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Black Beauty - Sleek black stallion on the
animal series THE ADVENTURES OF BLACK BEAUTY/SYN/LWT/1972-73.
The series opens with an aerial shot as Black Beauty races across a verdant
field of green, then cuts to the horse's hooves splashing through a nearby
creek and finally the horse is seen racing from a distance across ridge of a distance
hillside.
Based on the classic novel "Black Beauty" (1877) written by Anne Sewell
(1820-1878) about a horse who suffers abuse from a series of owners in
Victorian, England, this series adaptation (52 episodes) followed the story of
a horse named Beauty and her teenage companion, Victoria Gordon (Judi Bowker).
In the novel, Beauty was harnessed to a temperamental chestnut mare named
Ginger.
In 1990, the original series was continued as THE NEW ADVENTURES OF BLACK
BEAUTY. This time Jenny Denning (Stacy Dorning) , now a veterinarian, has
moved to the south of New Zealand to run a farm with the help of daughter,
Vicky (Amber McWilliams) and Manfred (Gedeon Burkhard), a migrant German whom
Jenny found living in their stables when they arrived from Europe.
Together, Jenny, Vicky and Manfred bring back the deserted farm to life, a
farm which Jenny's husband Nigel Denning, a military doctor (now missing) was
to operate.
Along the way, Vicky meets a lone black stallion, whom she names Black
Beauty after Jenny's beloved horse which she left behind in England.
TRIVIA NOTE: In 1978, NBC-TV presented a lavish five-part miniseries based on the novel
set in 19th century Maryland. Kristoffer Tabori starred as Luke Gray who is
separated from his horse who spends the next thirteen years with a succession
of other owners until the horse is finally reunited with his original master.
In 1992, another miniseries aired. This time set
in Australia about a teenage girl named Bella (Rebecca Gooden) who was
shipwrecked, saved by a black horse and adopted by Dr. Austin (Peter Bensley)
whom lets Bella live on his farm as she struggles with amnesia.
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