Pony Express Rider (1976)

the audience applauded

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

My son got a copy of this along with seven other movies on a DVD set. I can honestly say that this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I could not make out much of a plot. Nothing made sense. My kids thought it was horrible as well. I noticed that there were three writers listed for it. My hunch is that they were all writing different stories.Aside from the lack of plot, there were a lot of horses running. If you like to watch horses running and don't mind if there isn't much purpose to it, then this is the movie for you.Some of the acting was okay, but much of it was over-acted. Probably trying to compensate for the overall poor plot and lack of good dialogue. Characters were two dimensional and flat. One oddity is that the "killer" is actually chasing the protagonist through most of the film. Their final meeting at the end isn't too rewarding.I was really looking forward to the end credits---knowing that the movie would be over. However, the music that played during the end credits was horrible.For those who like Maureen McCormick (better known as Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch), she isn't on screen that much. In reading some of her history, she developed a serious drug problem in her twenties which ruined the prime of her career. However, she did not ruin this movie as it appeared to be a group effort.

In 1861 East Texas, young farmer Stewart Petersen (as Jimmie D. Richardson) wants to marry maturing "Brady Bunch" daughter Maureen McCormick (as Rose of Sharon). Her big brother Buck Taylor (as Bovey Kingman) does not approve. The prospective couple also has trouble obtaining permission from Ms. McCormick father, wealthy rancher and politician Henry Wilcoxon (as Trevor Kingman). He has a rivalry with Mr. Petersen's poorer goat-herder father Ken Curtis (as Jed Richardson). A fatal gunshot triggers Petersen becoming a "Pony Express Rider" in search of justice...This is mainly Petersen versus Mr. Taylor, with a series of "guest stars" acting expectedly. Dub Taylor (as Boomer Riley) was my pick for best. Petersen might have done well with a Disney contract. Director Robert Totten and the gang would have had more mileage if this were a CBS-TV Monday night movie special - grabbing some of the recently departed "Gunsmoke" audience, who were moving in droves to "Little House on the Prairie". Of course, they may have tried that… **** Pony Express Rider (11/76) Robert Totten ~ Stewart Petersen, Buck Taylor, Henry Wilcoxon, Maureen McCormick

I was 14 years old when I had the opportunity to watch part of this film being made in Kerrville, Texas. My cousins and I spent several weeks during the summer of 1976 at my grandfather's house that was used as the Nevada governor's mansion. All of the actors were great to be around. The only person who was not friendly was Maureen McCormick, but she had just finished the Brady Bunch and was the "star". At the party after the premiere I had a chance to talk with Ken Curtis about his acting career - he told me of the blessing and the cure of being "Festus". I ran into Buck Taylor about six years after the movie and not only did he remember me but for several years thereafter we hang out when he was in town.Most of the rest of the film was shot in and around the Texas Hill Country. The Kingman XXX Ranch was shot at the YO Ranch in Mountain Home, Texas. The YO is still in operation as a ranch and is also an exotic game ranch.The film has the feel of an episode of `Gunsmoke' because the director Bob Totten directed many shows of that series.So, yes the acting is bad, the photography is dark but for me this film is a classic as it takes me back to that time in 1976 when all was still good in my world.

God did I hate this. How did I see it? You might ask? Happens that a school field trip was made to the movie theater which only has one screen, and the movie showing was rated R, so the principal put this on as a "history lesson". Now that's just plain weird considering IT HISTORICALLY INACCURATE, such as no California before Civil War, and other problems. Too violent to be rated a kids flick, even though that's what it's intended to be, but if you want your kids going around saying swear words, BE MY GUEST! And... Bad acting GALORE! Bad script, and I didn't know a town could be so barren! When I saw the governor's mansion, the question that came to mind was "Governor of WHAT?"In conclusion, STAY AWAY.