Vironpride...I just finished watching this black & white film on Turner Classic Movies. So, you'll be happy to know it is still out there. It's an interesting story about animals, a bit far-fetched but fun just the same. The story of the young girl finding the baby animals is sweet, and the fact that they become fast friends is feasible. I'm sure as ten-year-old's you and I would have loved this movie. The story line is a bit hokey but not unusual for the times. There are some beautiful shots of the animals in their natural settings. All-in-all I enjoyed the film, more for the animals than the acting or storyline. I'm sure you'll be pleased to know, it does still exist.
21 Reviews
Sequoia great movie
bmarquardt10 February 2005
I saw this move as a young teenager in the 1950's. As I remember it, it was a great movie and I would like to be able to purchase a home version of it in VHS or DVD. I do not remember whether the movie was in color or black and white. I think this kind of movie would be valued by adults and young today even more than it was back then. I did not realize that this movie was made in the 30's. If it should ever become available to the public, I would like to have this brought to my attention. Thank you for the opportunity to express may opinion on this film. I remember two movies from my childhood that seem to stick in my mind. They are this movie and Desperate Search.
A Beautiful Childhood Memory
kidboots27 November 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Like most of the reviewers, I recall this film as a beautiful childhood memory, and of course, the scene I vividly recall is the "recognition scene" between Malibu and Gatu. I also remember crying my eyes out and it may have contributed to my love of animals as well. I have been lucky enough to have seen it more recently and, even with the romantic sub-plot, it did not disappoint.
Amid the beautiful panorama of the giant forests, a drama is unfolding. Two baby animals, a mountain lion and a deer are left orphaned and are found by Toni (Jean Parker) whose father, Matthew Martin (Samuel S. Hinds) is a writer. He feels that it is only through sheer necessity that animals kill each other. Toni is determined that Malibu, the deer and Gatu, the puma, by growing up together, will love each other. The ranger scoffs at the idea that wild animals can be tamed and he is soon proved right. Chickens start disappearing and Gatu is the chief suspect. Toni and her father are due to return to town, so it is with great sadness that she sets them free, hoping they will always remain friends.
Of course, "that scene' when Gatu is just about to strike but realises it is his childhood friend Malibu, sent me running for the tissues. They grow older - Malibu finds a partner, who is shot by Bergman (Paul Hurst, of course) the evil poacher, and leaves his own fawn to be looked after by Toni, who is back in the forest. There is a very exciting scene where Bergman is just about to shoot Malibu but Gatu comes to the rescue. There is a tussle and together they (Bergman and Gatu) roll toward the cliff. The movie ends very optimistically as hunting is finally prohibited in the National Park - every year thousands of deer were slaughtered until the whole country was up in arms. The last scene is Malibu and Gatu frolicking together in the snow.
Jean Parker was one of MGM's "sweet young things" discovered in the early thirties. Usually only required to blush prettily and to wipe her tears away coyly, her roles didn't require much pep (she was the angelic Beth in "Little Women" (1933)). "Sequoia" was different and required her to be a bit more spirited. Surprisingly, she had a long career that only petered out in the 50s.
Recommended.
Amid the beautiful panorama of the giant forests, a drama is unfolding. Two baby animals, a mountain lion and a deer are left orphaned and are found by Toni (Jean Parker) whose father, Matthew Martin (Samuel S. Hinds) is a writer. He feels that it is only through sheer necessity that animals kill each other. Toni is determined that Malibu, the deer and Gatu, the puma, by growing up together, will love each other. The ranger scoffs at the idea that wild animals can be tamed and he is soon proved right. Chickens start disappearing and Gatu is the chief suspect. Toni and her father are due to return to town, so it is with great sadness that she sets them free, hoping they will always remain friends.
Of course, "that scene' when Gatu is just about to strike but realises it is his childhood friend Malibu, sent me running for the tissues. They grow older - Malibu finds a partner, who is shot by Bergman (Paul Hurst, of course) the evil poacher, and leaves his own fawn to be looked after by Toni, who is back in the forest. There is a very exciting scene where Bergman is just about to shoot Malibu but Gatu comes to the rescue. There is a tussle and together they (Bergman and Gatu) roll toward the cliff. The movie ends very optimistically as hunting is finally prohibited in the National Park - every year thousands of deer were slaughtered until the whole country was up in arms. The last scene is Malibu and Gatu frolicking together in the snow.
