My Friend Flicka (1943)

Director:

Harold D. Schuster

Writers:

Francis Edward Faragoh (adaptation)
Lillie Hayward (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

6 January 1944 (Australia)

Genre:

Family | Western

Tagline:

A story from the heart of America...to thrill America's heart!

Plot:

Ken McLaughlin struggles to please his family in any way. He comes back from boarding school boasting...

Plot Keywords:

Colt | Horse Ranch | Barbed Wire | Ranch | Horse

Cast

Roddy McDowall	...	Ken McLaughlin
Preston Foster	...	Rob McLaughlin
Rita Johnson	...	Nell McLaughlin
James Bell	...	Gus
Patti Hale	...	Hildy (as Diana Hale)
Jeff Corey	...	Tim Murphy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jimmy Aubrey	...	(uncredited)
Arthur Loft	...	Charley Sargent (uncredited)

Directed by
Harold D. Schuster		(as Harold Schuster)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Francis Edward Faragoh		adaptation (as Francis Edwards Faragoh)
Lillie Hayward		screenplay
Mary O'Hara		novel

Produced by
Ralph Dietrich	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Hugo Friedhofer		(uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Dewey Wrigley

Film Editing by
Robert Fritch

Art Direction by
Richard Day
Chester Gore

Set Decoration by
Paul S. Fox
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Herschel McCoy		(as Herschel)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jasper Blystone	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Robert E. Goux	....	construction foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Joseph E. Aiken	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Stunts
Monty Roberts	....	stunt double
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Powolny	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Lyman Hallowell	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
David Raksin	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Henri Jaffa	....	associate technicolor director
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor director
Jack Lindell	....	equine supervisor
Lester Hilton	....	assistant equine supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1943) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Fox Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Australia:G | West Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Remount Ranch - 198 County Road, Buford, Wyoming, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie on June 7, 1943 with Roddy McDowall and Rita Johnson reprising their film roles.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Touching Movie of Long Ago, Yet Still Timely in What it Teaches

This is a very dated movie with obvious sets. It is about a young, impressionable boy who does not seem to fit into the Wyoming ranch life his father loves. As a result, his father puts him in charge of a horse. The movie is replete with with its Hollywood make-up, perfect ranch clothing, sets, and backdrops that are just terribly apparent. The young boy speaks with such perfection of speech, such respect, and such politeness, it is just foreign to the backdrop of a Wyoming rancher. But---but,the story is timeless. What both the father and son learn---from Flicka--endures to this day. I saw it for the first time on television this afternoon. I was extremely touched and at the point of tears. It is, indeed, a classic, for children as well as for adults, and simply an endearing movie to enjoy. I recommend it. Great acting by the horse, too.