Yes, I thought I had seen this plot before. But it is minus the excessive sentiment of the first film. Here, little Donna Corcoran (a cute young actress with a very natural presence) is the proud pal of Gypsy, a horse that takes her to school (dropping her off right at the window), picks her up right at 3:00 (often to the amusement of the children as he greets the teacher with a kiss), and makes sure she gets safely home. He's also a bit of a prankster, taking her quilt in the wee hours of the morning, only because he's in the mood to play. They can't function without each other, and when her poor farmer father (Ward Bond) must sell him to racing horse owner Larry Keating, Ms. Corcoran is beside herself. But the rather cruel trainer Lee Van Cleef, who seems more interested in breaking Gypsy's spirit rather than training him, isn't good to Gypsy, who keeps running away. Finally, Gypsy escapes from a racetrack 500 miles away from where Bond and wife Frances Dee live, and must try and make his way back to the grieving little girl.
This is truly an enjoyable film that while a re-tread of the famous "Lassie" film is entirely entertaining, sweet natured and very funny. There are moments when it appears Gypsy may not make it; There is a $1000 reward for his return, briefly attracting a "Wild Ones" group of bikers who chase him into the canyon desert where he collapses in exhaustion and finally the Mexicans who try to get their friend drunk to go down in the price from $80 to $35, not realizing that the little Mexican boy who discovered Gypsy in the first place has no intention of letting them get their hands on him. Then there is Van Cleef, long before his series of Spaghetti Westerns, and playing a character so mean spirited you can't wait until the payoff where Gypsy gets his revenge.
The scene stealer's of this film are Corcoran, Bobby Dominguez as the sweet little Mexican boy and the titled Gypsy as himself, a horse so kind-hearted that you might be tempted to go out and buy a colt yourself. At just over 70 minutes, the film speeds along, and is filmed in beautiful color to show off Gypsy's beautiful coat and the lovely scenery. Corcoran, who stole scenes from Donald O'Connor in "I Love Melvin" and Esther Williams in "Dangerous When Wet", is an adorable, non-precocious child, and certainly not as weepy as some of the child stars who proceeded her.
This is truly an enjoyable film that while a re-tread of the famous "Lassie" film is entirely entertaining, sweet natured and very funny. There are moments when it appears Gypsy may not make it; There is a $1000 reward for his return, briefly attracting a "Wild Ones" group of bikers who chase him into the canyon desert where he collapses in exhaustion and finally the Mexicans who try to get their friend drunk to go down in the price from $80 to $35, not realizing that the little Mexican boy who discovered Gypsy in the first place has no intention of letting them get their hands on him. Then there is Van Cleef, long before his series of Spaghetti Westerns, and playing a character so mean spirited you can't wait until the payoff where Gypsy gets his revenge.
The scene stealer's of this film are Corcoran, Bobby Dominguez as the sweet little Mexican boy and the titled Gypsy as himself, a horse so kind-hearted that you might be tempted to go out and buy a colt yourself. At just over 70 minutes, the film speeds along, and is filmed in beautiful color to show off Gypsy's beautiful coat and the lovely scenery. Corcoran, who stole scenes from Donald O'Connor in "I Love Melvin" and Esther Williams in "Dangerous When Wet", is an adorable, non-precocious child, and certainly not as weepy as some of the child stars who proceeded her.