Tonka (film)

1958 film by Lewis R. Foster

Tonka

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Lewis R. Foster
Written by| David Appel
Lewis R. Foster
Lillie Hayward
Based on| Comanche: Story of America's Most Heroic Horse
by David Appel
Produced by| James C. Pratt
Starring| Sal Mineo
Philip Carey
Jerome Courtland
Rafael Campos
Cinematography| Loyal Griggs
Edited by| Ellsworth Hoagland
Music by| Oliver Wallace
Color process| Technicolor

Production
company

Walt Disney Productions

Distributed by| Buena Vista Distribution

Release date

* December 25, 1958 (1958-12-25)

Running time

| 97 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Box office| $2.5 million (est. US/ Canada rentals)[1]

Tonka is a 1958 American Western film directed by Lewis R. Foster and starring Sal Mineo as a Sioux who survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The film is based on the book Comanche: Story of America's Most Heroic Horse by David Appel, and depicts the fictional story of the Indian and US Cavalry owners of the horse of the title.[2]

It was filmed in Bend, Oregon, and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution, a division of Walt Disney Productions.

## Plot

[edit]

In 1876, White Bull, a young Sioux, captures a wild stallion he names Tonka, and trains him. He must give the horse to his bad-tempered cousin, Yellow Bull, who abuses Tonka to break his spirit. White Bull lets the horse escape, and Tonka is captured by the U.S. Cavalry. Captain Myles Keogh rides Tonka at the Battle of Little Big Horn, and the horse is the only survivor of the massacre. When Captain Keogh is killed Tonka rises up and kills Keogh's killer. White Bull joins the cavalry, and is given the duty of looking after Tonka, who has received an honorable discharge from further battle duties.[3]

## Cast

[edit]

* Sal Mineo 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
* Eddie Little Sky as Spotted Tail

## Production

[edit]

Tonka was filmed in Bend and Madras, Oregon.[4]

## See also

[edit]

* List of films about horses

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1959: Probable Domestic Take", Variety, 6 January 1960 p 34
2. ^ TCM overview
3. ^ Horse is 'Tonka' Star, The Boston Globe, December 26, 1958, page 19
4. ^ "Filmed in Oregon 1908-2015" (PDF). Oregon Film Council. Oregon State Library. Retrieved December 27, 2015.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Tonka at IMDb

* v
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Films directed by Lewis R. Foster

Features|

* Love Letters of a Star (1936)
* She's Dangerous (1937)
* Armored Car (1937)
* The Man Who Cried Wolf (1937)
* The Lucky Stiff (1949)
* El Paso (1949)
* Manhandled (1949)
* Captain China (1950)
* The Eagle and the Hawk (1950)
* The Last Outpost (1951)
* Passage West (1951)
* Crosswinds (1951)
* Hong Kong (1952)
* Tropic Zone (1953)
* Jamaica Run (1953)
* Those Redheads from Seattle (1953)
* Crashout (1955)
* Top of the World (1955)
* The Bold and the Brave (1956)
* Dakota Incident (1956)
* Tonka (1958)

Shorts|

* Angora Love (1929)
* Bacon Grabbers (1929)
* Berth Marks (1929)
* Double Whoopee (1929)
* Men O' War (1929)
* Unaccustomed As We Are (1929)

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