My Friend Flicka (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids My Friend Flicka |
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| Directed by | Harold D. Schuster |
| Produced by | Ralph Dietrich |
| Written by | Francis Edward Faragoh (adaptation) Lillie Hayward |
| Starring | Roddy McDowall Preston Foster Rita Johnson |
| Music by | Alfred Newman |
| Cinematography | Dewey Wrigley |
| Editing by | Robert Fritch |
| Studio | Twentieth Century-Fox |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century-Fox |
| Release date(s) | May 26, 1943 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $1.6 million (US rentals) or $2.4 million |
My Friend Flicka is a 1943 coming-of-age Technicolor film about a young boy, played by Roddy McDowall, who is given a young horse to raise. It is based on Mary O'Hara's popular 1941 children's novel. Thunderhead, Son of Flicka, released on March 15, 1945, was the sequel to My Friend Flicka.
Plot
Wyoming ranchers Rob (Preston Foster) and Nell McLaughlin (Rita Johnson) somewhat reluctantly decide to give their 10-year-old son, Ken (Roddy McDowall), a chance to raise a horse and learn about responsibility. He chooses a one-year-old mustang filly and names her Flicka, which ranch hand Gus (James Bell) informs him is a Swedish word for "girl."
Rising debts and a "loco" strain have created problems for the McLaughlins. They accept a $500 offer from a neighboring rancher for the young filly's mother, Rocket, who had been clocked running at 35 mph (56 km/h), but the mare is accidentally killed while being transported.
The situation gets worse when Flicka is badly cut by barbed wire and the wound becomes infected. Ken cares for her best he can, but the infection leads father Rob to conclude that the horse must be put down. A gunshot by his father makes Ken fear the worst, but it turns out he was warding off a mountain lion after being warned by Flicka. The filly's life is spared, and young Ken nurtures her back to health.
Cast
- Roddy McDowall as Ken McLaughlin
- Preston Foster as Rob McLaughlin
- Rita Johnson as Nell McLaughlin
- James Bell as Gus
- Diana Hale as Hildy
- Jeff Corey as Tim Murphy
- Arthur Loft as Charley Sargent (uncredited)
Radio adaptation
A radio adaptation of My Friend Flicka was presented on Lux Radio Theatre June 7, 1943, starring McDowall and Johnson.
