Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Scarlet
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
bkoganbing
It seems almost required to mention that Gypsy Colt is not even a disguised remake of Lassie Come Home so I won't break tradition. Being that this is America with a lot more wide open spaces the horse Gypsy has a bigger journey to travel to get back to his little mistress young Donna Corcoran.Nothing original about this family picture. Donna has a thoroughbred colt and it's the most valuable asset on her dad's farm. Her parents are Ward Bond and Frances Dee. Economic necessity forces them to sell Gypsy to horse racing owner Larry Keating. But you can't separate a child and her horse any more than with a dog. You can take it from there you've seen it all before.Perennial western heavy Lee Van Cleef is the bad guy once again, a cruel trainer who does get his and the audience cheers accordingly.Gypsy Colt is a nice family film, one of the last MGM B film products, probably made as an afterthought at Leo the Lion's studio.
gkeith_1
I give it a ten. Spoilers. Conflicts get resolved. Girl gets horse back. Rain falls. Father gets the reward. Cadillac-guy gives girl's father the reward, plus with a sly eye lets the original family keep Gypsy. Bad trainer gets his jacket removed by the horse, but earlier I was hoping that the horse would attack him and give him what-for. Mexican boy very nice to get water to give to Gypsy. Plus, later, he helps the horse get away. Motorcycle guys a laugh riot. They almost caught the horse, but he got away. Their crash scene was hilarious. I never heard of this film, but it reminded me of Lassie Come Home plus Black Beauty. It was a very pleasant movie. 10/10
mark.waltz
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.
5November
It's true what they've always said... this is the equine version of "Lassie Come Home," right down to the horse punctually collecting the kid at school. As with all animal movies, it seems, something dreadful happens to the family and the animal is put to the test as a result. This time out the lead is a young girl, earnestly played by one of the acting Corcoran family, Donna. Ward Bond is appropriately firm-handed as the father and lovely Frances Dee exudes understanding as the mother. Lee Van Cleef is menacing as the villain of the piece. The gorgeous black stallion, Beaut, that plays Gypsy is the same horse that played the title role in the 1950s TV series "Fury" (please observe a moment of silence for my treasured childhood TV show) and was Elizabeth Taylor's loving steed in "Giant." It's a B effort for sure, but it's nicely done for the young horsey set and others so inclined.