australian story, the film was originally intended to be rewritten to fit an American setting, but the producer, Jerome Courtland, determined that an Australian background would not detract from the film's potential for success in the US. As a result, the film was not only set in Australia, but employed a largely Australian-based cast.^[9]

Shooting began in October 1974 and mostly took place in the small town of Chiltern, Victoria.^[10] There was also some filming in the small country town of Bingara, New South Wales, where some of the cast and crew, including John Meillon, stayed at the Imperial Hotel for around 3 months.^[3] Several different Welsh mountain ponies were used in the film's production.^[11]

Reception

The film opened on Christmas Day, 1975^[2] at the Fine Arts theatre in Los Angeles and grossed $9,000 in its first week.^[12]

In 1976, The New York Times criticized the film as a "fundamentally uneventful and somewhat padded story",^[8] but a review for the film's video release in 1987 wrote that the film "was well acted, by adults, youngsters and pony...a film that children – and their parents – should certainly enjoy".^[13] Also in 1976, The Blade wrote that the film "combines an intelligent script, a generally excellent cast, and good production values in a film with broad appeal".^[6] The Daily Collegian also praised the film, saying that it contained "a refreshing amount of realism, and an emotional subtelty that is unusual for a Disney film".^[14]

The film was released on VHS in April 1987.^[15]

References

^ https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/55622
^ ^a ^b Ride a Wild Pony at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
^ ^a ^b Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, p 296
^ "Ride a Wild Pony (1976)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-02-04.
^ "Tale of a pony transforms a town". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 5 February 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c Dresser, Norman (16 April 1976). "'Ride a Wild Pony' Is Appealing to All". Toldedo Blade. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ Waxse, Bennett F. (April 21, 1976). "Justice Triumphs in 'Wild Pony'". The Milwaukee Journal. p. 72. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ ^a ^b "Screen: Newest Disney:'Ride a Wild Pony' at the Neighborhoods". The New York Times. July 17, 1976. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
^ "Insight with a boy and his pony". The Sydney Morning Herald. December 22, 1976. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ Bone, Pamela (May 15, 1986). "Chiltern lives again – just for television". The Age. p. 37. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ Bennett, Colin (January 5, 1976). "No prizes if you can guess whodunnit". The Age. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". Variety. January 14, 1976. p. 9.
^ Rothstein, Mervyn (April 12, 1987). "Home Video: Children – Ride a Wild Pony". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ Charles, Larry (April 30, 1976). "Kids' film won't bore older folks". The Daily Collegian. p. 6. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
^ Mervyn Rothstein (April 12, 1987). "Home Video: Children". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015.