Tonka
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLewis R. Foster
Written byDavid Appel
Lewis R. Foster
Lillie Hayward
Based onComanche: Story of America's Most Heroic Horse
by David Appel
Produced byJames C. Pratt
StarringSal Mineo
Philip Carey
Jerome Courtland
Rafael Campos
CinematographyLoyal Griggs
Edited byEllsworth Hoagland
Music byOliver Wallace
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Distribution
Release date
  • December 25, 1958 (1958-12-25)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
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, the movie depicts the fictional story of the Indian and US Cavalry owners of the titular horse.[2]

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

Plot

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 try and break his spirit. White Bull lets the horse escape, and Tonka is captured by the U.S. Cavalry. Captain 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

Production

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

References

  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


Films directed by Lewis R. Foster
Categories