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.

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.

Children will probably find something to appreciate in GYPSY COLT, but it's simply an uninspired remake of LASSIE COME HOME using a colt instead of a collie to tell the tale of an animal that can't stay away from its youthful owner. In this case, the owner is DONNA CORCORAN, a cute girl under contract to MGM at the time--but the acting and direction is a constant reminder that this is a B-film masquerading as an A-product.Scenery is spectacular (of the American West), but the tale bears all the earmarks of the "Lassie" story--even down to the animal knowing when it's three o'clock and time to drop in at the school. Townspeople can set their watches at the sight of the colt racing down the street toward the schoolhouse.WARD BOND and FRANCES DEE have very little to work with as the parents who have to sell the horse in order to make ends meet--and praying that it will rain so their crops will survive. The horse is a black beauty, sleek and proud and there are beautiful shots of it racing along highways and desert sands, pursued by cowboys at one time, motorcyclists at another, and finally taken care of briefly by a Mexican boy who finally lets the horse free from confinement after rescuing it in the desert. "Horse go home," he tells it reluctantly.It's a simple little film that probably pleased the kiddies at Saturday matinees--but there's a tired look to the acting by all of the adults. Only the horse and the children seem to understand what this is all about.Trivia note: Interesting to see LEE VAN CLEEF as the mean stable man, years before he joined Clint Eastwood for more villainy.

In the 50's, choices for kids' movies weren't quite what they are today. Gypsy Colt was a real favorite of exhibitors at the time -- entirely clean content and a short running time. It's corny by modern standards but still very charming in its own way. Interesting to see some of the same MGM props that turned up in some of their other films, War of the Worlds is one. If you love horses and a warm, fuzzy, sentimental feeling, Gypsy Colt is a winner. Although, Lee Van Cleef sure plays a real mean guy here.