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DVD Cover Copyright Disney<\/em><\/p>\n Based on Eric Hatch\u2019s novel The Year of the Horse<\/em>, The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit <\/em>was theatrically released on December 20, 1968. The 113-minute live action flick, a combination comedy and drama, was preceded by the animated short \u201cWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day,\u201d which was repackaged as the second of four segments in Disney\u2019s twenty-second full length animated feature, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh <\/em>(1977).<\/p>\n Plot Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n In contemporary Connecticut, Mr. Fred Bolton (Dean Jones) of the Tomes Advertising Agency is caught in a quagmire. At the demand of Tom Dugan (Fred Clark), the chairman of the board of the Allied Drug and Food corporation, Bolton is afforded twenty-four hours to devise a marketing plan for Aspercel, Allied\u2019s indigestion relief pill. Barring a miracle, Tomes is going to lose its best client, and, to increase Bolton\u2019s personal stress, his kindhearted daughter, Helen Bolton (Ellen Janov), cries for her own horse, an expenditure well outside Mr. Bolton\u2019s comfort zone.<\/p>\n The situation is an unmitigated disaster\u2026or is it? You see, by amalgamating his two problems, Bolton is able to devise an ingenious scheme in which he will buy Helen a horse, name it Aspercel, and, with the help of Helen\u2019s delightful riding instructor, Suzie \u2018S.J.\u2019 Clemens (Diane Baker), enter Helen and the horse in numerous contests, whereby Aspercel the pill will garner positive international fame. It is a convoluted scheme, but crazier plans have flourished. Will this one fall into that category?<\/p>\n Reviews<\/strong><\/p>\n Newsday <\/em>columnist Joseph Gelmis gave The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit <\/em>a negative review while praising the Winnie the Pooh short. Said Gelmis: \u201c \u2018Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day\u2019 is a Disney color cartoon short, the second in a projected series. It is far superior to the feature film on the same bill, \u2018The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit,\u2019 which is a revolting story about how a young girl and a horse help make her undeserving father a success on Madison Avenue in the advertising game.\u201d (1)<\/p>\n Imagination<\/strong><\/p>\n Walt Disney\u2019s legacy is based on imagination, a desire to uncover new horizons and conquer new creative fields even when most people deemed him crazy. This concept is proclaimed by a frustrated Tom Dugan at his meeting with the Tomes Agency. Here, Dugan explodes, \u201cWhy are you people trying to hand me this imbecilic, half-baked, old half-gimmicked up campaign that wouldn\u2019t even sell life preservers in a shipwreck?! Where\u2019s the imagination around this place?! Why, this stuff wouldn\u2019t even keep the clients that we\u2019ve got! I want new markets! I want to move up in class!\u201d<\/p>\n Ah, yes; imagination, new markets. The jump from black-and-white cartoons to full length animated movies to live action movies to an immersive theme park in Anaheim, California to the utopian dreams of EPCOT and to resorts in Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Keep moving forward!<\/p>\n Family<\/strong><\/p>\n What happened to Helen\u2019s mother? Did Mr. Bolton adopt the girl, is Mr. Bolton divorced, or is Mr. Bolton a widower? In any event, Mr. Bolton seems detached from his daughter. He clearly loves Helen, but his Aunt Martha (Lurene Tuttle) is closer with her, exuding awareness of Helen\u2019s horseback riding prowess and diffidence with boys, realities initially foreign to the girl\u2019s father.<\/p>\n Relationships<\/strong><\/p>\n The relationship between Mr. Bolton and Helen is engaging because of its genuineness. Their initially distant relationship notwithstanding, they unselfishly come to relinquish their respective desires for their mutual happiness.<\/p>\n Less fulfilling are the respective relationships between Mr. Bolton and Suzie Clemens, and Helen and Ronnie Gardner (Tommy Kirk). The former intercourse receives much superficial attention, while the latter association displays much depth but lacks airtime.<\/p>\n Ronnie strives to help Helen overcome her shyness, and their limited interactions exude mutual affection, but this relationship is merely a subplot. The relationship could have been expanded, but the film is not intended to be a romance and is, therefore, bound to demonstrate superficiality.<\/p>\n Sportsmanship<\/strong><\/p>\n The jockey of Aspercel\u2019s main competitor at the Washington International Horse Show, Lieutenant Mario Lorendo (Federico Pi\u00f1ero), demonstrates good sportsmanship throughout the proceedings, consistently encouraging and congratulating Suzie, Aspercel\u2019s jockey.<\/p>\n Mr. Bolton, conversely, demonstrates poor sportsmanship at Helen\u2019s first riding show. More concerned with the fate of his marketing deal than with Helen\u2019s setback, he screams at the judges when they eliminate Helen from further competition.