Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Just perfect...

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

John Steinbeck adapted his own book for the screen, in what turned out to be Republic Pictures' costliest production up to that time. Daydreaming young farm boy in central California receives a pony of his own, but learns that taking care of an animal is a big responsibility even for grown-ups. If one is attuned to this kind of corny family drama (with a story-tellin' grandpa, a man and wife who can't keep their lips off each other, a cozy homestead with blue and white-checkered curtains in the windows, et al.), there are some pleasures to be had here. Robert Mitchum's slow-drawlin' ranch hand is nice to have around, and the cinematography by Tony Gaudio is very good. Still, this slice-of-rustic-life isn't particularly convincing. Shepperd Strudwick as the boy's father, who constantly calls his son "big britches," isn't as lively as the family's livestock, while Myrna Loy (her lipsticked mouth a pinched red rosebud on her milky-white complexion) looks curiously imperious while saying things like "Go finish your chores!" Loy is nothing if not professional, and she usually assimilates herself to any scenario, but why she was attracted to a role where she cooks and dusts all day and then stands at the sink washing dishes is anyone's guess. Lewis Milestone directed, and stages a strong opening with the animals waking up with the dawn--and an owl eyeing an innocent rabbit (perhaps the inspiration for Charles Laughton in his staging of a similar scene in "The Night of the Hunter"). ** from ****

Long before the invention of contraptions, the children of the world learned about that world through the God-given gift of nature. Whether it be exploring the woods, climbing mountains or observing wildlife, the young were most times fascinated, and here, that fascination for a beautiful pony turns into devotion. The little boy is a forgotten child actor named Peter Miles, and he is the focus of the story where adults Myrna Loy, Robert Mitchum and Louis Calhern are top-billed. Loy is his loving but stern mother who sympathizes with him, Shepperd Strudwick his emotionally distant father, and even more to young Miles, loving grandpa Louis Calhern and ranch hand Robert Mitchum, who is pretty much a mentor to him. This doesn't follow the usual pattern of similar movies, and is actually pretty adult in nature with themes such as death and anger to study.Among the several disturbing sequences which may not be right for young, sensitive minds is a thunderstorm scene where Miles stands at a schoolhouse window and another where he is attacked by a vulture. The school teacher happens to be played by none other than that wicked old witch, Margaret Hamilton. Beautifully filmed in color with a few fantasy moments, this truly is an adult movie where the adults are forced to remember what it was like being a child.

The most truly American of classical composers, Aaron Copland's stirring music score is what still resonates most in this almost forgotten 1949 film, even though it boasts an impressive pedigree - a screenplay by John Steinbeck based on his own collection of short stories, direction from film veteran Lewis Milestone ("All Quiet on the Western Front", Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"), and A-list stars in Robert Mitchum and Myrna Loy. It was the most expensive picture ever made at Republic Studios, a poverty-row operation that was kept afloat thanks to a successful string of John Wayne westerns. On the surface, the movie seems like kid-friendly fare, but it also presents some interesting psychological subtext on the family unit and a surprisingly graphic scene that triggers the story's climax.The story focuses on a young boy named Tom Tiflin, who lives with his parents on a ranch in the Salinas Valley. His no-nonsense mother Alice was raised in the area, but his emotionally indifferent father Fred comes from San Jose and has never felt at home despite spending years on the ranch. On a long-term visit to the ranch, Alice's father is an old coot who repeats the same stories about the old West much to the consternation of Fred. Moreover, Fred's constantly conflicted state has pushed Tom closer to devoted ranch hand Billy Buck. Family tensions give way to a red pony, Fred's present to Tom. Naturally, the boy focuses his full attention on the pony, even cutting class to take care of it after it ambled outside during a heavy rainstorm. The rest of the story plays the way one would expect from a parable about personal obligations and coping with tragedy. Milestone lends a painterly quality to the proceedings, but he doesn't delve deeply into the characters' motivations. This was probably an intentional decision since the picture seems designed to be more of a Disney-type live-action film. The superficial treatment, however, leaves some aspects of the story oddly unexplained.The resulting lapse leaves the actors to fill in the blanks. Even in a sketchily written role like Billy, Mitchum exudes his famously coiled presence in the face of a character that seems too good to be true. Stripped of her sophisticated charms, a ghostly-looking Loy lends a stoic dignity to Alice that gives just a small glimpse into the marital struggles her character is obviously facing. A year away from playing his archetypal role of Oliver Wendell Holmes in "The Magnificent Yankee", Louis Calhern brings bluster and unexpected poignancy to the grandfather. As Fred, Steinbeck look-alike Shepperd Strudwick does the best he can in a relatively thankless role. Nine-year-old Peter Miles is generally affecting as Tom, though he can't seem to get past the boy's obsession into something more moving. That is indeed the Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Hamilton, playing a minor role as Tom's perturbed schoolteacher. As noted with Loy's appearance, the color seems sadly faded in the print housed in the 2003 DVD, and unfortunately there are no extras offered - a true shame considering the talent involved.

This was written by John Steinbeck who also wrote The Grapes Of Wrath and Tortilla Flat. It's about a young boy living on a farm with his parents, grandfather and a hired hand. He isn't too close to his father but gets along better with the hired hand, played by Robert Mitchum. Myrna Loy is the mother and the father is p***ed off at grandfather for always talking about his life. The dad gives the boy a pony for him to keep and the boy is more interested in the pony than school or anything else. One day, the pony gets out of the barn when it's raining and it gets really sick and they are not able to save it. This is a great film and it's unusual to see Robert Mitchum in this kind of role.