Black Horse Canyon

Excellent western in Technicolor! It's about a wild black stallion that Mari Blanchard wants for stock rearing purposes. Joel McCrea and Race Gentry as her neighbors set about to help her capture the horse. Another neighbor, Murvyn Vye,also wants the horse for his own purposes. As things proceed, both McCrea & Gentry fall in love with Blanchard. There are no shootouts only some fighting. The scenery is incredible. I've always liked McCrea--especially in the westerns that he did. He was an excellent horseman in real life. Another interesting aspect of this film was the close relationship between McCre and Gentry. McCrea had raised Gentry after the death of his parents &they have a very close and neat relationship.

Although not one of his better known films I'm sure that Black Horse Canyon must have been a film near and dear to Joel McCrea's heart. In real life McCrea had eschewed Hollywood even though he was one of the few film stars actually born there. McCrea lived on a working ranch and in his spare time was a working cowboy. Nothing phony about this man in his westerns. I've no doubt he broke horses there as long as age permitted.

McCrea and his young partner Race Gentry are after a wild black stallion who keeps driving off their stock to increase his herd. Among horses he's Rob Lowe in his Brat Pack days and the mares just line up for him. But Mari Blanchard of the neighboring ranch wants him too and she's got more of a right. She owned him and everyone knows it way back when the horse was a colt and went wild.

Still another party is Murvyn Vye who owns another ranch and he either wants to tame him or kill him. He's a mean guy as only Murvyn Vye can be mean.

Besides capturing the stallion there's a rivalry of sorts for Blanchard between McCrea and his young partner. Of course it all works out in the end.

Nice color outdoor cinematography and a real western feel characterize Black Horse Canyon. Joel McCrea's will appreciate it as no doubt McCrea did back in the day.

Joel McCrea is one of those no-truck-with-women guys, raising Race Gentry out in the west. When Mari Blanchard needs help catching and breaking a mustang that's gotten free, the two of them help her out. Gentry yearns for her, but Miss Blanchard sets her cap at McCrea. He seems mostly amused, but there seems to be more to it.

It's a handsomely shot Universal "Shaky A" with scenes of the horse lifted from 1949's RED CANYON. McCrea offers his lines in his usual straightforward manner, Gentry struggles to make the transition from boy to man, and Miss Blanchard, who was the inspiration for Al Capp's Stupifyin' Jones, oozes sex appea.

Black Horse Canyon is directed by Jesse Hibbs and adapted to screenplay by Geoffrey Homes and David Lang from the novel The Wild Horse written by Les Savage Junior. It stars Joel McCrea, Mari Blanchard, Race Gentry and Murvyn Vye. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by George Robinson.

Although the print of the film I saw was sadly old and scratchy, this is a lovely photographed Western out of Bloomquist Ranch, Douglas, Arizona. A place, it seems, that bizarrely wasn't used in any other Oaters. This along with the magnificent horse at the centre of the plot, makes this a comfortable recommendation for the B Western fan. Story is pretty mundane stuff, a group of people with different motives attempt to capture the wild black stallion for stud purposes. This ensures that we are exclusively out in the open landscapes and privy to much chasing, lassoing, bucking and snorting. There's a bubbling under the surface love triangle, which we know how it's going to end up, and a good fist-fight crowns the proceedings. Gentry and Blanchard are weak, while Vye's villain is barely realised, but McCrea turns in yet another solid and knowing performance. All the cast, you sense, understand that Outlaw the horse is the star of the show. And rightly so. 6.5/10

I love this movie! I have seen many western movies and the only question is how to get a DVD of this movie!!!

The scenery, the theme and lack of violence is actually quite amazing. This is an ideal movie for those who love westerns and horses. And yes, this horse is a great actor and also a wonderful animal. Joel McCrea and everyone in the movie did well. A straight forward and lovely movie. The real ranch setting adds much to the movie. The taming techniques used to "break" this horse are legit and although the well trained horse is not really wild the whole story set well with me. The canyon terrain and water hole attractions and all make this quite authentic to the way a real wild horse would behave and Mari Blanchard and The young man Ti in the movie role do well. Outlaw the movie name of this black horse is simply movie magic. Any horse rancher should want their own copy.