honoring the horse

University of Nevada, Reno exhibits the prominent roles equines have played in movies and the state’s history.

By UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO | November/December 2010

Photo: Gus Bundy

Fall 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the filming of “The Misfits” in Reno, Dayton, and the Pyramid Lake area. The star-studded film, written by Arthur Miller and directed by John Huston, was the last movie appearance for Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe and also featured Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter, and Eli Wallach.

However, other stars in the movie were four-legged creatures—wild horses, rodeo horses, and trained horses played prominent roles. To pay homage to these movie horses, and horses in general, which are so symbolic of Nevada, the “Honoring the Horse” exhibit will be featured in the University of Nevada, Reno’s Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center through March 2011.

Honoring the Horse not only includes glamour shots and posters of horses from the movies, but also highlights the major roles that horses have played in Nevada’s mining, farming, ranching, transportation, and tourism industries. Additionally, it illustrates the sometimes-conflicting interests and views surrounding the treatment and fate of Nevada’s mustangs.

Materials on display include film and audio recordings of Reno’s Wild Horse Annie (Velma Johnston), who successfully advocated for passage of the first federal legislation protecting wild horses and burros from inhumane treatment.

September marked the 51st anniversary of the passage of the Wild Horse Annie Act. Helping Annie to make her case in Washington D.C. were Gus Bundy’s powerful photos of wild-horse roundups, which are featured at the exhibit.

Additional exhibit items include rich, primary research materials from the Knowledge Center’s Special Collections, including photographs, Congressional papers, divorce ranch business records, book and movie research files, and literary manuscripts. Special Collections books about horses by Will James, Terri Farley, Marguerite Henry, Anthony Amaral, and others are also on display.

In February, the Knowledge Center will host a discussion and showing of “The Misfits,” celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film’s release on February 4, 1961.