It's Film Strip Friday! Tonka

It’s Film Strip Friday!

Tonka

Release Date December 25^th, 1958

 

Summary:

         Sal Mino stars as White Bull, a young Indian brave who captures and tames a wild stallion and names him Tonka. But when White’s Bull’s cruel cousin claims Tonka for his own and mistreats the horse, White Bull sets it free. Tonka finally finds a home with Capt. Keogh and the 7^th Calvary, and in 1876, rides into the Battle of the Little Big Horn with General Armstrong Custer.

FUN FACTS:

Tonka is a 1958 Walt Disney Western adventure film about the US cavalry horse that survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn; it stars Sal Mineo as a Sioux who fought there. It was filmed in Bend, Oregon and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures.

The film was based on the book Comanche: Story of America's Most Heroic Horse by David Appel. It tells an imaginary story of the Indian and US Cavalry owners of the horse of the title. It has also been released under the title A Horse Named Comanche.

Cast

·        Sal Mino as White Bull

·        Philip Carey as Captain Myles Keogh

·        Jerome Courtland as Lieutenant Henry Nowlan

·        Rafael Campos as Strong Bear

·        H.M. Wynant as Yellow Bear

·        Joy Page as Prairie Flower

·        Britt Lomond as General George Custer

·        Herbert Rudley as Captain Frederick Benteen

·        Sydney Smith as General Alfred Terry

·        John War Eagle as Chief Sitting Bull

·        Gregg Martell as Corporal Korn

·        Slim Pickens as Ace

·        Robert "Buzz" Henry as Lieutenant Crittenden

http://disney.go.com/disneyinsider/history/movies

http://en.wikipedia.org