Wild Pony Island

Wild ponies tame a wild boy.

Wild Pony Island© Screenplay

Tagline
: Wild ponies tame a wild boy.

Log line: In 1958, the wild ponies of Ocracoke awaken a troubled Brooklyn teenager serving a year-long probation.

Film Genre: Coming of age
Adapted with permission from the book Wild Pony Island by Stephen Meader.

Inspired by actual events.  
Wild Pony Island© takes place during a unique time in American history.  Ocracoke Island is, in reality, one of the story's main characters.  We call the film "an unapologetic slice of Americana." History cannot be changed, but we can learn from it and be inspired by it. This is a story that should not be forgotten, and families will love to experience it together. Wild Pony Island pays tribute to some remarkable qualities of the American spirit - adventure, hard work, community, perseverance and second chances.  It also highlights the natural  beauty and power of God's creation. 
About image
Wild horses of Ocracoke Island

Wild horses of Ocracoke Island

History of the wild ponies of Ocracoke.

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Boy Scout Troop 290

Boy Scout Troop 290

History of America's only mounted Boy Scout Troop.

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Ocracoke and Baseball

Ocracoke and Baseball

There are 1,000 people on the island of Ocracoke, and 100 of them are kids who play baseball.

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The Ocracoke Brogue

The Ocracoke Brogue

The Ocracoke Brogue is a dialect that is gradually dying out.

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The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

Ocracoke has the oldest operating light station in North Carolina.

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Blackbeard the Pirate

Blackbeard the Pirate

Ocracoke was a favorite hideout for the famous pirate, Blackbeard.

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Hurricanes

Hurricanes

Hurricane Helene in October 1958

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The Ocracoke School

The Ocracoke School

There is only one school in Ocracoke, but it's a good one.

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Our story alternates between 2015 and 1958, a year of transformation for Rick Landon on the island of Ocracoke, North Carolina. 

2015 - On the long ferry ride to Ocracoke Island, an old man meets a young baseball player, traveling with his team to play the first-ever baseball game on Ocracoke. Without a cell signal, there is nothing to do but listen to the old man tell the story of Rick Landon, a troubled teen from Brooklyn, who in 1958 served a one-year probation on Ocracoke. 

1958 - Rick, 14, dreams of being a cowboy, or maybe a Coast Guard officer, like his dad, who died a hero’s death. Playing hooky to see the rodeo at Madison Square Garden, he meets a bronc rider who teaches him how to "gentle" a horse. Rick’s mom, Ann Landon, worries about Rick’s deteriorating behavior since his father died. Rick attends PS 68, a dismal inner-city school. The principal confronts him for skipping school and fighting. One teacher, Miss Vronsky, challenges him to live up to his potential, especially his talent for writing. Pressured to join a gang, Rick is arrested during a rumble for accidentally knifing a rival. The arresting policeman, Officer McClure, looks into Rick’s case. At juvenile court, McClure and Vronsky speak on Rick’s behalf. The judge sentences Rick to an upstate juvenile reformatory, which Office McClure describes as a "criminal factory." His mother proposes instead a move to her hometown, the island of Ocracoke, far away from inner-city influences. The judge agrees, but with a strict one-year probation. Rick is ordered to write monthly progress reports, and report any incidents or trouble to Officer McClure. 

Arriving on Ocracoke, Rick, bitter and angry, is aghast at the backward lifestyle of the island. The lack of modern conveniences (no electricity, tv, or indoor plumbing) and the natives’ odd dialect called the Ocracoke Brogue infuriates Rick. Rick’s city-slicker ways make him “a fish out of water.” Frustrated and embarrassed, he struggles to adapt to island life, and is skeptical of the townsfolks’ friendliness.  Mr. Randall, principal at the only school on the island, agrees to discreetly supervise Rick’s probation. The only bright spot for Rick is that wild horses inhabit the island. Ocracoke has the only mounted Boy Scout troop in America, and though Rick scoffs at the idea of being a Scout, he discovers that Boy Scouts can purchase their own pony. Captain Howard, leader of the Scout troop, becomes a father figure for Rick. Rick becomes captivated by the natural beauty and history of the island, and an occasional glimpse of a wild palomino that no one else believes to exist. 

Gradually, Rick makes friends with the Scouts, and meets Judy Ann at a town square dance. One Scout, Windy Jenkins,  a newcomer and bully, taunts Rick at every turn. Rick perseveres through a series of unpleasant jobs - cleaning fish, heading shrimp, and shucking oysters, to earn the money to become a Scout. Captain Howard helps Rick get his own pony, Dandy. He and the Scouts teach Rick to tame Dandy in many unique and inventive ways. 

