Customer Reviews

The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit (The Kurt Russell Collection)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great family film from the Disney Studio. A fun adventure with Dean Jones, without as much slapstick as his other Disney outings. A little adventure, big dose of comedy, with some romance thrown in while a single father has to sort out his priorities.

Jones is an advertising executive that is stuck between an employer who is pressuring him for a jazzy new ad campaign, and being a single parent of a daughter that desperatley wants a horse. He is not to keen on horses, the high cost of the riding instructions she is attending, or even the riding instructor. Of course the instructor (Diane Baker) feels his daughter is a fantastic rider and should actually compete. He is strongly opposed to the extra cost and the let he fears his daughter will have.

Through a few twists, suddenly the 2 needs meet and he not only buys a horse but lets his daughter enter it in shows. But he really does it to promote an ad campaign and figures out a way to have his clients pay for it. Meanwhile his daughter develops a love interest in another horseman, a very young Kurt Russell. And Dad begins to fall for the instructor he hates. Dianne Baker and Dean Jones have a wonderful chemistry.

Just a side note, this is also available on DVD. But the DVD version that is on sale at this time does NOT include widescreen, or remastered, or have any extras, which is a big dissapointment. So BUY THIS VHS version, until a nice version of the DVD is released that earns the higher cost.

DVD Movies have many great features: great picture quality, making of documentaries, trailers and much more. However my favorite feature would have to be "Widescreen". So that is why I was so disappointed when I found out this movie was full screen. I bought this movie anyways, because at less I could replace my old faded VHS tape with superb color and sound and it did. However it did more than that. Upon closer comparison I noticed that was getting a lot more picture on the top and bottom and left and right of the screen!!!! On my 32 inch TV it's about and extra inch and a half more picture around the out side of the screen compared to my VHS tape. I was overjoyed and delighted by this discovery. So don't be too hasty in judge this movie if you love widescreen. Give it a chance it will be sure to please.

I know, I know another sappy old movie, but this movie is anything but. I'm 12 yrs old and was up late and this movie came on. I only watched it because there was nothing else on and I got hooked. I couldn't go to sleep till it was over. I think the reason I liked it so much is because I could relate to Helen so much. This is a movie you have to watch all the way through to like. And give it a chance, even though it may get a little boring in the begining and middle.

This is a great family film from the Disney Studio. A fun adventure with Dean Jones, without as much slapstick as his other Disney outings. A little adventure, big dose of comedy, with some romance thrown in while a single father has to sort out his priorities.

Jones is an advertising executive that is stuck between an employer who is pressuring him for a jazzy new ad campaign, and being a single parent of a daughter that desperatley wants a horse. He is not to keen on horses, the cost of the riding instructions she is attending, or even the instructor. Of course the instructor (Diane Baker) feels his daughter is a fantastic rider and should actually compete. He is opposed to the extra cost and the let he fears his daughter will have.

Through a few twists, suddenly the 2 needs meet and he not only buys a horse but lets his daughter enter it in shows. But he really does it to promote an ad campaign and figures out a way to have his clients pay for it. Meanwhile his daughter develops a love interest in another horseman, a very young Kurt Russell. And Dad begins to fall for the instructor he hates. Dianne Baker and Dean Jones have a wonderful chemistry.

The DVD version listed here does NOT include widescreen, or remastered, or have any extras, which is a big dissapointment. My VHS version is clean though and looks fresh even though it is also not in widescreen.

This movie starts off with a girl named Helen who is taking riding lessons at Susie's place. Helen's father is an Account Executive with an ad agency in New York and receives a bill that he feels is too high and pays a visit to the stables. This is the first visit and Helen is happy to introduce her father to Susie. The payment matter is settled and that evening he has to come up with a campaign for a heart burn pill.

After learning from his Aunt who lives with them that Helen wants a horse he comes up with the brilliant idea of how to obtain a horse for his daughter and save the campaign for Aspercel. The part where he follows his boss around the office pitching his idea reminds me of old Bewitched days when pitching ad campaigns.

The idea is clinched and soon Aspercel arrives and trying to get the Horse out of the white trailer is not an easy task. But Helen's dad has a glass of beer and that seemed to do the trick. The horse is welcomed into the family and Helen takes him into his new riding area. Susie is there as well and is hired on to teach Helen to ride.

Her father has the brainstorm that Helen is going to win ribbons and the campaign will be a hit. He has no idea that Helen is just beginning and when they go to the first competition is where they meet Ronnie. Played by Kurt Russell when he was with Disney in his youth. He drives a car and teaches Dad how to put the bridle on the horse and get the saddle on and they watch as Helen does not win a ribbon.

Anyone interested in horses would learn about competition and have some good laughs. One of the funniest parts in the movie is when Aspercel gets loose and the father is chasing the horse and that is when he jumps over a six foot fence and ends up in jail.

The horse is beautiful and this is family entertainment as Disney used to be.

Yes, this is a feel-good movie if ever there was one, especially for horse fanatics and even more if you're a horse-loving mother of young kids. This is one of my top 10 all time favorite movies - the leads are adorbable and they used actresses who REALLY knew how to ride (although a lot of the jumping did use stand-ins) Kurt Russell is a doll too and I just can't say enough good things about this film. Give me a trailer with a wet bar, tv and pop-out shade anyday!!

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.

Just when a harried New York advertising exec (Dean Jones) finds himself at the end of his rope trying to deal with an impossible deadline for an aspirin ad campaign and his teenaged daughter's (Ellen Janov) incessant demands for a horse, he has an ingenious idea: Get the aspirin company to sponsor a show jumper, one that his daughter can ride. Enter a lovely dapple gray, Aspercel (played by Albarado, who was doubled by Could Be and Sir Winston), a spirited steed who answers everyone's prayers... for awhile. Vintage Disney high jinks clear all obstacles including puppy love, the corporate world, and high stakes horseshow competitions. Based on the book The Year of the Horse by Eric Hatch.

Staci Layne Wilson

Well, I thought this movie was wonderful! I am a horse lover, so I usually like almost any movie with horses in it. But I think people who are and aren't horse lovers will like this movie too. It's funny, it has a good story, and it has gripping competition. The horses used in this movie were excellent jumpers (not to mention beautiful). I have rented this movie from the local video store a minimum of 10 times. Its a good old Disney Classic thats good to watch when you just feel like curling up on a couch and watching a video.

My son is 2 years old and we watch "Horsey Movie" Almost every day, he can not get enough of it. The action of the horses running and jumping, and the excitement from the people watching the horse shows has him entranced. I do recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys horses and / or has small children. It is a great alternative to the animated series and a wonderful relief from Pokemon, Barney, etc. And the best part is, there is no questionable language or scenery. You can truly feel safe having your child watch it.