Horse in Gray Flannel Suit

Starring:Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Lloyd Bochner, Fred Clark, Ellen Janov, Morey Amsterdam, Kurt Russell, Lurene Tuttle, Alan Hewitt, Federico PiÃ±ero, Florence MacMichael, Joan Marshall, Robin Eccles, Adam Williams, Norman Grabowski, Bill Baldwin (II), Paul Smith, Kenner G. Kemp, Jimmy Cross, John Cliff
Director: Norman Tokar
Studio: Disney Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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Dean Jones has a typical '60s occupation: ad man. Widower Fred Bolton is in need of a fantastic campaign to promote the stomach pill Aspercel. And in typical Disney get-a-kid-and-animal-in-there fashion, he makes the contrived decision to accommodate his sweet teen daughter Helen's longing for a horse, and advance the elusive ad campaign. Fred figures if he and Helen (Ellen Janov, in her only film role) can make a champion of the horse (now named, you guessed it, Aspercel), the name will get in the papers and Helen will have her horse. Complications arise when Helen reveals she hates riding in shows. Fortunately, her riding teacher, the beautiful Suzie Clemens (underrated Diane Baker), agrees to take up the cause, and sparks a little romance with the ambitious dad. The trio have a challenging competition and Suzie's ex, the wealthy and conceited Archer Madison (Lloyd Bochner, in a role he played often), to deal with, but as with all Disney films, good and earnest triumphs over smug and self-satisfied. Look for a young Kurt Russell, who has little to do but grace the movie (and Helen) with a little teen idolness. His introduction into the film--driving a red convertible MG--is hilarious. A sweet, easy-to-watch, harmless--if a little forgettable--film. (Ages 4 and older) --N.F. Mendoza

Description

This fast-paced, rollicking Disney adventure combines fatherly love and corporate survival with exciting horseplay and budding romance. The highjinks begin when harassed New York advertising executive Fred Bolton (Dean Jones) acquires a horse for his painfully shy daughter as part of a hurriedly conceived promotional campaign. With help from an attractive riding instructor (Diane Baker), and his daughter's would-be boyfriend (Kurt Russell), Fred hopes the horse will bring his client fame, save his own job, and just maybe finance his daughter's expensive equestrian habit! AS must-see for every Disney fan and lover of good wholesome old-fashioned fun..

Customer Reviews:

Loved it since I was a kid.......2007-03-20

I have loved watching this movie since I was a child because it doesn't have bad language, nudity or violence. It is a movie that everyone in the family can sit down and enjoy. Bonus is that it is about a horse!

Gray Flannel Looks Good on a Horse.......2007-02-04

Fred Bolton (play by Disney regular Dean Jones) is caught up in the intense business of advertising. Clients are demanding and the hours can be long. Fred's biggest client threatens to leave the advertising agency Fred works for unless Fred can come up with a snappy new campaign. Fred's daughter Helen (the late Ellen Janov in her only role) adds to Fred's pressures by wanting a horse. Fred manages to take care of two problems by suggesting that Fred's client, whose principal product is a stomach medication called Aspercel, should sponsor a horse that will gain publicity for the company.

Helen needs to win several competitions to get to a national horse show in Washington, D.C. Fred fails to be subtle in his encouragement of Helen, and eventually the pressure gets to Helen. As the result of a humorous horse escape we learn that Aspercel may have more capabilities than anyone realized, and Aspercel has a chance to achieve international fame.

Diane Baker is excellent as horse trainer Suzie "S.J." Clemens. Young Kurt Russell (he was about 17 years old at the time of this movie) is similarly excellent as Ronnie Gardner, who has more than a passing interest in Helen. Perhaps the only thing that bothers me about this movie is Dean Jones's periodic overacting. While he managed to express his nervousness, it hardly seems like someone in his position would be so nervous as to be nearly out of control.

Excepting Dean Jones occasional acting lapses, this movie is enjoyable. Several scenes are very funny. The end has very nice pacing leading up to the climax of the movie. Even better, every member of the family can watch this movie.

Watch for the dog named Herbie. "The Love Bug" was also filmed in the same year as this movie.

Enjoy!

Horse Lovers Delight.......2007-01-12

If you like horses and have an open mind (on this older movie) you'll have a great time watching. The star - a beautiful, extremely well-trained show hunter, has all sorts of great spots in the film and he's in many of the scenes. He's beautiful to watch over fences and there are many great clips from actual horse shows, hunters and jumpers, including the Washington International. Humor relative to its age, but fun to watch if you like watching beautiful, top-notch hunters and jumpers. Also a very good family film.

A film for any age.......2006-12-04

The Horse in the Grey Flannel Suit encompasses all of the ideals and morals of Disney's early days. This film is clean and enjoyable for horse lovers of all ages. Not only have the producers created a great horse film, but a romantically humorous one as well. It has a little bit of everything that each member of the family can enjoy. "Horse" stars the likes of Dean Jones, Diane Baker, Ellen Janov, and Kurt Russell. Maintaining a reasonable run time of 113 minutes, the film is just long enough to keep the audience glued to their set until the very end.
This timeless classic begins by following Fred Bolton, an ad campaigner who is directed by his disgruntled boss to come up with a campaign for the stomach pill Aspercel by the next morning. Fred, a single father to horse crazy teenager Helen, is feeling the time restraints of his boss and the desperate pleas of his daughter to get her very own horse. Bolton is in the midst of financial woes and comes up with the brilliant solution to get his daughter a horse and name it Aspercel. By competing the gorgeous grey and getting his name in the public's eye, Bolton is able to kill two birds with one stone, that is, however, until Helen decides she doesn't want to compete any longer. Helen's very attractive and very single riding instructor steps into the scene and begins to campaign the horse herself. As the film progresses, father and instructor begin to fall for each other, but there are a few bumps along the way.
This movie deserves two and half thumbs up. It is written, produced, and acted to the best possible potential. Disney accomplished its goal of creating a great family film free of modern influences that are in many of today's movies. This movie was well worth the effort to create, as it has stood the test of time and still remains true to its morals and can be enjoyed by all.

old-fashioned fun.......2005-10-27

This is not an exercise for the intellect, but a plain, innocent film with the familiar boy meets girl theme done the way Disney used to make films. There's a refreshing quality to this very non-technological movie with no computer graphics. I enjoyed the horse-show footage, and it will most definitely appeal to horse lovers of whatever age. This is not just for the young folks, but for us older folks too. It will cause lots of amusement, and the acting is just right for this kind of a film. This is just right for a break from the violence, and so called "adult" garbage that the movie makers put out now. Sit back and be prepared for old-fashioned fun that everyone in the family can enjoy.

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