FAQ

Rob (Preston Foster) and Nell (Rita Johnson) McLaughlin's young son Ken (Roddy McDowall) has shown himself to be irresponsible, undisciplined, and a failure in fifth grade. Against his better judgment but hoping it will give Ken the discipline and confidence he lacks, Rob allows Ken to choose a colt from among the many horses on their ranch. Instead of a well-bred colt, Ken chooses a filly that is the product of a 'loco' mare. Almost immediately, Flicka injures herself by doing something loco...trying to jump over a tall barbed wire fence. Undaunted, Ken cares for the filly all summer, hoping that she won't follow in her mother's hoofprints.

My Friend Flicka is a 1941 novel by American author Mary O'Hara [1885-1980]. It was the first novel in a trilogy of novels, followed by Thunderhead (1943) and Green Grass of Wyoming (1946), both of which were also set to film as Thunderhead: Son of Flicka (1945) (1945) and Green Grass of Wyoming (1948) (1948). My Friend Flicka the novel was adapted for the movie by American screenwriters Francis Edward Faragoh and Lillie Hayward. The novel was also made into a TV series, 'My Friend Flicka (1955)', which ran from 1955-1958.

Loco is Spanish for 'crazy.'

The horse that Ken adopts is a filly (female), so he names her Flicka, which is Swedish for 'girl.'

While Flicka is called a colt and while it does technically mean a male foal, in the horse world people often use the term "colt" in place of foal but to get specific she is a filly, which is a female foal.

During the night, Ken goes out to see the ailing Flicka and finds her lying in the water, exhausted and unable to stand, so he stays with her. The next morning, Gus (James Bell) comes to put Flicka out of her misery, as per Rob's order, but finds Ken sick and lying next to Flicka. He carries Ken back to the house, and the doctor is called. The doctor diagnoses a fever and sends Rob to get a prescription filled. Gus decides to wait before shooting Flicka and places her in a sling so that she can stand. That night, Rob goes out to shoot Flicka but encounters the mountain lion and shoots at it. Ken hears the shot and assumes it was meant for Flicka. Rob sits with Flicka a bit longer, until Nell comes out to check on him. They decide not to tell Ken that Flicka is still alive so as not to upset him again should she die during the night. During the night, the mountain lion returns. Flicka's whinnying wakes up Rob, he shoots the lion, and then thanks Flicka for warning him. The next morning, Ken is feeling better. He and Rob go for a walk, ending up in the cow pasture. Suddenly, Ken hears Flicka whinnying. Overjoyed, Ken runs to Flicka. In the final scene, Rob opines: Flicka has 'taught us a few things...sometimes when things are at their lowest ebb, all we need do is have a little more love, a little more patience, a little more faith.'