Writer Stephen Purcell comes out to the country to visit an old school friend, veterinarian Larry Hanrahan (Ronald Reagan).  Larry is great at taking care of horses but a little clueless when it comes to women.  Both rancher Rory Teller (Alexis Smith) and Rory’s neighbor, Daisy Otis (Peggy Knudsen), have a thing for Larry but Larry is kept pretty busy taking care of all the horses in the community.  Stephen decides that he likes Rory but, deep down, he knows there’s no way he can compete with Larry.  When Larry gets busy tending to an anthrax outbreak, Rory finds herself tempted to give Stephen a shot.

When Stallion Road originally went into production, Humphrey Bogart was cast as Stephen and Lauren Bacall was cast as Rory.  Both of the stars refused to do the movie, feeling it was too lightweight.  Audiences were cheated out of a chance to see Reagan and Bogart, who were friends despite their differing styles of acting, co-starring opposite each other.  (They were both in Dark Victory but they didn’t share any scenes.)  Speaking of Bogart and Reagan, it’s a Hollywood legend that Reagan was originally offered the role of Rick in Casablanca though I’ve also read that Reagan was actually offered the role of Victor Laszlo.

Bogart and Bacall were right.  Stallion Road is the epitome of lightweight entertainment, with Reagan giving a pleasant but bland performance as Larry and the film never really allowing any doubt as to who Rory belongs with.  It’s the type of movie that would be a Hallmark film today so if you’re actually looking for a realistic drama about ranching and taking care of horses, it’s best to look elsewhere.  This film does show why Reagan was such a successful politician.  Even though his character isn’t exactly exciting, he’s innately likable and, from the minute he first appears, he’s dependable.  He’s someone who any rancher would trust to take care of their horses.