Sam Brown appears at the ranch and sees Joey is having some trouble with Fury. After the horse throws him, he comes to Joey's rescue and examines Fury, finding a splinter stuck in his back. After removing it, Joey is amazed; Fury isn't used to letting strangers touch him! Joey takes Sam into the house for lunch, and he eats heartily. Jim comes in while Pete, the old cook is grumbling about having to feed hobos, and he's even more upset when Jim hires him on the spot to help wrangle a herd. Sam is given some cowboy clothes (he had come wearing dress slacks and a denim jacket and carrying a suitcase) and goes out with Jim to help with the herd; he meets two other wranglers, one of whom is having problems with a lame horse. He pulls the man off the horse and then takes a hoof pick out of his pocket and takes a stone out of the horse's hoof. Jim is amazed; the only other person he has ever seen able to calm an agonized horse is a vet. Later, when he's in town at the sheriff's office, Jim sees a list of wanted criminals and sees Sam on the list. When he returns home he asks Sam about it, and he says he was trying to save a man's life, but he died while under his care. Jim says that maybe a jury wouldn't think that a crime, and just then, he and Sam are called out to the barn to tend Fury. Even though Joey begs him to look at his horse, Sam says he can't, but as he's leaving, he has an attack of conscience and goes back, treating Fury for pneumonia. When Jim's regular vet gets there, he recognizes that Sam has done a terrific job, and says he hopes he can stay around. Sam goes off with the sheriff to stand trial, and is acquitted. He comes back to see Joey, Jim, Pete and Fury and tells them he had been appointed head of Animal Husbandry by the state.
Reviews
16 Reviews
Primo Baby
(1990)
One to watch, that's for sure.
2 March 2008
I got a VCR tape of this movie yesterday and think it is excellent. It must be set in Canada, because I don't think you can just pick up companions for your crippled children in the US, even if you are rich. It's a good story about never giving up your dreams, although I wish there had been more mentioned about Pasqual's family, such as it was. In explaining her unusual name, she says her Grandmother named her that because she was born around Easter, like that's an explanation. I assume she was living with her Grandmother, because her father is in and out of jail. I'm not sure what's going on with her mother. It's definitely worthwhile to rent for a weekend! I was also pleased to see that Duncan Regehr played the rich father -- I only know him from THE NEW ADVENTURES OF ZORRO, a weekly show that was on The Family Channel in the early 1990's.
Quite a return
13 April 2007
This episode follows Kidnapped, and is about how Alec gets the spirit back in his horse after he has been transported in a ship and kept in quarantine by French officials for so long. When Alec first sees him, he says to Henry, "What did they do to him?" because the Black is truly only a shadow of the spirited animal he had been before. Of course Henry says he has seen something like this before, then says that maybe the Black's spirit is broken. Alec refuses to believe this, and takes the Black into the mountains, where his spirit can be restored. He says "it'll be just like it was on the island," where they were together first, and they spend days training, even trying to run up an especially steep path. (Thirty-some years ago, I had a grade horse gelding who used to run up a steep hill like that, too)The first time they try the Black balks and falls, but the second time, he runs up the hill, and Alec knows he is has returned to him competitive form. When they return to the track, the Black beats a famous French racehorse named Eclaire by 3 lengths.
A rodeo is like this?
11 April 2007
I thought that this episode showed a different aspect of Alec, actually able to empathize with a person who isn't always on the top of his profession, like he is with the Black. Johnny King is an interesting personality; an injured bronc rider who's lacking the faith in himself required to make a comeback. Alec inspires him to believe in himself, and by the end of the episode, you truly believe Johnny's back. I thought the actors and actresses who played the other people on the rodeo circuit were good, but of course, it didn't hurt that that Johnny King was played by Roark Critchlow, who I know from playing on an American daytime drama, DAYS OF OUR LIVES.
Decisions, decisions...
14 February 2007
In France, Alec is riding along a country road when he sees a guy riding a horse along the same road. After introductions (the guy's named Etienne, his horse Gomo), they decide to race. There's a fork in the the road, and another guy runs his horse into Gomo, and he's seriously injured. A vet is called, and Gomo is put down. Henry and Catherine are waiting by the trailer for Alec to return, and when he does, they can see he's upset. He tells them why. Hours later, Catherine and Alec are touring a school's stables, and Etienne is there. He tells Catherine about what happened, and that everybody at the school knows about Alec because Pierre told them(he's the school's most famous graduate.) Alec is seriously thinking about attending this school because he doesn't want the Black hurt in a race, but Henry is against it. It seems like Alec will be retiring the Black permanently until he jumps out of a fenced pasture onto a racetrack and wins. Alec says "Well, I guess the Black let me know what he wants." So, it's back to racing again...
