Out west (Arizona?) in the early 1900s, a flatbed railroad car is loaded with Native Americans traveling from somewhere to somewhere else. A young boy, sleeping in the night, rolls over and falls off the flatbed. He wanders until he is taken in by a friendly rancher. He helps around the ranch and one day saves the rancher’s life from a skittish stallion. The rancher thanks him and says he will give him anything he wants. The boy says he wants the stallion. The stallion is the rancher’s primary cash income as a sire. The boy names the horse Red Fury. This little deal sets into motion a gentle morality play that involves almost everyone in the nearby town.
Morality Play – A kind of drama with personified abstract qualities as the main characters and presenting a lesson about good conduct and character, popular in the 15th and early 16th centuries.
Two interesting cameo players in this 1984 production were Diane McBain and Alan Hale Junior. McBain had played an adventurous socialite in the 1960–1962 TV series Surfside 6 and a leading lady to Elvis Presley in the film Spinout. Hale of course played “The Skipper” on Gilligan’s Island (1964-1967).
Spinout – imdb.com/title/tt0061015/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Gilligan’s Island – imdb.com/title/tt0057751/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
The Red Fury involved racial hatred, and despite that simply doing what’s right. The Native American, called Frankie is being told about racism. He nods his head and says Hopis are worse the Kiowas. His teacher explains about people just being people. The Red Fury could be used to school many of us.