Jean Parker was one of MGM's "sweet young things" discovered in the early thirties. Usually only required to blush prettily and to wipe her tears away coyly, her roles didn't require much pep (she was the angelic Beth in "Little Women" (1933)). "Sequoia" was different and required her to be a bit more spirited. Surprisingly, she had a long career that only petered out in the 50s.
Recommended.
My all-time favorite B&W movie!!
LaDonna-310 September 1999
If someone out there, anywhere, has a copy of this movie, I would dearly love to have it and get to see it again. It's been stuck in my mind since I was a little girl and watched it as a television movie. This could be a great family movie and excellent for kids -- including big kids of all ages -- especially animal lovers.
Live action Bambi
bkoganbing20 November 2018
If you are an animal lover than this B film sleeper from RKO is a must for you. I
promise if you love the Disney animated feature Bambi you'll forget all about that
when you see Malibu the deer in action.
Jean Parker and her father, writer and naturalist Samuel S. Hinds have a cabin in the Sequoia National Forest in Northern California and one day Parker who has inherited her love of the forest and its creatures from dad, saves a young fawn and a cougar cub and takes them home. She raises them as pets but at some point dad says they've got to go and fend for themselves in the wild.
Still the two animals raised together as they were form a bond that overcomes their natural instincts. And Parker gets herself a nice handsome forest ranger in Russell Hardie.
The animals are really front and center and the camera crew at RKO can't get enough credit for the life action shots in the forest. It must have taken infinite patience to put Sequoia together because those creatures aren't exactly trained animals.
You'll love the climax and what happens to cruel hunter Paul Hurst. Let's say these two, cougar and deer are quite the tag team.
Sequoia is a must for nature lovers.
Jean Parker and her father, writer and naturalist Samuel S. Hinds have a cabin in the Sequoia National Forest in Northern California and one day Parker who has inherited her love of the forest and its creatures from dad, saves a young fawn and a cougar cub and takes them home. She raises them as pets but at some point dad says they've got to go and fend for themselves in the wild.
Still the two animals raised together as they were form a bond that overcomes their natural instincts. And Parker gets herself a nice handsome forest ranger in Russell Hardie.
The animals are really front and center and the camera crew at RKO can't get enough credit for the life action shots in the forest. It must have taken infinite patience to put Sequoia together because those creatures aren't exactly trained animals.
You'll love the climax and what happens to cruel hunter Paul Hurst. Let's say these two, cougar and deer are quite the tag team.
Sequoia is a must for nature lovers.
Wildlife adventure Story
gagarh12 December 2005
I saw this movie in the late 40's and it was a favorite of mine. I have remembered it vividly all of my life and I am desperate to find a copy of it. It was one of Jean Parkers best films.The story is about a girl living near a national park raising a fawn and mountain lion together.She tries to protect them from hunters.It's a very touching story and good for children.Although black and white, the scenery is terrific and the ability to get the fawn and the mountain lion together in the film is amazing. I also admired her courage in standing up to the hunters.The film has some good values to teach children.It was reissued years later as "Malibu".Has anyone found it?
additional comments on film
tambais29 August 2009
To all who love SEQUIOA, you have great taste in good ol' films. By now, you all know TNT has shown it in '08, and it IS available on VHS (got it some years ago). Growing up in N.J., it was on the TV all the time; out here in California, it was shown back in the '80's at an "old movie" theater with Jean Parker's name headlining the marquee. I also have the Vance Hoyt book--quite good, but the girl is a guy. For the record, if the archives of my memory are still intact, the movie was filmed over a period of 2 years (was Jean's first(?), but not the first released, obviously), so that the real cub and fawn could grow together naturally. The nature shots in the beginning alone could very well have been inspiration for many of Walt's later doc's...who knows???
What a terrific early wildlife film!
AlsExGal30 May 2021
Walt Disney wouldn't make his first live action film until 1950, although his True-Life Adventures nature film series begins with Seal Island in 1948. And oddly enough this excellent film about animal friendship and bonding with an ecological message that looks like some kind of fusion between Walt era Disney and gangster era Warner Brothers came from 1930s Golden Era MGM.
There are no big human stars in it - probably the most recognizable actors are Ed Brophy who has a bit part as a forest ranger and Samuel S. Hinds as the author and dad of Toni (Jean Parker). And even then, you'd have to be a real old movie buff to recognize them. But then Clark Gable and Jean Harlow would have just been a distraction in this situation.