Confusing way for the show to start
14 February 2007
Alec, Henry and the Black are out in a field at Hopeful Farms when Henry suddenly grasps his chest frantically and collapses. Alec jumps off the Black and runs to his mentor's aid, at the same time yelling for help. Pierre and his students all run to his side, and an ambulance is called. Alec rides along in the ambulance to the hospital, where Henry is admitted into the ICU. Belle and Catherine are already there, and after many tests, the doctor determines that Henry had an angina attack, not a heart attack. Angina can be controlled with medicine, so Alec thinks they'll go back to racing when Henry gets out of the hospital, but Henry tells him there will be no more races for the Black. He says he can't do it anymore, so Belle asks Pierre to do the training. He agrees, and Henry sees them training, and says they're doing it all wrong. Pierre says "There can only be one trainer," Henry agrees, and he's back to training again.
My favorite episode!
17 December 2006
Christmas TIME is my favorite episode of the Happy Days series, even though I only saw it for the first time a couple of years ago. I especially liked Eddie Fontaine as Fonzie's father, though he was only on for like 10 minutes at the beginning of the show. Fonzie later wishes that they had talked. I had never seen Fonzie get emotional before, though of course he did in that episode in which Richie almost dies after being in a motorcycle accident. I just wonder if Mr. Fontaine was picked for the role in Christmas TIME because he resembled Henry Winkler so much. I must have 6 tapes with that episode on it, but I still watch it on TV LAND every year.
Bonanza: The Return
(1993 TV Movie)
Liked it a lot
20 November 2006
I thought the movie was very good, and actually bugged NBC about airing it again for a long time. I had it on 2 tapes, but can't find either of them now; maybe I watched them so much that the tapes became unwatchable. The story was a little odd; I think the Ponderosa was bought by someone who wanted it for the timberlands, so this old foreman and Little Joe's son (Michael Landon Jr.) found some documents left by old Ben that would invalidate the sale. I especially liked the guy who played Adam's son, A.J., and was shocked that Dirk Blocker didn't play Hoss' son. He played a reporter who was sent out to do a story on the Ponderosa.
The New Adventures of the Black Stallion
(1990–1993)
Good show
11 November 2006
Overall, I thought it was a good show, though I must admit that I only saw the first two seasons. I didn't read all of the Walter Farley books, so I don't know if the stories went along with the books. There was a comment about how they didn't that I saw here... give me a break! I don't think it would have been as good a show if it had been set in the 1940s, like the books. The books I read (The Black Stallion, Return of the Black Stallion, and The Black Stallion's Blood Bay Colt are a few of the titles I can remember) were all set in the past. Were the shows that were filmed in New Zealand or took place there (the 3rd season) on the Family Channel? Why did they suddenly go from France to New Zealand? Did Nicole accompany Alec, Henry and the Black? For that matter, can anyone explain why Catherine and Pierre left? I think there was some mention of Catherine's father living closeby in the episode called "The Neuchatel Stallion." Are the 3rd season episodes available on DVD?
who would ride a race horse in a promotional event?
8 May 2006
Against Henry's wishes, Alec rides the Black through the wilds of the Northwest in a re-creation of the last pony express ride. It's actually ly a promotional stunt for a message service called Jericho Express. An Indian boy and his mother protest the ride from the start, because Alec is not an Indian and the Black is hardly an Indian pony, but the guy who runs Jericho Express refuses to change his plans. The Indian boy, named Hank, tries to sabotage the ride, since it was an Indian who was the last pony express rider, his great-great uncle, Jericho Coyote. They get lost, but come to an understanding, and Alec lets Hank carry the book chronicling his great great uncle's adventures over the finish line, making him the last pony express rider.
didn't make sense-why would an asthamatic be spending his summers on a farm?
