We all love a great success story. An underdog makes it to the top, a brilliant fight back from catastrophe or overcoming a terrible illness. This new book MY WILD RIDE by FIONA JOHNSON has it all as it sure to be an instant best-seller.

Fiona Johnson was born a city girl, but she was always drawn to horses. Aged 10 she saved all of her pocket money to buy a saddle at a garage sale. Eventually, after months of nagging her parents, she persuaded them to buy her a horse to go with the saddle. And so began a life-long love affair with horses and Rodeo.

Fiona eventually moved from city to country when she met the love of her life Matt. Sadly tragedy struck shortly after they were married. Fiona was diagnosed with Leukaemia, a rare form of cancer. She wasn't given very long to live. But Fiona is a fighter. She was determined to beat her illness. And determined to fulfill her dream of participating in Rodeo events.

My Wild Ride by Fiona Johnson

I'm so excited that this movie is making a long overdue re-appearance. It's one I've been looking for, for many years and I've never been able to track a copy down.

It was directed by Harold D Schuster, the same man who directed the original 1943 My Friend Flicka movie starring Roddy McDowell. Although Anna Sewell's name (the origianl Black Beauty author) is prominently mentioned in the credits, it's not based on the original story at all. It's a typical animal movie from the American 1950's when the studio's were churning them out in great numbers on a low budget. Who can forget the famous Lassie ("Timmy's in the well") TV series from the same period?

It may not be an Academy Award winner, but I am so thrilled to see it back in circulation and is a must have for all horse movie collectors.

Pre-order THE COURAGE OF BLACK BEAUTY now for delivery in early April

The extended trailer for the new Lone Ranger movie is now out with a US release date set for July. This movie looks fantastic, but I was really concerned that the two horses who were so much a part of the original series, were not going to play a big part in the new movie. Gladly, I can now report that this is not the case.

Five horses have been trained to play the part of The Lone Rangers' horse Silver, and it is reported there will be a high humour content in the role with much leaping, beer drinking and generally coming to the rescue. Thank heavens. Silver and Scout continually saved the day in the original radio and TV series, so to leave them out of the new version would have been ridiculous. I can't wait to seem them back in their full glory.

Here is some refresher facts on Silver and Scout for those that can't remember the 1950's TV series.

The Lone Ranger saves Silver's life from an enraged buffalo and, in gratitude, Silver chooses to give up his wild life to carry him.

In another episode, however, the Lone Ranger, in a surge of conscience, releases Silver back to the wild. The episode ends with Silver returning, bringing along a companion who becomes Tonto's horse, Scout.

Whenever the Lone Ranger mounts Silver, he shouts, "Hi-yo, Silver! Away!" Besides sounding dramatic, this shout originally served to tell the radio audience that a riding sequence was about to start. In an echo of the Lone Ranger's line, Tonto frequently says, "Git-um up, Scout!" - Wikipedia

I still have a few copies left of the original Lone Ranger movies. Both are so camp and such fun. The complete TV series box sets are harder to come across, but there are some edited down versions out there. All are well worth revisiting before the new movie hits the big screens.
The Lone Ranger movie (1956)
The Lone Ranger and the City of Lost Gold (1958)
LR: The Lone Ranger (El Paso) Collection Volume 1 - DVD

There is a new family movie about to be released later this month. I haven't seen it yet, but the trailer looks terrific. You can pre-order it now for delivery in early April but it does come from America, so you must have an ALL REGION PLAYER for it to work properly.

Fifteen-year-old Megan Shephard and her parents will do anything to save their struggling farm. When the family discovers a wild stallion in a nearby forest they begin to wonder if this could be the answer to their prayers.

Kris Kristofferson and Jodelle Ferland star in this heartwarming and inspiring tale that celebrates the spirit of family and the amazing courage and determination it takes to defeat all odds.

NEW (imported) MOVIE - THE MIDNIGHT STALLION

Another new release direct from the USA. This one is getting terrific reviews and should be well worth seeing. If you pre-order this one now, I should have it before the end of the month.

For all her life, Riley Adams has dreamed of being a world class dancer. Victory in regional competition has gained her a coveted shot at the nationals, but a horrific accident brings her dreams to a standstill.

Turning to equine therapy to regain mobility, she discovers a special bond with a beautiful mare named Grace, and a most unexpected burgeoning romance as well!

HEALED BY GRACE - Region 1 (imported) DVD

For many years now there have been rumours of the return of everyone's favourite 1960's sitcom star, the irreverant talking horse Mister Ed. Waterman Entertainment has made the lastest bid for a big screen family movie, and hopefully they will have more luck than their predecessors.

All was looking very hopeful back in 2004 when Fox Studio's secured the screen rights and even went as far as producing a pilot, but alas it was not to be. The team behind Watermans have worked on some amazing movies such as Casper and Stuart Little amongst many others and are sounding more positive, so here's hoping.

Ed is to be a real horse, not a computer generated model, but his mouth will be based on the modern computer advancements that allowed for those wonderful facial expressions on the apes in Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, hopefully making Ed's talking a whole lot more convincing. Mind you, I've never had a problem with the old peanut butter in the mouth of the 1960's version. After all, we horse lovers and owners don't need a lot of convincing that our horses really do talk to us. Just ask any of us!

I'm not going to get too excited that the project will come to fruition as so many have tried and failed before, but the right signs are all there. In the mean time you can re-visit some of the old Mister Ed episodes, but the DVD's come from America so you do need an all-region player. It's a shame all the seasons aren't availabe, but the first three are better than nothing :-)

Mister Ed Complete Season 1 - NTSC (Region 1) DVD
Mister Ed Complete Season 2 - NTSC (Region 2) DVD
Mister Ed Complete Season 3 - NTSC (Region 3) DVD