This is the story of the deer Malibu and puma Gato who are orphaned as infants, found and adopted by a 17 year old Toni while dad is trying to write his next book, raised together, and released back into the wild as adults, and always remain friends. In the background a romantic relationship results over a several year period between Toni and a sympathetic forest ranger, Bob, as Toni and her dad periodically return to their cabin in the wilderness. The humans in the story are here more as background and support for the animals as they are relentlessly and often illegally pursued by hunter and guide Bergman, a truly hissable villain. He and his companion are often saying how they have to eat too, but Bergman sure does seem to enjoy the actual slaughter of the animals he hunts.
Lots of times the film is like a silent movie, just showing the deer and the puma as they live their lives through the years and sometimes reunite. As for the ending - let's just say it is a good thing the production code did not apply to animals! I still can't figure out how they did the wonderful scenes of the puma and deer licking and preening each other given the limited technology of the time. Highly recommended.
There are no big human stars in it - probably the most recognizable actors are Ed Brophy who has a bit part as a forest ranger and Samuel S. Hinds as the author and dad of Toni (Jean Parker). And even then, you'd have to be a real old movie buff to recognize them. But then Clark Gable and Jean Harlow would have just been a distraction in this situation.
This is the story of the deer Malibu and puma Gato who are orphaned as infants, found and adopted by a 17 year old Toni while dad is trying to write his next book, raised together, and released back into the wild as adults, and always remain friends. In the background a romantic relationship results over a several year period between Toni and a sympathetic forest ranger, Bob, as Toni and her dad periodically return to their cabin in the wilderness. The humans in the story are here more as background and support for the animals as they are relentlessly and often illegally pursued by hunter and guide Bergman, a truly hissable villain. He and his companion are often saying how they have to eat too, but Bergman sure does seem to enjoy the actual slaughter of the animals he hunts.
Lots of times the film is like a silent movie, just showing the deer and the puma as they live their lives through the years and sometimes reunite. As for the ending - let's just say it is a good thing the production code did not apply to animals! I still can't figure out how they did the wonderful scenes of the puma and deer licking and preening each other given the limited technology of the time. Highly recommended.
Stunning animal photography
hold2file18 November 2000
This movie has some of the most stunning animal photography I have ever seen. It is amazing to get an adult male deer and bobcat to work together as well as the very impressive scenes of deer and other animals in the wild.
A treasure from my Childhood
enkiduu23 June 2005
This movie is a real treasure form my childhood. I remember watching it as the morning movie on San Francisco's Channel 7 while curled up next to my mother when I was about 4 r 5. To this day I think my love for wild animals and sense of loyalty stem from this movie. The theme I hold most dear from the movie is that natural enemies can become friends when both are nurtured with love. I think this movie's message is more timely now than ever before.
This movie reminds me of how man gems have been made in Hollywood only to be lost with the passage of time. Maybe Channel 7 still has a print. It is worth contacting them to ask.
Also, my wife is from Japan and has not had the chance to see Sequoia so I hope it becomes available on DVD so I can share it with her.
This movie reminds me of how man gems have been made in Hollywood only to be lost with the passage of time. Maybe Channel 7 still has a print. It is worth contacting them to ask.
Also, my wife is from Japan and has not had the chance to see Sequoia so I hope it becomes available on DVD so I can share it with her.
A young girl raises an orphaned puma cub and fawn together as friends near a national forest.
rennie195026 April 2007
I saw this movie once, on television, back in the late 1950s, when I was in elementary school. The story, about a girl who adopts an orphaned puma cub and a fawn, then raises them to be friends, was fascinating. Despite the movie's age (it was already over twenty years old when I saw it) the story was moving without being sentimental and exciting without being overly violent. I have searched for any existing print on VHS tape or DVD, only to find that none apparently exists. The movie was based on a book of the same title, which I now own, by Vance Joseph Hoyt, published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1931. If it is true that no print still exists then I think it would be a very good idea to re-make it!
If only man and animals could co-exist like this.
mark.waltz21 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Certainly there are some unrealistic moments in this beautifully filmed MGM drama set up in the California mountains where the sweet Jean Parker befriends a baby deer and puma, raising them until they are too big to take care of. Unlike what they say about other wild animals in this situation, the grown up deer and puma manage to make it out in the wild and when they happen to run into each other act like old friends rather than natural enemies. They even drop in on Parker and father Samuel S. Hinds like old friends do, avoiding local hunter Paul Hurst until hunting season starts and Hurst is out tracking Malibu, the beautiful deer while El Gato, the puma, stalks Hurst.