Although Ocracoke starts to win him over,  Rick's probation hangs over his head. He is accused of stealing a valuable knife from a visiting schooner. Since a new highway is planned for the island, the Scouts decide to build fencing to protect the ponies. Rick proposes an idea for a fundraiser with Scouts and horses “square dancing” together. Windy sabotages Rick’s horse before the show. When Rick finds out, he confronts Windy. Rick knows he must not fight, but is forced to defend himself. During the fight, Windy brandishes the stolen knife. Both boys are called into the principal’s office. Rick is cleared of stealing the knife, but must report the incident to Brooklyn. Windy delights in overhearing about Rick’s probation. Hurricane Helene hits Ocracoke Island, and the town pulls together to help each other survive. Tragically, Rick’s horse Dandy dies in the storm. 

Distraught, Rick wanders alone on the beach for days. One day, the wild palomino sneaks up on Rick. They have a delightful "courtship," where Rick “gentles" the horse, and their souls unite. Rick names him Spaniard. Later, during duck season, a hunter is missing from Tom Jenkins' (Windy's father) tourist expedition, and the Scouts form a search party. On the dunes that evening, Spaniard appears to Rick and leads him to rescue the wounded hunter. Tom quietly observes this from a distance. Rick starts over to earn money for another pony, hopefully the elusive Spaniard. Rick meets Miss Hamilton, an author and marine biologist who visits Ocracoke to study migrating birds. Rick’s reports to Miss Vronsky display his talent for writing, and she asks him to write an article about Miss Hamilton for the school paper. It is a great success throughout the village. This infuriates Windy, who reveals Rick’s probation secret to the entire class. Rick feels that his probation has failed and that he is doomed to return to Brooklyn and the juvenile penitentiary. 

During the annual 4th of July pony penning, the palomino, stormy and fierce, is discovered and rounded up in the corral. Officer McClure and Miss Vronsky arrive from New York. Thinking they have come to take Rick away, Judy Ann warns Rick to hide. While Rick hides, his plan to own Spaniard is crushed by Windy’s father, Tom, who buys the horse. The village is shocked, but in a surprising twist, Tom gives the horse to Rick, revealing that he had witnessed Spaniard leading Rick to rescue the hunter. He apologizes for Windy’s behavior. No one wants to approach the wild palomino. Rick “gentles” Spaniard and then effortlessly mounts the majestic palomino, victoriously circling the corral to the delight of the entire island. Miss Vronsky and Officer McClure inform Rick that he has successfully completed his probation. They surprise Rick with the news that they are newlyweds and decided to honeymoon on Ocracoke. 

The old man ends his story as the ferry docks at Ocracoke. He and the team head for the inaugural game at the town's only baseball field, nicknamed the “Field of Dreams.” The visiting players are surprised that the old man, there to watch his grandson play for the home team, is a well-known local writer named Rick Landon, who, accompanied by his wife, Judy Ann, is asked to throw the first pitch of the game. 

And that is OUR pitch!

Brooklyn  in the 1950's imageBrooklyn  in the 1950's imageBrooklyn  in the 1950's image

Life was rough in the inner city for Brooklyn youth in the late 50's.    Click on these links for more information.

New York City Gangs

Brooklyn gangs

There were many juvenile reformatories in New York state to address the problem of juvenile delinquency.  
Instead of reformation, young men often developed into hardened criminals.

David and Patti DesMarais

Screenwriters

  • Sneads Ferry , North Carolina, United States

Contact us to read the script.

Stephen Meader imageStephen Meader image
 Stephen Meader is the author of the book Wild Pony Island, written in 1959. This was his 34th book. Written "out of firsthand experience on the island and with a special love of sea and shore, it gives readers of all ages a vivid picture of growing up in a beautiful and unspoiled part of our country." His mission was "to cover all of America, all of the periods that were adventurous and romantic and hadn't been written about...fascinating places."  He said, "If you look over that list (of books), they cover the United States from Maine to Hawaii, Puget Sound to Florida....What I wanted to do is give children from sixth grade on a chance to open their minds to the bigness of the country and the richness of its history and that has been my aim. I think a lot of kids have developed some of that feel. They have enlarged their horizons. If I have done anything that is worthwhile in this life, that is it."

Click here to read his biography:
Stephen Meader biography

Another interesting story is how these books became available to today's audience:
Southern Skies Publishing