Review of The Red Pony

John Steinbeck adapted his own book for the screen, in what turned out to be Republic Pictures' costliest production up to that time. Daydreaming young farm boy in central California receives a pony of his own, but learns that taking care of an animal is a big responsibility even for grown-ups. If one is attuned to this kind of corny family drama (with a story-tellin' grandpa, a man and wife who can't keep their lips off each other, a cozy homestead with blue and white-checkered curtains in the windows, et al.), there are some pleasures to be had here. Robert Mitchum's slow-drawlin' ranch hand is nice to have around, and the cinematography by Tony Gaudio is very good. Still, this slice-of-rustic-life isn't particularly convincing. Shepperd Strudwick as the boy's father, who constantly calls his son "big britches," isn't as lively as the family's livestock, while Myrna Loy (her lipsticked mouth a pinched red rosebud on her milky-white complexion) looks curiously imperious while saying things like "Go finish your chores!" Loy is nothing if not professional, and she usually assimilates herself to any scenario, but why she was attracted to a role where she cooks and dusts all day and then stands at the sink washing dishes is anyone's guess. Lewis Milestone directed, and stages a strong opening with the animals waking up with the dawn--and an owl eyeing an innocent rabbit (perhaps the inspiration for Charles Laughton in his staging of a similar scene in "The Night of the Hunter"). ** from ****