Russell Hardie plays a local mountie who warns Parker that it is his duty to kill wild pumas when they are in the vicinity of human beings, but agrees to leave El Gato alone on the condition that Parker lets both animals loose. At first, Hurst's behavior is understandable as El Gato apparently attacks his livestock, but as he becomes more determined to kill as much wildlife as he can, the hatred for his character grows. There are some amazing twists in the last real and it conclusion that may have you cheering.
But be prepared for some sobs along the way, especially when the baby puma comes across its mother. Parker is sweet, and it is easy to see why animals are taken with her, but she is doing something that naturalists now considered dangerous for wildlife. much of the film is silent with just music and various animal noises, showing what happens when the adult deer and puma find themselves back in the Wild on their own and how Malibu in particular finds a mate. It is truly touching how Malibu introduces its offspring to Parker, and this leads to a scene with little Harry Lowe Jr., the son of Willie Fung, Hinds' cook, that is both extremely funny and immensely tense. this is a film that deserves to be remembered along with the Lassie series, My Friend Flicka, National Velvet and The Yearling which show man's love for animals and how animals respond to that love.
Russell Hardie plays a local mountie who warns Parker that it is his duty to kill wild pumas when they are in the vicinity of human beings, but agrees to leave El Gato alone on the condition that Parker lets both animals loose. At first, Hurst's behavior is understandable as El Gato apparently attacks his livestock, but as he becomes more determined to kill as much wildlife as he can, the hatred for his character grows. There are some amazing twists in the last real and it conclusion that may have you cheering.
But be prepared for some sobs along the way, especially when the baby puma comes across its mother. Parker is sweet, and it is easy to see why animals are taken with her, but she is doing something that naturalists now considered dangerous for wildlife. much of the film is silent with just music and various animal noises, showing what happens when the adult deer and puma find themselves back in the Wild on their own and how Malibu in particular finds a mate. It is truly touching how Malibu introduces its offspring to Parker, and this leads to a scene with little Harry Lowe Jr., the son of Willie Fung, Hinds' cook, that is both extremely funny and immensely tense. this is a film that deserves to be remembered along with the Lassie series, My Friend Flicka, National Velvet and The Yearling which show man's love for animals and how animals respond to that love.
Sequoia is a vintage classic
toza-123 December 2007
I have read all the listed reviews on this wonderful old film and agree with all the sentiments. I appear to be most fortunate to possess two video copies of the film, one of which is in very good condition. All the children I have shown it to have loved it. Many children these days sneer at the suggestion that anything filmed in black and white could be worth watching. However, upon viewing Sequoia, they soon realize that this is anything but the case. It is sad that when they ask where they can purchase their own copies, that the film is completely unavailable commercially. This seems strange given that it has aired on Pay TV here in Australia, albeit not for 15 years or so. Let's hope a master is discovered and given due treatment for its fans.
I really envy Jean Parker!
planktonrules28 May 2021
"Sequoia" is a very sweet, one of a kind movie from MGM. While there are actors and a story, much of the film is told without words and the main actors are actually a tame deer and an equally tame mountain lion.
When the story begins, Toni (Jean Parker) is wandering the woods near her father's cabin when she discovers both an orphaned mountain lion and an orphaned deer. She decides to raise them both and soon the unlikely pair bond and are friends. But as they grow, they need to be returned to the wild but Toni is worried, as nearby hunters would love to kill her new pets. What is the fate for these beautiful creatures?
I really envied Jean Parker, as she got to play with and hold these animals! I also really appreciated that MGM tried something VERY different here....making a film with such an unusual story and with the animals doing much of the acting. It really came off well because the cinematography and music are so perfect. All in all, a wonderful family film...one that is so unusual and sweet I couldn't help but enjoy it.
When the story begins, Toni (Jean Parker) is wandering the woods near her father's cabin when she discovers both an orphaned mountain lion and an orphaned deer. She decides to raise them both and soon the unlikely pair bond and are friends. But as they grow, they need to be returned to the wild but Toni is worried, as nearby hunters would love to kill her new pets. What is the fate for these beautiful creatures?
I really envied Jean Parker, as she got to play with and hold these animals! I also really appreciated that MGM tried something VERY different here....making a film with such an unusual story and with the animals doing much of the acting. It really came off well because the cinematography and music are so perfect. All in all, a wonderful family film...one that is so unusual and sweet I couldn't help but enjoy it.
You need to see this for the nature photography
richard-178729 July 2022
The plot of this movie is nice, and p.c. Before its time. You can safely ignore it.
