{"id":49348,"date":"2020-07-13T14:02:53","date_gmt":"2020-07-13T21:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=49348"},"modified":"2021-02-05T17:23:20","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T00:23:20","slug":"ride-the-pink-horse-1947","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=49348","title":{"rendered":"Ride the Pink Horse (1947)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Our friend Shorty was the kind of a crook that nobody likes, not even me &#8212; and I&#8217;m rather broad-minded about such things.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Poster-152x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"152\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-49349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Poster-152x300.jpg 152w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Poster-517x1024.jpg 517w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Poster-65x128.jpg 65w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Poster.jpg 599w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 152px) 100vw, 152px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn embittered WWII veteran (Robert Montgomery) named Lucky Gagin travels to New Mexico to blackmail a profiteer (Fred Clark) who murdered Gagin&#8217;s war-buddy Shorty, and finds unexpected support in a doe-eyed young woman named Pila (Wanda Hendrix) and a portly carousel operator named Pancho (Thomas Gomez).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blackmail<\/li>\n<li>Gangsters<\/li>\n<li>Robert Montgomery Films<\/li>\n<li>Veterans<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nRobert Montgomery directed this atmospheric adaptation &#8212; scripted by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer &#8212; of a novel by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dorothy_B._Hughes\">Dorothy Hughes<\/a>, taking place in a shadowy post-war world of double-crossings, resentment, cynicism, and unexpected loyalty. Montgomery nicely plays against type as a decidedly un-charming conman, out to avenge his slain buddy while making some dough and dismissing nearly everyone he meets. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery2-1.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery2-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery2-1-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery2-1-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The film is atmospherically shot and well-acted throughout, particularly by Gomez (who received an Oscar nomination) as Montgomery&#8217;s unexpected supporter:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez2-1.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez2-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez2-1-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez2-1-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and Hendrix as petite Pila &#8212; though her enigmatic character is a challenging one to parse, given that we never really understand the thrust behind her odd fascination with protecting Montgomery (could the cross she wears around her neck be a sign of some kind?). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Protective.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Protective.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Protective.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Protective-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Protective-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Protective-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With that said, Hendrix is dedicated enough to her characterization that we eventually believe in Pila, and she&#8217;s certainly a pivotal component of this story. The clever script pulls no punches in presenting a corruption-filled universe, complete with a shrill, hearing-impaired villain (Clark):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-Smith.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-Smith.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-Smith.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-Smith-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-Smith-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-Smith-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; a government operator (Art Smith) on hand to warm Montgomery that he&#8217;s three steps ahead of him; and a gangster&#8217;s moll (Andrea King) who is clearly out to game Montgomery in one way or another. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-King.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-King.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-King.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-King-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-King-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-King-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[King is intense in a <em>different<\/em> way here than her &#8217;50s housewife character in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=48008\"><em>Red Planet Mars<\/em> (1952)<\/a>.]   <\/p>\n<p>The cultural world on display is nicely non-Hollywood, with plenty of authentic-looking extras peopling the screen. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Kids.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Kids.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Kids.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Kids-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Kids-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Kids-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4742pink.html\">DVD Savant<\/a>, however, highlights the film&#8217;s problematic approach towards Mexican-Americans, noting: &#8220;Pancho [Gomez] instantly reveals himself as an underclass &#8216;<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44471\">Gunga Din<\/a>&#8216; sidekick type, willing to put his life on the line for a handsome caballero he knows absolutely zero about&#8221;, and adding, &#8220;The film isn&#8217;t racist because it shows Gagin [Montgomery] and Marjorie [King] ignoring Pila or condescending to her, but because it idealizes her as a non-white &#8216;princess&#8217;, who is magical but cannot end up with the hero.&#8221; Savant argues that Mexican-Americans are ultimately presented as &#8220;quaint, sentimentalized&#8221; and &#8220;do[ing] good things for no reward except to share in the suffering, and when all is done they go back to being quaint.&#8221; While this all seems accurate, I view the film as very much a vision of how <em>Gagin<\/em> sees the world around him, and these depictions ring true to his sensibility; he grows in his cultural understanding and empathy by spending time with people (Mexican-Americans) who are authentically trustworthy, and perhaps that&#8217;s a realistic enough shift.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Robert Montgomery as Lucky Gagin<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-49351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Montgomery-128x96.png 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Thomas Gomez as Pancho<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-49353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Gomez-128x96.png 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Wanda Hendrix as Pila<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Hendrix.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Hendrix.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-49354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Hendrix.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Hendrix-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Hendrix-128x96.png 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fred Clark as Frank Hugo<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-49352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Clark-128x96.png 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Atmospheric cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Cinematography2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Cinematography2-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63567\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Cinematography2-1.png 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Cinematography2-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Cinematography2-1-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/Ride-the-Pink-Horse-Cinematography2-1-360x270.png 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, once; while flawed, it remains as an unusual flick and worth checking out. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary&#8217;s book. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Good Show<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0039768\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/88221\/ride-the-pink-horse#articles-reviews?articleId=70906\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1947\/10\/09\/archives\/ride-the-pink-horse-mystery-starring-robert-montgomery-and-wanda.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/movies\/article\/Blu-ray-review-Ride-the-Pink-Horse-6130253.php\">SF Gate Blu-Ray Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4742pink.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Our friend Shorty was the kind of a crook that nobody likes, not even me &#8212; and I&#8217;m rather broad-minded about such things.&#8221; Synopsis: An embittered WWII veteran (Robert Montgomery) named Lucky Gagin travels to New Mexico to blackmail a profiteer (Fred Clark) who murdered Gagin&#8217;s war-buddy Shorty, and finds unexpected support in a doe-eyed young woman named Pila (Wanda Hendrix) and a portly carousel operator named Pancho (Thomas Gomez). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Blackmail Gangsters Robert Montgomery Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=49348\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49348"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69040,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49348\/revisions\/69040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}