21 April 2006
Alec, Henry, Pierre, Catherine and the Black journey to the farm of one of Henry's old girlfriends Martha, where they encounter Dennis, Martha's asthmatic grandson. (Pierre and Catherine are preparing for a jumping competition, and I guess they came along as a sort of vacation) Dennis has no interest in the Black, so when Alec tries to interact with him, he doesn't respond well. He enjoys playing tricks on people, and one of his ill-advised tricks lands both he and Alec in a silo that is slowly filling with corn. Dennis can't breathe, and his inhaler is lost, so Pierre comes to the rescue, climbing up on the outside of the silo to rescue him. When the fresh air doesn't seem to help, Alec and the Black go off for help. When Dennis recovers, he's faced with chores his grandmother has assigned as punishment.
a valuable lesson learned
23 March 2006
Alec and the Black are riding around in a forest when they stumble upon a movie set in production. Alec is impressed with the fact that a movie is being made and the stars who are in the picture, and quickly agrees when they want to use the Black; he is even more impressed when they ask him to be a stand-in for the star, since no one else can ride the Black. Henry is against the whole project until he finds out that an actress he had a crush on as a young man is in the picture. He and the actress come to the agreement that there are shady characters in both the racing and the movie-making industry. In the end, the picture is never made with the Black, since Alec pulls out when he discovers that they would be putting the Black in some dangerous situations.
It was good to see Abe Vigoda again
25 February 2006
In this episode, an old pal of Henry's comes up with a deal for a race with the Black and another well known race horse to see who's the champion. It's really an attempt to trick Henry because he can't read very well. He ends up signing this agreement without knowing what's in it, and when Belle reads the agreement, she finds out it's a match race, in which the winner has the opportunity to buy the loser. When Alec finds out he hits the roof, because if he loses, he could lose the Black. Of course the Black wins, and Hopeful Farm collects a big purse. Abe Vigoda is the man who gets the old friend of Henry's to trick him. I remember him from Barney Miller, and it was nice to see him again.
one of the early shows with Marianne Filali
29 January 2006
This show was one of the early ones with Marianne Filali as Nicole, and she found some diamonds that robbers had hidden in the Black's trailer. They were being chased by cops, and saw the trailer standing there by the side of the road... Alec and the Black had decided to take a swim in a lake while on their way to the estate of an old friend of Henry's. Henry's friend -- I think her name was Francois -- collected antique carriages and stored them in her barn, so when Alec discovers Nicole has come along in the horse trailer, she denies knowledge of any diamonds, and says that maybe the robbers are there to steal the carriages. They were planning to take a few days off between races to rest, but when the robbers came to the estate to find the diamonds, it turned out to be anything but restful!
not bad, but the best part was that...
2 December 2005
I saw this movie on THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF Disney, and was immediately enchanted by it. In fact, I wrote to Disney repeatedly about how I could acquire it for my own collection, and got it at a Disney store, I think. I thought the actors were all good, but I especially liked Stuart Wilson, who played Robin Hood. He reminds me of Errol Flynn, who I thought played that part best in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, made by MGM in 1938. The actors who played Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham were quite good, and I thought Kiera Knightley and the guy who played Prince Philip were excellent. I'm glad the movie was made, because I always wondered what happened to Robin and Marian after King Richard's return. If I would be asked who should see it, I'd say anyone 12 or older, as it includes references that are sexual.
Aloha Means Goodbye
(1974 TV Movie)
Very Good--just like the book
27 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
ALOHA MEANS GOODBYE was an entry in ABC's Movies of the Week, which were run, as I remember it, from 7:30-10:00 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the early 1970s.
I had just gotten the book as a paperback from the elementary school program in which you ordered books every month, and was delighted when I saw it was being made into a TV movie.
I was also delighted that it had one of my favorite stars in it: Henry Darrow. I had enjoyed him so much in the TV series HIGH CHAPPERAL.
I had read the book at least 4 times before I saw the movie -- I'm still an avid reader -- and was pleased to find that the movie was just like the book. I had been afraid that the people who adapted the book for the screen would speed up the action -- that Sally Struthers' character would find out she was there to be killed -- but the movie's pace remained true to the book.
I had just gotten the book as a paperback from the elementary school program in which you ordered books every month, and was delighted when I saw it was being made into a TV movie.
I was also delighted that it had one of my favorite stars in it: Henry Darrow. I had enjoyed him so much in the TV series HIGH CHAPPERAL.
I had read the book at least 4 times before I saw the movie -- I'm still an avid reader -- and was pleased to find that the movie was just like the book. I had been afraid that the people who adapted the book for the screen would speed up the action -- that Sally Struthers' character would find out she was there to be killed -- but the movie's pace remained true to the book.
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