On the other hand, the nature photography, though primitive, is absolutely wonderful. I don't want to know how they got the animals to do some of the things we see, but it is truly fascinating to watch them interact with each other.
How they got a puma to play with a buck I will never know.
On the other hand, the nature photography, though primitive, is absolutely wonderful. I don't want to know how they got the animals to do some of the things we see, but it is truly fascinating to watch them interact with each other.
How they got a puma to play with a buck I will never know.
Remarkable integration of animals in the cast
jfwiley28 July 2022
I love the story. Gold stars to everyone who trained the animals and integrated them so effectively into the cast of characters in an era when special effects options were so limited. It's wonderful that this treasure has been saved.
where is this film?
vironpride29 April 2004
"Sequoia" has haunted me since I was about 10 years old. I saw it on black-and-white television, and all I really remember about it is the scene of a mountain lion lying down and a buck deer standing close by. This fascinated me no end, though I joked about it in later years ("The camera was shut off just before the mountain lion got up, jumped on the deer, and killed it!" ha) For many years I was beginning to wonder if this film was just a dream, because I could not find it listed in any of my "movies on TV" type books. I even tried movie search services before I found the right one and they described the plot to me and I finally knew that "Sequoia" did exist! However, I am saddened to learn the information given on others of these postings--that it does not exist anymore, or has been lost. I sincerely hope this is not so, because I'd snap it up in a minute if it became available!
Nice movie everyone should see
astraub1015 October 2022
Cute before its time movie oddly from MGM 1934. I watched it, loved it and watched again with a friend. Captivating and sticks with you. Acting is realistic and animal footage is spot on and in some spots spectacular. Remember this is a very old movie but the message could not be more on target today.
If the movie doesnt seem to be your cup of tea, keep watching, it gets even more engrossing. For a very old movie with I assume a smaller budget, the camera work and shots are very good and the music is appropriate and adds to the drama.
I love finding an old movie I never knew and have it be so good.
If the movie doesnt seem to be your cup of tea, keep watching, it gets even more engrossing. For a very old movie with I assume a smaller budget, the camera work and shots are very good and the music is appropriate and adds to the drama.
I love finding an old movie I never knew and have it be so good.
Beautiful gem!
meaghanedwards1 January 2023
I saw this on New Year's eve online, glad I did! This is one of those rare gems that isn't shown much on TV (apparently it is sometimes shown on Turner Classic Movies (unfortunately a channel which I don't own, but if yu do, keep an eye out for it).
This is a great tale, as far fetched as it might be, about the story of two orphans coming together and become unlikely best friends. The wildlife and environmental cinematography in this movie is absolutely stunning, especially considering that the motion picture was still in its infancy at the time of its release. The lack of big names works for this movie and helps keep the focus.
This is a great tale, as far fetched as it might be, about the story of two orphans coming together and become unlikely best friends. The wildlife and environmental cinematography in this movie is absolutely stunning, especially considering that the motion picture was still in its infancy at the time of its release. The lack of big names works for this movie and helps keep the focus.
Eight Years Before BAMBI
boblipton24 September 2023
Samuel S. Hinds is an author writing a book in a national park. His daughter rescues a puma kitten and a mule deer faun, and raises them, until forced to give them up. But they continue to be friends, and when Miss Parker and company return to the forest, she is glad to meet old friends. And Ranger Russell Hardie too. She's not so pleased by Paul Hurst, who sets traps and guides hunting parties.
I don't know who is cuter: Miss Parker, the animals, or the little Chinese boy playing with the rattlesnake. Stuff like this could set off a diabetic coma, but the nature shots, the trained animal shots, and 19-year-old Miss Parker make this a marvelous picture. Kudos to editor Charles Hochberg for a movie that required some great editing.
I don't know who is cuter: Miss Parker, the animals, or the little Chinese boy playing with the rattlesnake. Stuff like this could set off a diabetic coma, but the nature shots, the trained animal shots, and 19-year-old Miss Parker make this a marvelous picture. Kudos to editor Charles Hochberg for a movie that required some great editing.
One of my Favorites
tony6a30 November 2001
I saw this when I was in grammar school, in the 50s not realizing it was already 20 years old! I would love to see it again. I seem to remember reading an article about film preservation that said prints for Sequoia were not available anymore. Let's hope one pops up and a video and dvd follows. I picked up a Sequoia "big/little book" at a book sale with stills from the movie on every other page. If you are familiar with the movie you will know what big little books are, I guess.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
