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Thunderhead, Son of Flicka

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Thunderhead, Son of Flicka
DVD cover
Directed byLouis King
Written byMary O'Hara (novel)
Dwight Cummins
Dorothy Yost
Produced byRobert Bassler
StarringRoddy McDowall
Preston Foster
Rita Johnson
CinematographyCharles G. Clarke
Edited byNick DeMaggio
Music byCyril J. Mockridge
Distributed byTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Release date
  • March 15, 1945 (1945-03-15)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$2,250,000[1]

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).

The first feature film to be photographed entirely on 35mm color negative film, in this case Technicolor (Monopack) motion picture film. Earlier color features used black and white negative film photographed behind color filters, or used Monopack only for certain sequences.[2]

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. Ken's mother, Nell (Rita Johnson), names the colt Thunderhead after the billowing white clouds she sees overhead. Ken trains Thunderhead as a race horse, but the colt suffers an injury during his first race, ending his racing career.

Meanwhile, the Albino, a wild mustang stallion that has been raiding local ranchers' herds for years, steals Rob McLaughlin'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

Filming and production

The film was shot on location at various sites, including the following:[3]

Release

The movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray on February 22, 2005.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ Aubrey Solomon (1988). Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 220. ISBN 0810842440.
  2. ^ Trivia IMDb. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  3. ^ "Notes: Thunderhead, Son of Flicka". TCM.com.
  4. ^ "Thunderhead: Son Of Flicka (1945) On DVD". Loving the Classics. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  5. ^ "Thunderhead: Son of Flicka DVD". Blu-ray. Retrieved August 19, 2019.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thunderhead,_Son_of_Flicka&oldid=1003888446"