<\/p>\n Sound<\/strong><\/p>\n In a great decision to augment suspense, no audio aside from hoof stomps is inserted during several of the extended horse competition scenes. This dearth of sound makes one feel like he or she is witnessing the events firsthand.<\/p>\n Music<\/strong><\/p>\n A swift, jazzy tune accompanies the opening credits. The number is not memorable, but it is a fun way to start the film. Additionally, the background music played against some of the riding footage augments the excitement prevalent in those scenes.<\/p>\n Humor<\/strong><\/p>\n The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit <\/em>is rarely hysterically funny, but it is frequently amusing.<\/p>\n Numerous awkward happenings occur in the office elevator, including Mr. Bolton\u2019s acceptance of a disingenuous \u201cthank you\u201d and the presence of an elderly woman (Nydia Westman) who appears to be in the wrong building.<\/p>\n Contrary to the company\u2019s name, the Tomes Advertising Agency specializes in marketing popular medicines, not popular books.<\/p>\n Major events and meetings seem to be abruptly rescheduled throughout the film. Darn, why wasn\u2019t I informed earlier?!<\/p>\n Charlie Blake (Morey Amsterdam) of the Tomes Advertising Agency is an eccentric, slightly creepy figure. He constructs immersive, if faulty, digestion models and antagonizes Mr. Bolton for publicity purposes while the latter is accidentally imprisoned.<\/p>\n Mr. Bolton procrastinates in discharging his debts. He receives another in a string of bills from S.J. Clemens because, according to his secretary Catherine (Florence MacMichael), he has \u201cshoved it aside several times.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr. Bolton discloses his marketing plan to Mr. Dugan while enduring numerous exercises, including weightlifting, swinging, boxing, medicine ball throwing, and squash.<\/p>\n Mr. Bolton endures a plethora of awkward physical and verbal encounters with Aspercel the horse. Err, Mr. or Mrs. Editor, his name is Aspercel, not Aspirin!<\/p>\n Relationship to Other Disney Films<\/strong><\/p>\n The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit <\/em>was the only Disney film to feature both Dean Jones and Kurt Russell, who were named Disney Legends in 1995 and 1998, respectively.<\/p>\n The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit <\/em>was the first of three Disney films to feature both Dean Jones and Herbie, the others being The Love Bug <\/em>(1968) and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo <\/em>(1977). Unlike the Herbie in the latter two flicks, though, the Herbie featured in The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit <\/em>is a pet dog, not a car.<\/p>\n As Mr. Bolton competed for ribbons in horse tournaments, another character played by Dean Jones, Mark Garrison, competed for a ribbon in a dog show in The Ugly Dachshund <\/em>(1966).<\/p>\n One Winnie the Pooh short, \u201cWinnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree,\u201d was previously released with The Ugly Dachshund<\/em>, and another, \u201cWinnie the Pooh and Tigger Too,\u201d was later released with The Island at the Top of the World <\/em>(1974). These shorts were incorporated into The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh <\/em>along with \u201cWinnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.\u201d<\/p>\n In the Parks<\/strong><\/p>\n Guests can experience Pooh\u2019s blustery day on \u201cThe Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh,\u201d a track ride located in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World\u2019s Magic Kingdom and in Critter Country at California\u2019s Disneyland Park.<\/p>\n At the \u201cTri-Circle-D Ranch\u201d at Walt Disney World\u2019s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground, guests can enjoy pony rides and embark on tame forty-five minute horse rides.<\/p>\n Photo Copyright Kelly Nobles<\/em><\/p>\n Photo Copyright Jessica Gelatt<\/em><\/p>\n Photo Copyright Jessica Gelatt<\/em><\/p>\n Photo Copyright Kelly Nobles<\/em><\/p>\n Photo Copyright Kelly Nobles<\/em><\/p>\n Photo Copyright Kelly Nobles<\/em><\/p>\n Overall<\/strong><\/p>\n There are undoubtedly more touching dramas and funnier comedies than The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit<\/em>, but this film is an adequate effort, simultaneously engaging and amusing.<\/p>\n Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n 1) Gelmis, J. (1968, December 23). The ‘Sea Gull’ Exquisite and Brilliant. Newsday<\/em>, p. 26A. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http:\/\/0-search.proquest.com.alpha1.suffolk.lib.ny.us\/docview\/915775349?accountid=35174<\/a><\/p>\n What do you think of The Horse in the Gray Flannel Suit? Let me know in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/The-Horse-in-the-Gray-Flannel-Suit-Kelly-Nobles-1-300x400.jpg\")
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